Contracts and Grants Specialist II

College of Nursing:

A leader in nursing education for more than 40 years, the UCF College of Nursing is doing MORE to ensure a healthier future for all. With a new, permanent home at UCF’s Academic Health Sciences Center, we will have more space to prepare more Knight nurses with academic excellence and more opportunities to impact more lives with innovative, interdisciplinary research.

UCF College of Nursing will be moving to UCF Academic Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona, in July 2025.

The Opportunity:

The University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Nursing (CON) is seeking qualified candidates for a Contracts and Grants Specialist II position. The Contracts and Grants Specialist II position will focus heavily on performing day-to-day post-award research administration conducted in the Finance Business Center and College of Nursing Research Office. This role is responsible for working with administrative managers within assigned colleges, divisions, and the Central Research Office to ensure efficient transaction processing and provide stakeholders with accurate and timely information to make informed, data-driven decisions.

Responsibilities:

• Establish purchase orders/contracts for sub-awards and all other sponsored related activities (i.e., materials, supplies, equipment, consulting, etc.).

• Monitor, track, and document cost share commitments, including in-kind, and ensure internal commitments are funded.

• Monitor and reconcile expenditures to ensure they are allowable, allocable, and reasonable.

• Review expenditure balance and award activity to verify financial compliance with university and sponsor regulations.

• Assist PI with requests for budget revisions and/or budget transfers.

• Review and approve travel spending authorizations and equipment requisitions on sponsored projects.

• Establish and monitor salary costing allocations for research efforts.

• Monitor programmatic compliance with sponsor requirements and in accordance with federal regulations, state statutes, and University policy under the direction of the College Office of Research and the University Office of Research.

• Initiate the process to assign personnel to sponsored award at award creation, review position funding allocations for approval to ensure effort is appropriately allocated to sponsored award in accordance with the award budget and facilitate the periodic effort certification process.

• Track and monitor PI compliance with award deliverable requirements and document as appropriate.

• Assist PI in notifying the Office of Research of any changes to a grant that may require a modification to an award/agreement.

• Initiate award closeout and assist with closeout activities.

• Assist PI with administrative closeout and determining final expenditures to ensure timely closeouts of the awards.

• Cross-train to pre-award services (budget development, guideline interpretation, etc) to provide continuation of services in times of high volume or staff turnover and to improve understanding of post-award services.

• Act as liaison with the Principal Investigator (PI) and Office of Research.

• Obtain confirmation from PI that satisfactory technical performance by the sub-recipient has occurred, sub-award deliverables are received and marked complete, sub-award cost share requirements have been met and documented, invoiced expenses are appropriate for the sub-award scope of work, and sub-award invoices are approved and submitted for timely payment.

• Understand the terms and conditions of equipment purchases on the award and assist the Office of Research with the transfer of equipment at closeout in accordance with the award terms.

• Other duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s or Master's degree and 2+ years of relevant work experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219. Click here for more information

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified Research Administrator, post-award experience.

• Knowledge in UCF systems associated with grant management (i.e., Huron).

• Experience working in higher education.

• Experience with UCF financial system (Workday).

• Background in Finance.

The most successful candidates may possess the following qualities: 

• Ability to work independently.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders.

Additional Application Materials Required:

Please include a cover letter with your resume.

Special Instructions to the Applicants:

• If you are selected as the final candidate for an employment opportunity here at UCF, your salary will be significantly based on the information that you have provided in your application for employment. We urge you to please take your time to complete the application in its entirety. In addition, please upload your most up-to-date resume and be sure it includes all relevant work history.

• Hybrid work options available as per UCF policy and supervisor approval. https://policies.ucf.edu/documents/3-012.pd

• UCF College of Nursing will be moving to UCF Academic Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona, in July 2025.

Are you ready to unleash YOUR potential?

As a next-generation public research university and Forbes-ranked top employer in Florida, we are a community of thinkers, doers, creators, innovators, healers, and leaders striving to create broader prosperity and help shape a better future. No matter what your role is, when you join Knight Nation, you’ll play an integral role at one of the most impactful universities in the country. You’ll be met with opportunities to connect and collaborate with talented faculty, staff, and students across 13 colleges and multiple campuses, engaging in impactful work that makes a positive difference. Your time at UCF will provide you with many meaningful opportunities to grow, you’ll work alongside talented colleagues on complex projects that will challenge you and help you gain new skills and you’ll have countless rewarding experiences that go well beyond a paycheck.

Working at UCF has its perks! UCF offers:

• Benefit packages, including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending, and Employee Assistance Program 

• Paid time off, including annual and sick time off and paid holidays

• Retirement savings options 

• Employee discounts, including tickets to many Orlando attractions 

• Education assistance 

• Flexible work environment 

• And more…For more benefits information, view the UCF Employee Benefits Guide.

Dive into our Total Rewards Calculator to discover the diverse selection available to you, giving you a glimpse into the benefits that together shape your comprehensive rewards package at UCF.

Unless explicitly stated on the job posting, it is UCF’s expectation that an employee of UCF will reside in Florida as of the date the employment begins.

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