Working title:

Preaward Specialist

Official title:

ASSOC ADMIN PRGM SPEC(R07FN)

Degree and area of specialization:

B.A./B.S. required in education, business or related field. Master's preferred.

Minimum number of years and type of relevant work experience:

1. One or more years of substantial involvement in research and sponsored programs or contract administration.
2. Familiarity with program, budgetary, and compliance requirements of major funding agencies (Federal, State and Private/Industry), as well at the university's;
3. Familiarity with education research
4. Ability to work with faculty and staff;
5. Ability to write and/or edit non-scientific portions of an education proposal
6. Ability to communicate effectively with research sponsors, faculty, researchers and staff at all levels and across all constituencies;
7. Ability to be flexible in work assignments, including working some evening and weekends;
8. Advanced understanding of personal computers and ability to effectively employ software programs;
9. Analytical and accounting skills necessary to prepare budgets;
10. Experience that relates to the position's higher educational work area;
11. Ability to work on multiple high stakes projects with high stakes consequences under tight deadlines;
12. Ability to identify funding opportunities that correlation to WCER research;
13. Ability to negotiate from an interests-based approach; and,
14. Ability to screen proposals for intellectual property issues.

Principal duties:

The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) is one of the oldest, largest, and most productive education research centers in the world. WCER employs some 350 faculty, staff, and graduate students. They work on more than 80 research projects spanning the full scope of education, from the effects of infant child care and after-school programs to undergraduate curriculum reform. WCER has annual extramural funding of approximately $25 million.

This position will provide leadership and expertise, directly supporting sponsored research and other sponsored activities. The responsibilities are a combination of professional pre-award and post-award activites. WCER submits approximately 50 proposals per year. Funding sources are federal, state, private, foundation, fee-for-service (ground-breaking initiatives for School of Education and WCER), and university consortium sub-contracts. Funders are located from Madison to Shanghai.

Principal Duties

I. Pre-award duties - 80%

A. Research Funding Opportunities and Strategies (25%)

1. Identify funding opportunities using searchable grant databases.
2. Meet with faculty and staff to develop funding strategy and plan.
3. Develop pre-proposals.
4. Provide training in research funding and sponsored program issues.
5. Develop and implement standard policies and procedures for grant preparation and submission.
6. Establish/develop programs for junior faculty on how to develop grant/gift proposals.
7. Coach faculty and academic staff on grant preparation
8. Attend meetings, training sessions and workshops to keep current on multiple school, campus and agency policies, procedures and systems.

B.Compliance (15%)

1. Ensure compliance with federal, state and university regulations regarding proposals and research.
2. Provide information and interpretation of research compliance regulations (including but not limited to those of the Dept. of Education, Dept. of Justice, Milwaukee Public Schools, Carnegie Corp, Interagency Education Research Initiative, National Science Foundation, Carnegie-Mellon, DPI, Institute of Educational Sciences, Joyce Foundation, Mott Foundation, Dept of Human Health Services, Spencer Foundation, University of Puerto Rico, etc.).
3. Ensure compliance on fee-for service contracts and rates (including but not limited to Transana contracts with national/international users and World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium's 15 individual state and Shanghai contracts for testing, evaluation and professional development).
4. Screen proposals for intellectual property issues.
5. Collaborate with WCER's Contracts Administrator on intellectual property legal issues as necessary.
6. Provide expertise to principal investigators to resolve issues and set policies such as those related to financial disclosure, conflicts-of-interest, human subjects review.

C. Proposal Expertise (15%)

1. Provide leadership and expertise to principal investigators (faculty and academic staff) in the preparation and submission of proposals.
2. Interpret proposal requirements (including but not limited to those of the Dept. of Education, Dept. of Justice, Milwaukee Public Schools, Carnegie Corp, Interagency Education Research Initiative, National Science Foundation, Carnegie-Mellon, DPI, Institute of Educational Sciences, Joyce Foundation, Mott Foundation, Dept of Human Health Services, Spencer Foundation, University of Puerto Rico, etc.).
3. Provide expertise on federal, state, private, foundation, fee-for-service, and university consortium sub-contracts application guidelines (including but not limited to those of the Dept. of Education, Dept. of Justice, Milwaukee Public Schools, Carnegie Corp, Interagency Education Research Initiative, National Science Foundation, Carnegie-Mellon, DPI, Institute of Educational Sciences, Joyce Foundation, Mott Foundation, Dept of Human Health Services, Spencer Foundation, University of Puerto Rico, etc.).
4. Prepare budgets and budget justifications. Apply cost sharing, fringe benefits and indirect costs.
5. Develop rates for fee-for-service entities based on overhead and other expenses related to the activities.
6. Write non-scientific sections of grants including administrative and resource sharing core components and descriptions of resources and environment.
7. Review the final drafts of proposals to ensure they are comprehensive and fluid.
8. Facilitate final submission of new grants, competing and non-competing renewals, subcontracts, Just-In-Time information, progress reports, material transfer agreements and other pre-award requirements in hard copy or electronic form as required.
9. Work with high stakes projects with high stakes consequences under tight deadlines.

D. Negotiation: (15%)

1. Negotiate with agencies to resolve questions and problems that arise during the course of a grant/gift.
2. Negotiate cost-sharing and the various direct and indirect cost applications.
3. Negotiate fee-for-service contracts.
4. Negotiate changes in award documents with program officers.
5. Serve as WCER's proposal negotiator with funding agencies.


E. Represent WCER and/or Principal Investigators (PIs) (10%)

1. Serve as WCER's primary point of pre-award contact with PIs, SOE Business office, Research and Sponsored Programs, external funding agencies and other research administrators.

II. Post-award duties - 20%

1. Advise on status of account closing procedures extramural support funding.
2. Coordinate post award financial analyses and collect data and information for research updates, annual reports, publications, the department website and proposals.
3. Develop and oversee systems to assure that grant and gift funds are expended appropriately and timely.
4. Work with department financial specialist to assure that grant and gift accounts are verified and reconciled on a regular basis and to report account status to PIs.
5. Coordinate post award financial analyses and collect data and information for research updates, annual reports, publications, the department website and proposals.
6. Develop and oversee systems for managing complete records of all submitted, pending and accepted grant/gift applications, progress reports, renewals, and extensions.
7. Track and report cost sharing/matching documentation of extramural support funding.

TO ENSURE CONSIDERATION

Application must be received by: MAY 16, 2008

HOW TO APPLY:

Electronic submission of cover letters and vitas preferred with PVL 57119 in the subject window.

Unless another application procedure has been specified above, please send resume and cover letter referring to Position Vacancy Listing #57119 to