Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PPO medical plan

Paid Time Off

Retirement Programs

Paid Parental Leave

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX seeks a Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist to support funded research programs across the grant lifecycle. You will identify opportunities, guide proposal development, ensure sponsor compliance, and manage awarded projects while coordinating modifications and reporting.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree in a related field and at least four years in grants or contracting with strong financial analysis and negotiation skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business/public administration or related field.
• 4 years of experience in business/public administration with emphasis on customer service in financial or contracting position.
• Applicants without the stated degree may be considered with significant applicable experience.

Responsibilities

• Identify funding opportunities and advise investigators on proposal development and submission.
• Ensure compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements throughout the grant lifecycle.
• Negotiate awards, interpret conditions, and prepare required reports.
• Negotiate contracts with agencies, pharma, and biotech companies to reach satisfactory agreements.
• Draft contracts following state laws and guidelines.
• Provide supervision to junior Grants and Contracts staff and related positions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Customer service

Contract management

Financial analysis

Proposal development

Education

Bachelor's Degree in business administration or related field

Certified Research Administrator (CRA)

Job description

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?

With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career!

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist provides comprehensive pre-award and post-award support for sponsored research programs. This role is responsible for identifying funding opportunities, advising investigators on proposal development and submission, ensuring compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements, and managing awarded projects throughout the grant lifecycle. The specialist serves as a key resource for faculty and researchers by interpreting sponsor guidelines, coordinating proposal submissions, negotiating award terms, processing modifications, and facilitating required reporting.

Key responsibilities include monitoring grant expenditures, reviewing and approving allowable costs, conducting regular financial analyses, and preparing financial reports for investigators and institutional leadership. The role reviews payroll transactions and effort allocations to ensure salary expenses are accurately charged to sponsored projects and comply with sponsor requirements. The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist works closely with faculty to forecast spending, manage budgets, identify potential financial issues, and ensure expenditures align with approved project objectives. Additionally, the position coordinates award modifications, assists with financial closeout activities, monitors compliance with grant and contract terms, and provides guidance to principal investigators on financial management best practices. The Senior Grants & Contracts Specialist manages a portfolio of sponsored projects, ensuring fiscal stewardship, regulatory compliance, and accurate financial reporting throughout the award period.

BENEFITS

UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Required

• Education
  Bachelor's Degree in business administration, public administration, or related field

• Experience
  4 years of experience in business or public administration with emphasis on customer service in financial or contracting position
• Applicants without the stated degree, but with significant additional professional applicable experience may be considered in lieu of education requirement.

Preferred

• Licenses and Certifications
  Certified Research Administrator (CRA) Upon Hire

JOB DUTIES

• Gathers and provides information regarding funding opportunities and application procedures to applicants by reading newsletters and announcements, search directories, funding files, and other relevant resources.
• Provides guidance to researchers for proposal development and submission by interpreting and ensuring adherence to sponsor and university announcements and guidelines.
• Provides grants management support to researchers by negotiating and processing awards, interpreting award conditions, obtaining approvals for award modifications, and completing required reports.
• Negotiates contracts with various agencies (state and federal government, private organizations), pharmaceutical companies, and biotechnological companies to achieve agreements satisfactory to all parties.
• May draft entire contracts of various types following state laws and Board of Regents' guidelines.
• Provides working supervision to Grants and Contracts Specialist and administrative positions.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

SECURITY AND EEO STATEMENT

Security

This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information.

EEO

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.