Grants Sponsored Officer

University of Utah; Campus (IL); Hybrid; USD 48,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care coverage

Retirement plans

Paid leave time

Tuition reduction

Job summary

The University of Utah seeks a Grants Sponsored Officer to support pre- and post-award activities for federally funded and foundation-sponsored projects. You will advise on policies, negotiate terms, and help manage the lifecycle from application to closeout.

Responsibilities include training faculty, tracking metrics, and coordinating with University leadership and legal offices to ensure regulatory compliance. This role is hybrid with in-office requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalency) in political science, economics, urban planning or related field.
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) plus 2 years of direct experience for higher level.
• Experience interpreting federal policies and guidelines related to federal grants and contracts.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice on sponsor and University policies for sponsored project applications and awards.
• Negotiate terms with sponsors for awards and subawards.
• Advise faculty and staff on issues in administration of applications and awards.
• Provide formal and informal training to faculty and staff.
• Track contracting and sponsored project management metrics and prepare reports.
• Respond to inquiries from faculty, staff and sponsors.
• Coordinate with General Counsel on legal matters pertaining to sponsored contracts.
• Use information systems to track sponsored agreements through project lifecycle.

Skills

Sponsored program knowledge

Policy interpretation

Verbal and written communication

Project management

Detail oriented

Education

Bachelor’s degree (political science/economics/urban planning)

Master’s degree (or equivalent)

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Hybrid Work Schedule: Minimum of 24 hours (3 business days) a week in the office. Regular Office Hours: Monday through Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

VP Area

VP Area President

Department

Department 00644 - Office of Sponsored Projects

Location

Location Campus

City

City Salt Lake City, UT

Type of Recruitment

Type of Recruitment External Posting

Pay Rate Range

Pay Rate Range $47,600 - $84,883

Close Date

Close Date 12/29/2026

Sponsored Projects Officers ( SPO ) on the Federal and Foundation Grants and Contracts Team provide centralized support to University of Utah faculty seeking external funding for research, public service, and sponsored institutional projects. SPOs are the university’s authorized liaisons for administrative and contractual matters with award sponsors. This position provides support for most phases of the research project life cycle, including application review and submission, award negotiation, and providing expertise and policy guidance in the administrative management and closeout of sponsored awards to faculty and staff.

The value of being an employee at the University of Utah goes far beyond your base salary, so we encourage you to carefully consider and compare our total package offer. This package includes a variety of excellent employee benefits, including health care coverage, retirement plans, and paid leave time as well as other valuable benefits, services, and programs such as tuition reduction. One example is the U’s retirement benefits which amount to a 14.2% contribution in addition to your annual salary. You may view the U’s total compensation estimator to calculate the approximate value of your total compensation at www.hr.utah.edu/comp/totalcomp.php. If you have any questions on how to use the estimator tool, please contact Human Resources at 801-581-7447.

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu
The department may choose to hire at any of the below job levels and associated pay rates based on their business need and budget.

Responsibilities

• Provides expert advice to faculty and staff in regards to sponsor and University policies and requirements for sponsored project application development and award administration.
• Negotiates terms and conditions with sponsoring entities for awards, inbound and outbound subawards, and other agreements.
• Advises facutly and staff on and helps resolve issues that arise in the administration of applications and awards.
• Provides formal and informal training to faculty and staff.
• Facilitate the regular collection of information and metrics related to the contracting and sponsored project management process, including preparing and submitting reports, analyzing and preparing data of work performed, compile reports, and other tracking and reporting tasks as identified.
• Respond to faculty, staff, and sponsor inquires.
• Act as OSP liaison with the University’s Office of General Counsel on legal matters pertaining to sponsored contract agreements.
• Act as an OSP liaison with University leadership and other research administration and compliance offices.
• Use information systems to track and manage sponsored agreements through the project lifecycle. Record preliminary, contract, and award information in the sponsored project infrastructure, including financial and other compliance systems.
• Serve as the primary resource for campus-wide research administration professionals and external interested parties and provide expert advice on University policies and procedures, work process and practice, the sponsored programs lifecycle, IT systems, contacting, compliance issues, reporting, and stewardship.
• Ensure that University practice and policy related to sponsored contracts reflect current state and federal laws and regulations for sponsored program activity and provide training and updates to faculty, leadership, and research administration professionals across campus.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Environment and Level of Frequency typically required:

Nearly Continuously: Office environment.

Physical Requirements and Level of Frequency that may be required:

Nearly Continuously: Sitting, hearing, listening, talking.

Often: Repetitive hand motion (such as typing), walking.

Seldom: Bending, reaching overhead.

Minimum Qualifications

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT : 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor’s degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).

Department may hire employee at one of the following job levels:

Grants Sponsored Officer, II: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalency) in political science, economics, urban planning, or a related field plus 4 years of directly related work experience, or a master’s (or equivalent) degree plus 2 years of direct experience.

Grants Sponsored Officer, III : Bachelor’s degree (or equivalency) in political science, economics, urban planning, or a related field plus 6 years of directly related work experience, or a master’s (or equivalent) degree plus 4 years of direct experience.

Preferences

• General knowledge of sponsored projects research administration in an academic/university setting.
• Two (2) years of experience in central office research administration in a university/academic setting.
• Experience understanding, interpreting, and applying federal policies and guidelines related to federal grants and contracts; experience interpreting and applying Uniform Guidance and major agency policy guidelines preferred.
• Ability to understand and analyze complex federal policies and regulations and appropriately apply them to grant and contract applications, in award negotiations, and in post-award actions.
• Ability to communicate knowledge and ideas both verbally and in writing with clarity and effectiveness to internal and external audiences.
• Proactively drive change and continuous improvement through individual contributions and group project work.
• Robust planning and organizational skills.
• Strong service orientation and exceptional customer service skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, action-oriented, customer-focused environment.
• Ability to independently manage a dynamic workload of pre-award and post-award tasks and projects, with ever changing demands and priorities.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite, and ability to learn applicable university and departmental systems.
• Certified Research Administrator ( CRA ) certification.

Additional Information

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at [phone] for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at [phone] or [phone] or University Human Resource Management at [phone] if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.

Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX ( OEO ). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number can be located at the: University of Utah Non‑Discrimination page .

Online reports may be submitted at https://oeo.utah.edu

https://publicsafety.utah.edu/safetyreport/ This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.