PAY GRADE: 31E         

CONTEXT OF THE JOB:

The College of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, is seeking candidates for a Business Administrator to support college research needs with primary support of the research Center for Health Assessment Research and Translation (CHART). The research that CHART conducts is dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals with disabilities, neurological disorders, or other chronic health conditions. A significant strength of CHART is focused on the development and utilization of cognitive assessment instruments and patient-reported outcomes measures and their translation into clinical practice. CHART currently has 9 grants worth more than $14.5 Million in funding from multiple federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Many of the grants involve multiple performance sites, which are often academic or military medical centers. The College of Health Sciences overall has annual grant expenditures of approximately $22 million, a figure that is growing annually and the position will contribute support for faculty and professionals that support our complex and rapidly changing environment comprised of teaching, research, and clinical services.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the joint direction of the Director of CHART and the Senior Business Office, the successful candidate will:

• Assist and advise the Center Director on all fiscal, human resources and space and procurement matters related to the center.
• Manage the financial functions of the center.
  • Prepare and administers, in consultation with the Center Director, all center accounts; develop systems to improve fiscal control and processing; includes approving and monitoring expenditures.
  • Perform financial analyses, including budget projections, analyses of actual activity, variance analyses and cost feasibility studies to facilitate decision-making and planning.  Prepare materials to summarize and justify program budget requests, including data gathering/reporting and trend analyses in connection with budgetary formulation and administration.
  • Act as liaison with the College Business Officer regarding budget issues and planning; independently prepare financial reports and other reports as needed for the Director/College.
  • Manage the expense tracking and procurement card reconciliation for faculty and staff members.
  • Develop financial models for short- and long-term forecasting and to analyze and interpret financial projections for the Center and evaluate various planning scenarios as well as prepare and interpret financial reports for the Center Director.
• Responsible for managing the pre-award and post-award process which includes the planning and development of budgets for submission with grant packages to various federal agencies, private agencies, foundations, and commercial contract proposals; providing instruction on protocol, regulations and guidelines pertinent to the agency or university; preparing timely proposal budgets for the Center Director.
  • Play a significant role in the development and preparation of research proposals, contracts and sub-contracts, including oversight of budget and form preparation, and interpretation of funding requirements and regulations; acting as the primary liaison with all central administrative offices on pre-award proposal paperwork, the preparation of budgets and budget justifications, certifications, signatures, and submission of proposals to funding agencies.
  • Obtain consortium paperwork from collaborative institutions on large multi-site grants and work with PIs to develop timelines for grant submission processes to meet all University and College timelines and foster communications within the College and Research Office as appropriate.
  • Ensure that the administrative shell of the grant is prepared and routed on time to meet University policy.
  • Maintain proposal and funding records in database systems and prepare scheduled and special reports.
  • Post-award activities, including working to monitor budgets and spending on all Center awards, effort reporting, and overseeing the allocation of funding to subcontracts.
  • Monitor expenditures on award budgets and completes purchasing and travel reconciliation as well as consultant and participant payments as budgeted.
  • Act as a primary liaison to the business administrator at the collaborative institutions and work with them on updating budgets or submitting invoices as appropriate.  
  • Work closely with the Research Office post-award personnel to establish subcontracts and update budgets as appropriate within the University System.
  • Work with PIs in the Center and coordinate with the Research Office, to ensure that all awards are in compliance with both Agency and University requirements.
  • Ensure that adequate controls are installed and that substantiating documentation is approved and available such that all activities may pass independent University and Government audits.
  • Work with Center leadership and the Senior Business Officer of the College of Health Sciences to develop an overall financial plan for the Center, assisting with projections of costs and anticipated revenue. This includes developing a complex operating budget and implementing systems which allow for accurate analysis and projections based on multiple sources of funding with varied end dates and future fund scenarios based on proposals and new award assumptions. The budget must be both flexible and true, therefore adding additional complexity to the fiscal administration of the unit.
• Ensure proper implementation of policies and procedures in the areas of finance and operations to ensure adherence to Federal and University policies. The Business Administrator will organize and keep record of all grant budgets (including submitted but not funded grants), letters of agreement, contracts, leases, CRADAs, intellectual property agreements and other legal documents.
• Coordinate and participate in a variety of human resources activities including employment, labor relations, benefits, training, and classification for unit/center.
• Manage matters related to personnel appointments, salary increases, space allocation, and dismissals. Prepare all confidential personnel documents for faculty, professionals, and staff.  Prepare all overload and research effort payments to full time faculty and staff.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree, in Business Administration, Accounting, or other related field and three years of directly responsible job-related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Working knowledge of accounting systems, administrative policies and procedures, as well as contract and grant administration.
• Requires effective organizational, interpersonal, written and oral communication skills and knowledge of funding/contracting sources and mechanisms.
• Ability to perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects. Ability to prepare research reports and proposals.
• Ability to analyze budgetary line items for compliance with budget guidelines.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Knowledge of grant funding policies and procedures and applicable local, state, federal policies and regulations; OMB circulars a plus.
• Knowledge and understanding of intellectual property rights laws, guidelines and policies.
• Ability to make administrative/procedural decisions and judgments.
• Knowledge and understanding of computer-aided research administration systems; intermediate to advanced word processing, spreadsheet, and database, and information research skills.
• Ability to respond to changing environment. Experience with University policies and procedures including general accounting procedures helpful.