Job Description

Basic Science Research Administrative Pod 2 is a group of professionals who provide administrative support to the following departments and centers: Biochemistry Department, Cell & Developmental Biology Department, Center for Stem Cell Biology, Center for Structural Biology, Mass Spectrometry Research Center, Center for Computational Systems Biology, and Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology. Pod 2 is comprised of three teams, each with expertise focused in one of the following areas: sponsored research (pre- and post-award), finance, and HR.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

• Prepare and assemble grants proposals/contracts in compliance with sponsor, University, and federal guidelines and strict deadlines in coordination with applicants including faculty, research fellows, and students.
  • Conduct extensive monitoring of requirements, deadlines and time management for responses to Program announcements/R.F.A.’s or general application submissions in a proactive manner. Assist with multiple applications for multiple applicants and departments under absolute, unwavering agency and internal deadlines.
  • Work and train in a collaborative manner with the Principal Investigator (P.I.), Other collaborative Research institutions; and in conjunction with the Sponsored Programs Administration grants and contracts office, throughout the application process to achieve a professional document for submission.
  • Responsible for routing and obtaining appropriate signatures, both physical/paper and electronically routed as required from PI, Key Personnel and other department or outside institutions and agencies.
  • Assist P.I. and supervisor to assemble application prior to submission, and insure timely submission.
• Prepare draft budgetary allocations through grant application year and periods for applications.
  • Estimate budgets based on spending historical spending trends and existing forecasting models from various shared databases.
  • Present, edit, and finalize recommended budget for next grant application year with P.I. and central offices.
  • Review budgeted direct cost items for federal compliance; and other agency, industry, or foreign government guidelines for accuracy, accountability, reasonableness, and consistency.
• Interact with peers within other departments and agencies to facilitate the development, submission, and administration of grant proposals.
  • Work in a collaborative manner with the P.I. and the central offices throughout the application process to achieve a professional document for submission.
  • Responsible for the tracking and receiving back confirmation of submitted application and status.
  • Provide or facilitate to outside departments requests for biosketches, other support, budgets, inter- and intra-departmental contracts, and other ancillary data in a timely fashion.
  • Responsible for getting non-competing applications or reports to Grants, Sponsored Programs Administration and/or Research Finance for review and final submission.
  • Responsible for insuring accurate data flow from Pre-award team to Post-award and HR teams.
• Assist with and manage budget responsibilities for grants.
  • Works in conjunction with supervisor on new, competing or revised grant applications in preparing initial and extended budgets, including Indirect cost calculation.
  • Reviews budget details with PI, including: personnel, effort allocated and overall expenses, ensuring consistency with agency regulations and Research Finance guidelines.
  • Coordinate with post-award team to insure awards and budget adjustments are recorded properly.
• Serves as a resource for the department or division.
  • Monitor agency announcements for funding opportunities available to faculty, research fellows, and students specific to those groups.
  • Keeps abreast of new/updated agency policies, procedures, deadlines and timeframes of new initiatives and coordinates communication across the supported departments.
  • Attends all necessary training offered by the Sponsored Programs Administration and/or Research Finance in addition to monitoring online/published applicable materials (i.e.: NCURA newsletter, NIH online updates, DOD announcements, internal Vanderbilt guidelines).
  • Keeps supervisor and PIs informed of any material changes in policies/procedures from agencies or central offices.
  • Provide PI information on obtaining forms and/or websites for submitting: New Animal or IRB protocol requests (NOI), Annual Surveillance Forms, Salary only approvals, Rebudgeting or No-Cost-Extensions, etc.
  • Assist overall administrative team as assigned to complete non-application aspects of Human Resource management relative to costing for personnel costing and effort management, annual fiscal budgeting, reporting, forecasting and general office/administrative aspects of operation as assigned.
• Project implementation/maintenance
  • Maintain existing plans to achieve defined departmental goals and objectives
  • Maintain and edit existing databases, office functions and procedures, etc.
  • Compiling data, conducting research assignments and summarizing findings according to general instruction provided by supervisor
  • Analyzing and reporting findings relating to operations
  • Assist as assigned with completion of various periodic and annual departmental projects and functions, including fiscal-based start-up and close-out deadlines.

Supervisory Relationships

• This position does not have supervisory responsibility.

• This position reports administratively and functionally to the Basic Science Administration POD2 Pre-Award Administrative Officer.

Education and Certifications:

• A minimum 2-year Associate degree or equivalent is necessary

• A 4-year Bachelor degree is preferred

Experience and Skills

• Proficient in Microsoft Word is necessary

• Able to create and update worksheets in Excel is necessary

• Have a working knowledge of Adobe including forms creation, editing and conversion of documents between these three programs is necessary

• A background in grant application preparation for agencies (NIH, DOD, AHA, etc.) is preferred

• Familiarity with reviewing and editing private industry and foreign agency contracts is preferred

At Vanderbilt University , our work - regardless of title or role - is in service to an important and noble mission in which every member of our community serves in advancing knowledge and transforming lives on a daily basis. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, on a 330+ acre campus and arboretum dating back to 1873, Vanderbilt is proud to have been named as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” as well as a top employer in Tennessee and the Nashville metropolitan area by Forbes for several years running. We welcome those who are interested in learning and growing professionally with an employer that strives to create, foster and sustain opportunities as an employer of choice.

We understand you have a choice when choosing where to work and pursue a career. We understand you are unique and have a story. We want to hear it. We encourage you to apply today so that you might become a part of our story.