Assistant Research Administrator, Pulmonary

Northwestern University; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Northwestern University in Chicago, IL is seeking an administrative grants analyst to support pre- and post-award activities for sponsored programs. This role will coordinate proposals, budgets, and document workflows in a hybrid work environment.

You will prepare proposals, track due dates, update bio sketches, and assist with financial reporting. The position emphasizes accuracy, responsiveness, and collaboration with faculty and finance teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher required; experience in grant administration is a plus.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with attention to detail.
• Proficiency with budgeting tools and spreadsheets for proposals and awards.

Responsibilities

• Assist with pre-award administration and proposal development.
• Handle post-award activities including budget tracking and cost transfers.
• Prepare budget worksheets and update biosketches as needed.
• Coordinate document uploads and ensure compliance with deadlines.
• Generate financial and technical reports for sponsors and internal teams.

Skills

Organization

Time management

Detail oriented

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Spreadsheets

Job description

Job ID: 54470

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Department: MED-Pulmonary

Salary/Grade: NEX/11

This position is an administrative (non-clinical) role that supports Principal Investigators on the full lifecycle of pre and post award grant administration. This is also a hybrid role that will have weekly onsite workdays.

Job Summary

Completes clerical and administrative tasks in support of unit's sponsored programs and research mission.This may include coordinating pre-award &/or post-award processes; completing internal or external forms for any/all portions (including budget) of a proposal or award; collecting, distributing &/or archiving proposal and award related documents; using spreadsheets to calculate budgets and track data &/or data analysis.

Specific Responsibilities

Complexity

• Typically assists with research projects such as:
• Single Principal Investigator (PI) basic proposals, grants &/or contracts
• Components of multi-PI or multi-unit proposals, grants &/or contracts
• NIH RO1-approximately $250K/yr. over 5 yrs.
• NIH R21-approximately $150K/yr. over 2 yrs.
• Foundation grants
• NSF grants

Pre-Award

• Completes pre-award administration of grant &/or contract activities.
• Prepares proposals.
• Obtains approvals.
• Develops straightforward budgets using spreadsheets.
• Updates bio sketches.
• Formats & uploads files to electronic platforms.
• Collects &/or distributes information both internally &/or externally to/from faculty, staff, students, etc.
• Tracks proposal due dates and follows up/coordinates proposal routing as needed.

Post-Award

• Completes routine post-award administration of grant &/or contract activities.
• Processes purchase orders & cost transfers.
• Reconciles budget statements.
• Tracks expenses via spreadsheets.
• Monitors project balances and end dates.
• Coordinates core resource account set-up and maintenance.
• Provides data needed for the preparation of interim and final financial and technical progress reports.
• Processes account close-out activities.

Financial

• Completes day-to-day financial transactional activities for grants &/or contracts (obtaining approvals as necessary).
• Completes day-to-day financial transactional activities for department (obtaining approvals as necessary).
• Updates spreadsheets.
• Processes travel reimbursements.
• Assigns P-card expenses.
• Transfers expenses.
• Purchases lab &/or office equipment &/or supplies, etc.
• Monitors sponsored and non-sponsored budgets.
• Ensures timely payment of invoices.
• Reconciles accounts.
• Provides financial data, analysis &/or reports for inclusion within grant, contract &/or department budget.

Compliance

• Tracks, update, process, and submit required forms &/or reports related to compliance.
• Learns about compliance related issues & activities.

Miscellaneous

Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

Minimum Competencies (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Organization, time management, detail oriented

Target hiring range for this position will be between $19.89 - 25.64 per hour. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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