Senior Research Administrator

General Summary

Under the general direction of the Manager / Director, this individual contributor provides overall management of a Department / Division / Program / PI research portfolio in partnership with Principal Investigators to ensure compliance and successful completion of research activities.

• They may participate in strategic planning for Department / Division / Program.
• Acts as a consultant to and advisor of Principal Investigators regarding proposal and budget preparation, interpretation of sponsor guidelines and regulations, and problem resolution.
• Manages and oversees the grant application process, ensuring overall compliance and timely submission.
• Establishes departmental policies, systems and procedures to monitor research purchases and day-to-day spending.
• Performs financial analysis on grants including forecasting and communicating results to Principal Investigators.
• Collaborates with Department Administrator and appropriate Boston Children’s central administrative offices to represent the needs of the Research Faculty.
• This position has signature authority on restricted funds.
• May involve training and / or mentoring less experienced Research Administrators.

Responsibilities :

• Independently performs complex pre-award and post-award functions for all federal and / or state grant funds, private foundation grants, subcontracts, discretionary and endowment funds, and / or any other sponsored funds.
• Coordinates and / or performs pre-award functions such as assisting Principal Investigators in completion of grant proposals including budget development, drafting administrative sections, collecting materials, and obtaining institutional review / approval.
• Oversees / performs post-award functions such as allocation of research labor costs across funding sources consistent with level of research effort.
• Coordinates departmental research effort reporting and ensures timely submission certified effort reports, and may approve purchase requisitions in compliance with sponsor and institutional guidelines.
• Use institutional resources to maintain department records of grant awards and agreements.
• May help research staff identify sources of funding by maintaining knowledge of agency programs and disseminating information to staff.
• Partners with appropriate institutional central offices to represent the needs of the research faculty and to resolve complex problems.
• Analyzes monthly expenses and overall status of each grant, processing necessary corrections through appropriate channels.
• Reviews departmental processes and procedures to ensure compliance.
• Works with the Department Administrators and Principal Investigators to develop annual budgets and forecasts.
• Reconciles monthly expense variances between hospital financial systems and budgets.
• Forecasts funds over / under expenditures and provide monthly status reports to the Principal Investigators.
• Performs other financial analysis as needed.
• Includes preparation and submission of annual progress reports.
• Ensures timely renewal of grant and subcontracts and / or orderly closeout of completed sponsored activities.
• Attends meetings, institutional and / or industry training / conferences to keep skills current and knowledge up-to-date on sponsor regulations, Hospital policies, and emerging technologies.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :

• Demonstrated understanding of federal cost allocation principles in order to ensure the proper stewardship of sponsored funds.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office and database applications.
• Ability to independently seek out answers from the appropriate federal compliance and regulatory resource(s), grant publication, and / or the hospital technical expert(s).

Requirements :

Bachelor’s degree and 4 years of research grant experience required OR 6 years of research grant experience.

Boston Children’s Hospital offers competitive compensation and unmatched benefits.