Associate Research Administrator

Department: RENU - SQI Regenerative Eng
Salary/Grade: EXS/6

RENU is a new Institute for engineering in medicine and healthcare innovation established to foster, develop, and disseminate engineering-driven technology innovations that restore tissue and organ function to improve patient care and quality of life. The mission of this new institute predominantly integrates the talents of faculty from McCormick School of Engineering and Feinberg School of Medicine to create convergence research, education, and innovation ecosystems to develop enabling tools for preserving, restoring, and augmenting tissue and organ function. Staff within the Institute support this mission and are an integral part of the Institute's success.

The Associate Research Administrator will be a core member of the Institute's team and will assist the DOO with the management of the Institute for both pre- and post-award activities, managing all aspects of research administration, including proposal development, budget preparation, award setup, ongoing award management, compliance, effort reporting, financial reporting and projections, and financial oversight. This role supports researchers throughout the entire grant lifecycle.

Provides administrative assistance and routine problem solving in support of unit's research programs and mission. Assistance may include the preparation &/or submission of routine research proposals, grants &/or contracts according to standard practice &/or general instruction. May assist with &/or complete proposal submissions, prepare information used in grant budgets, process and project financial transactions, &/or effort reporting activities.

A cover letter is required to apply for this position.

Please note:

Supervisor provides objectives, deadlines & specific instructions only for new, difficult, &/or unusual work. Work is reviewed upon completion & only occasionally to verify technical accuracy & compliance with practice, policy, & procedures. EE informs supervisor of on-going progress &/or potentially controversial matters.

EE uses an advanced knowledge of skills, methods & practices & some innovation, analysis, & reasoning to choose appropriate alternatives from among pre-defined policies & procedures to complete work that includes successive steps & involves some non-routine problems &/or decisions.

• As time and budget allows:
• New-"Brown Bag"-Interested in becoming an RA?
• Need more "How To:" sessions such as:
  • Fill out internal & external paperwork
  • Create & review budget
  • Review sponsor guidelines
  • Read a solicitation
• Five University Business Processes classes (HR700, HR705, HR715, HR725, HR740)New-"Brown Bag"-Interested in becoming an RA?
• NU-ORI-Res Dam Training session
• SCS course: Grantsmanship for the Research Professional
• ASRSP effort reporting 101
• NU Financials budget reconciliation and reporting
• Audit & Advisory best practices

Specific Responsibilities :

Complexity

• Typically administers entire research projects such as:
  • Single Principal Investigator (PI) basic proposals, grants &/or contracts
  • May assist with components of multi-PI or multi-unit proposals, grants &/or contracts
  • NIH RO1-approximately $250K/yr. over 5 yrs.
  • NIH R21-approximately $150K/yr. over 2 yrs.
  • Foundation grants
  • NSF grants
  • Fellowships

Pre-Award

• Completes pre-award administration of grant &/or contract activities.
• Reviews solicitation & determines necessary components.
• Organize proposal, renewal and resubmission applications.
• Completes NU OSR forms.
• Completes entire application for smaller, less complicated, simple, standard proposals.

Post-Award

• Complete post-award administration of research grants &/or contracts.
• Reviews account establishment.
• Reviews expenditures.
• Tracks formal re-budgeting.
• Coordinates core resource account setup and maintenance.
• Provides data needed for the preparation of interim and final financial and technical progress reports.
• Participates in account close out activities.
• Monitors project under spending and overspending.
• Communicate with PI, other unit and project personnel, OSR, ASRSP and/or sponsor accordingly.

Financial

• Reviews &/or approves transactions.
• Reconciles standard budget & payroll information ensuring that appropriate sponsored accounts are charged.
• Prepares payroll journals to enter or correct funding of salary from sponsored projects.
• Prepares and coordinates signatures on 90-day letters required when transactions are not timely.

Human Resources

• Processes paperwork associated with hiring & termination of employees and orient new employees.

Compliance

• Resolves standard & routine compliance problems & issues involving associated NU policies & practices; local, state, federal, agency & sponsor rules, regulations & requirements regarding grant &/or contract administration.
• Becomes familiar with regulations involving research safety, animal subjects and human subjects.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 1 year financial or administrative support experience in a research environment or other relevant experience.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Organization, time management, detail oriented
• Multi-tasking, communication
• Self-starter, diplomatic, pro-active

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2-3 years of research administration experience in a university or academic hospital environment preferred.
• Knowledge of NIH, NSF, DOD policies and procedures.
• Understanding of OMB Uniform Guidance, Research Terms & Conditions (DFP) and agency-specified terms and conditions, including the PHS Grant Policy Statement.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $61,000-$72,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data

Benefits:

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at to learn more .

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