Research Grants Specialist II

Research Grants Specialist II

Are you passionate about advancing research, scholarship, and innovation through expert grants administration and strategic faculty support?

The University of Louisville's College of Arts & Sciences seeks an experienced Research Grants Specialist II to join the A&S Research Office. This position provides comprehensive pre-award and post-award research administration support and serves as a key partner to faculty pursuing and managing externally funded research, training, and scholarly activities.

This is an exciting opportunity to support a diverse portfolio of investigators while contributing to a collaborative research administration team dedicated to service excellence, compliance, and continuous improvement.

About the Position Reporting to the Manager, Research Grants Programs, in the A&S Research Office, the Research Grants Specialist II serves as the primary research administration advisor for an assigned portfolio of faculty and departments. The successful candidate will provide guidance and support throughout the entire sponsored project lifecycle, from proposal development and submission through award management, compliance oversight, financial stewardship, and closeout.

The position exercises independent judgment in the interpretation of sponsor requirements, financial management, regulatory compliance, and research administration best practices while serving as a trusted advisor to faculty and departmental stakeholders. Working closely with faculty, departmental staff, and central administrative offices, this position helps ensure the successful acquisition, administration, and stewardship of externally sponsored funding.

Key Responsibilities Research Administration and Faculty Support

• Serve as the primary research administration contact for an assigned portfolio of faculty, departments, grants, and contracts.
• Advise faculty and research personnel regarding sponsor requirements, funding opportunity guidelines, university policies, and regulatory compliance.
• Assist investigators with proposal preparation, budget development, internal approvals, and sponsor submissions.
• Coordinate proposal timelines, facilitate proposal development activities, and manage competing deadlines to ensure timely submission and compliance.

Compliance, Collaboration, and Process Improvement

• Identify and help resolve financial, administrative, compliance, and award management risks.
• Collaborate with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSPA), Sponsored Programs Financial Administration (SPFA), Human Resources, Procurement, and other university partners.
• Support effort certification, personnel administration, and other sponsored project requirements.
• Develop and deliver training programs, workshops, and educational resources for faculty and staff.
• Participate in process improvement initiatives and implementation of research administration best practices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting both pre-award and post-award sponsored programs activities in a higher education environment.
• Knowledge of federal regulations, Uniform Guidance, and sponsor requirements governing externally funded awards.
• Experience developing proposal budgets and managing sponsored project financials.
• Experience using research administration and financial systems, including Cayuse, iRIS, Workday, and related platforms.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience developing and delivering training programs for faculty and staff.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) credential strongly preferred.

Desired Competencies Successful candidates will demonstrate strengths in:

• Research administration and sponsored programs management.
• Financial analysis and stewardship.
• Project and portfolio management.
• Compliance and risk management.
• Critical thinking and problem solving.
• Communication and relationship building.
• Organization, initiative, and accountability.
• Collaboration and customer service excellence.

Why Join the College of Arts & Sciences? The College of Arts & Sciences supports a broad and diverse portfolio of research, scholarship, creative activity, and community-engaged work across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields. As a member of the A&S Research Office, you will:

• Support faculty conducting impactful research and scholarship.
• Work with a collaborative and mission-driven team.
• Develop expertise across the complete sponsored project lifecycle.
• Contribute to research initiatives that address local, national, and global challenges.

This position is primarily campus-based and may be eligible for limited remote work arrangements consistent with university and divisional guidelines.

Join the University of Louisville and help advance a thriving research enterprise through exceptional research administration and faculty support.

Target Compensation Maximum:

Target Compensation Minimum:

Compensation will be commensurate to candidate experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Louisville is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The University strives to provide equal employment opportunity on the basis of merit and without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status, or pregnancy. In accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veteran Readjustment Act of 1974, the University prohibits job discrimination of individuals with disabilities, Vietnam era veterans, qualified special disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans. The University acknowledges its obligations to ensure affirmative steps are taken to ensure equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. It is the policy of the University that no employee or applicant for employment be subject to unlawful discrimination in terms of recruitment, hiring, promotion, contract, contract renewal, tenure, compensation, benefits, and/or working conditions. No employee or applicant for employment is required to endorse or condemn a specific ideology, political viewpoint, or social viewpoint to be eligible for hiring, contract renewal, tenure, or promotion.

Consistent with applicable law, demographic information is collected for aggregate reporting requirements. Demographic information provided through this application is not available to hiring managers/committees and is not considered in hiring or employment decisions.

Assistance and Accommodations

Computers are available for application submission at the Human Resources Department located at 2315 South First Street Walk, Room 02C - Louisville, Kentucky 40292.

If you require assistance or accommodation with our online application process, please contact us by email at employment@louisville.edu or by phone 502-852-6258.