Senior Contracts and Grants Specialist

Job Posting Title

Senior Contracts and Grants Specialist ----

Hiring Department

Charles A Dana Center ----

Position Open To

All Applicants ----

Weekly Scheduled Hours

40 ----

FLSA Status

Exempt from FLSA ----

Earliest Start Date

Nov 02, 2026 ----

Position Duration

Expected to Continue ----

Location

PICKLE RESEARCH CAMPUS ----

Job Details

General Notes

May require occasional evening or weekend work to meet sponsor deadlines.

Purpose

The Senior Contracts and Grants Specialist serves as the grant and contracts administrator for the Dana Center. The role prepares and submits proposals, agreements, and contracts through OSP and VPCFO to sponsoring agencies; manages payment vouchers, purchase orders, invoices, and deposits in DEFINE and related systems; serves as the point of contact for sponsors, Principal Investigators, vendors, and University offices; and supports the Finance Team with accounting policies, records, and administrative needs.

Responsibilities

Grant & Contract Administration

• Function as grant and contracts administrator for the Dana Center.
• Work with Dana Center staff to prepare and submit proposals, agreements, and contracts for submission to prospective sponsoring agencies and organizations.
• Review request for proposals (RFP) solicitations
• Grant proposal guidelines (Federal, Foundations, and State agencies)
• Service Agreements (Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Interagency, etc.)
• Utilize internal university systems and external sponsor programs throughout the proposal and contracting process.

Sponsor & Stakeholder Liaison

• Serve as point of contact for sponsors, Principal Investigators, training sites, and service providers, and act as departmental liaison supporting the management of proposals, contracts, awards, and other agreements with:
• University Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP)
• Vice President of Chief Financial Operations (VPCFO)
• UT Foundation
• Office of Accounting and Purchasing offices

Financial & Payment Operations

• Initiate and finalize the Payee Information Form (PIF) process with new vendors/consultants to acquire a university EID and initiate the payment procedures.
• Maintain clear communication with external vendors/service providers throughout the payment process.
• Process Purchase Order encumbrance requests, amendments, and cancellations through the Point Plus System.
• Complete invoice payment processing for service agreements, sub-awards, consultant, and other payment types using the DEFINE accounting system.
• Manage various Smartsheet internal requests relating to payment vouchers and contracts and grants processing.
• Audit and approve departmental travel vouchers in the DEFINE system as the 2nd of 2 initial approvers, checking for accuracy, compliance with Action Plan Budgets, and UT accounting policies.

Accounting Policy & Finance Team Support

• Collaborate, develop, and/or create plans, manuals, and departmental policies for accounting and administration.
• Provide support to the Finance Team, Operations, and Chief Operating Officer as needed.

Records Management

• Maintain electronic records of supporting documents for fully executed contractual agreements and grant awards on the Dana Center server.

Organizational Culture & Other Duties

• Participate in processes and activities designed to establish an organizational culture that supports learning, collaboration, and collective responsibility.
• Help enhance professional relationships, satisfaction, and organizational effectiveness.
• Perform other related functions as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• At least five years of experience in the preparation, processing, and monitoring of grant and contract proposals and awards.
• Demonstrated experience working with federal, state, foundation, or other funding agencies, and the ability to interpret and apply sponsor guidelines.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to manage multiple, competing deadlines in a high-volume office environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as a self-starter, as well as collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.
• Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

(Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AmeriCorps, national service programs, or other federally funded workforce/education initiatives.
• Experience with UT Austin's DEFINE accounting system, UT Research Management Suite (UTRMS), or comparable enterprise financial/research administration systems.
• Experience preparing or approving payment vouchers within an institutional accounting system.
• Master's degree in public administration, nonprofit management, business, or a related field.

Salary Range

• $70,000 - $80,000

Working Conditions

• Standard office environment; may require repetitive use of a computer keyboard and extended periods of sitting.

Required Materials

Please mark "yes" on the application for required materials. Failure to attach all additional materials listed may affect candidates being considered for the position .

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important   for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:  You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers:  As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval. ----

Retirement Plan Eligibility

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. ----

Background Checks

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer