Job Description

Posting number: 2026-02310

Department: Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation System

Division: Office of Research Services - Contracts and Grants Administration

Job classification: ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Posting type: Open

Categories: Grants Administration, Business, Social Sciences

Summary

Title: Contracts and Grants Specialist (Contracts and Grants Assistant Manager)

Position Number: 0079125

Hiring Unit: Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI), Office of Research Services (ORS), Contracts and Grants Administration

Date Posted: October 28, 2026

Closing Date: November 12, 2026 at 11:59pm

Band: Pay Band B (PBB)

Salary: salary schedules and placement information

Additional Salary Information: Commensurate with education and experience

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Temporary/Permanent: Permanent

Other Conditions: This is not a remote position.

The Office of Research Services (ORS), within the University of Hawai-i (UH) Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI), is the systemwide office responsible for the stewardship and administration of externally funded research, training, and other sponsored activities. In fiscal year 2026, UH secured $647.3 million in extramural awards—the second-highest total in University history and the fifth consecutive year exceeding $500 million—reflecting the scale, reach, and importance of UH’s research enterprise.

The Contracts & Grants Section (C&G) plays a central role in supporting this enterprise by facilitating the review and submission of proposals, acceptance and negotiation of sponsored awards, and interpretation and application of sponsor requirements and University policies.

The Assistant Manager serves as a key leadership position within the Contracts & Grants Administration Section, providing day-to-day supervision and guidance to Contracts & Grants Specialists, managing workload and priorities, supporting consistent and timely service to the UH research community, and assisting the Contracts & Grants Manager and ORS Director in continuously improving the effectiveness of sponsored program administration across the UH System.

Duties and Responsibilities

(** denotes essential functions)

• **Prioritizes and assigns section workload and ensures that assignments are completed in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner for day-to-day operations to meet priorities as set forth by the ORS Contracts and Grants Manager and ORS Director.
• **Establish performance expectations, monitor staff performance, provide training, assist with issue resolution, and conduct written performance evaluations.
• **Provides and coordinates training for ORS Contracts & Grants Administration Section staff and UH faculty and staff on contracts and grants administration as requested by the ORS Contracts & Grants Manager and/or ORS Director.
• **Briefs the ORS Contracts and Grants Manager and the ORS Director on critical issues impacting Contracts & Grants Administration.
• **Assists faculty and staff in the preparation of sponsored program proposals to extramural sponsors, including multi-institution, collaborative proposals, limited submission opportunities, and other complex submissions.
• **Reviews, identifies, and determines whether all aspects of the proposal budget, including procurement and personnel aspects, comply with applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations, and sponsor funding agency and UH policies.
• **With delegated authority from the ORS Director, acts as UH's authorized organizational representative; signs and submits proposals and reviews and authorizes post-award modifications.
• **Reviews and ensures conformance to required funding agency certifications such as lobbying, debarment, etc., and signs certifications as delegated by the ORS Director.
• **Consults with principal investigators (PIs), fiscal administrators, and other relevant UH personnel to understand the needs of the program and resolve any questions or issues related to the terms and conditions of sponsored contracts, grants, cooperative, or other agreements.
• **Identifies and determines whether the financial, technical, and legal terms are in compliance with applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations, and UH policies and whether the terms are acceptable to the UH.
• **Drafts or provides alternate provisions to unacceptable terms and negotiates such terms with the funding agency, including review and drafts of outgoing subawards as applicable.
• **Ensures that the PI, fiscal administrators, and other UH personnel are aware of and understand terms unacceptable to the UH that are deemed non-negotiable by the funding agency.
• **Keeps abreast of current policies, procedures, regulations, directives, and federal and state statutory requirements. Recommends and implements improvements to contracts & grants policies and procedures in a positive and professional manner.
• **Interprets applicable federal, state, & UH rules & regulations for extramurally sponsored awards, including but not limited to Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) acquisition regulations for various Federal agencies, as well as the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance (UG).
• **Maintains up-to-date pending proposal, award, and post-award project documents for all sponsored research projects, including preserving such files for required time periods following project termination.
• **Provides periodic reports to supervisor of award statuses and progress for administrative and institutional use.
• **Participates in research enterprise software module implementation and functional testing; provides input, recommendations, and feedback.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Professional Work Experience:

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree and 4 years of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities for technical knowledge, critical thinking skills, communication skills, and interpersonal skills as related to grants management; or equivalent education/training or experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Considerable working knowledge of principles, practices, and techniques in the area of extramural proposal and award administration as demonstrated by the broad knowledge of the full range of pertinent standard and evolving concepts, principles, and methodologies.
• Considerable working knowledge and understanding of applicable federal and state laws, rules, regulations and theories and systems associated with extramural proposal and award administration.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve wide-ranging complex problems through the use of creative reasoning and logic to accurately determine the cause of the problems and the resolution of the problems in an effective, innovative and timely manner.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and present information and ideas clearly and accurately in writing, verbally and by preparation of reports and other materials.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, team leaders and members, and individuals.
• Demonstrated ability to operate a personal computer and apply word processing software.
• For supervisory work, demonstrated ability to lead subordinates, manage work priorities and projects, and manage employee relations.
• Any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills and abilities as indicated.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in business administration, public administration, social sciences, or related fields.
• Juris Doctor degree with coursework in contracts, contract drafting, alternative dispute resolution, and higher education law.
• Direct experience leading extramurally sponsored research and training projects as a principal investigator, project director, or other key personnel.
• Functional knowledge of research enterprise software, such as myGRANT, the University of Hawai-i’s proposal submission and extramural award management system.
• Considerable experience with electronic research administration systems including, but not limited to, Grants.gov, NSF Research.gov, and eRA Commons.
• Experience in working with researchers, faculty, and/or staff from more than one academic discipline.
• Knowledge of university-wide goals in all manners of curricula, including graduate,
• undergraduate, and community colleges.
• Knowledge of methods, procedures, and techniques involved in extramural proposal writing and submission.
• Demonstrated proposal writing experience resulting in grant funding; experience successfully managing the development of large, multidisciplinary grant proposals.
• Specialized knowledge of state and federal laws, University of Hawai-i policies & procedures applicable to extramural agreements.
• Knowledge of cost principles, procurement rules, University policies and procedures governing proper management of sponsored grants, contracts, &/or other agreements.
• Experience in legal issues facing institutions of higher education, including but not limited to contract administration, intellectual property, copyrights, and disclosure of information.

To Apply:

Select the "Apply" button in the top right corner of the screen; first-time NeoGov users will need to create an account. Please ensure your application includes the following materials:

• Cover Letter: A letter detailing your interest and how you meet both the minimum and desirable qualifications. All minimum qualifications must be met by the closing date to be considered.
• Resume/CV: A current professional resume or curriculum vitae.
• Professional References: The names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three (3) professional references.
• Unofficial Transcripts: Copies of unofficial transcripts are required for the application, though official versions must be provided upon hire. Please note that copies of diplomas and academic summaries are not acceptable substitutes.

1. Foreign Credential Evaluation: For degrees earned outside the U.S., you must provide a course-by-course analysis and equivalency statement from a NACES-member agency at your own expense.

Important Note: To protect your privacy, do not include any photos, Social Security Numbers, or dates of birth in your packet. Only the most recent application will be reviewed, and all submitted materials

Inquiries:

Amy Trimble; amyjt@hawaii.edu

Examples of duties

The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment, including on the basis of veteran and disability status. For more information, visit: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/policies/

Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks.

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/, or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office.

In accordance with Article 10 of the unit 08 collective bargaining agreement, bargaining unit members receive priority consideration for APT job vacancies. As a result, external or non BU 08 applicants may not be considered for some APT vacancies. BU 08 members with re-employment rights or priority status are responsible for informing the hiring unit of their status.

Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/