Senior Pre-Award Officer, Sponsored Programs

Boston University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston University in Boston, MA, seeks a Senior Pre-Award Officer to support faculty and staff through the life cycle of funded projects, including proposal preparation, review, submission, and award negotiation.

The SPAO will work with multiple departments, serve as primary contact for grant proposals and federal sponsor policies (NIH, NSF, DoD, DOE), and leverage AI tools to streamline research administration.

Qualifications

• B.A./B.S. with at least five years in central research administration.
• Strong organizational, time management, and written/verbal communication skills.
• Proactive leader with ability to manage multiple tasks and use AI in research administration.

Responsibilities

• Support faculty and staff throughout funded project lifecycle, including proposal prep and submission.
• Review, negotiate, and manage awards; serve as primary contact for research admins.
• Coordinate with departments on NIH/NSF/DOD guidelines and AI-enabled processes.

Skills

Leadership

Organizational skills

Time management

Communication

AI tools

Proactive

Education

Bachelor's degree (B.A./B.S.)

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Senior Pre-Award Officer, Sponsored Programs

Category

Job Location

Tracking Code

26500066501103

Posted Date

11/6/2026

Salary Grade

Grade 50

Expected Hiring Range Minimum

$100,275.00

Expected Hiring Range Maximum

$115,000.00

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, training and internal pay comparison. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Type

Full-Time/Regular

Under the direction of the Manager, the Senior Pre Award Officer (SPAO) is responsible for supporting faculty and staff throughout the life-cycle of a funded project, including assistance with proposal preparation, proposal review and submission, award review and negotiation, management and close-out. He/she incorporates a significant amount of experience in support of multiple departments' research programs (ranging from small to large). Serve as the primary contact for research-active faculty and administrators regarding grant proposals and other research administration matters. In addition to these responsibilities, the SPAO may serve as a resource for faculty members preparing large or complex proposals, or for those faculty members or staff who need additional assistance/training during the project lifecycle. The SPAO should have extensive knowledge of major federal funding sources such as NIH, NSF, DoD,DOE as well research foundations and federal guidelines and policies. Participate in efforts to improve research administration including serving on University committees related to research administration, and is expected to serve as the subject matter expert for the proposal process and federal policies. Complete the majority of activities without direction and consult with the Manager for new or unusual circumstances.

Required Skills

B.A./B.S. and at least five years of central research administration experience. The Senior Pre-Award Officer is an experienced individual who must possess excellent organizational, time management, written and verbal communication skills; be detail oriented and capable of multi-tasking; must be self-starter, diplomatic, pro-active able in managing people. The SPAO must be able to provide leadership by cooperatively anticipating, coordinating, strategizing academic unit needs and be able to uses judgment and an extensive amount of experience to adapt an advanced knowledge of skills, methods, practices, policies and procedures and a moderate degree of innovation, analysis, and reasoning to plan and prioritize work that is primarily project oriented and involves some extremely difficult problems and/or decisions. The SPAO must be proficient in a wide variety of federal sponsors, especially NIH,NSF, and DOD. Successful candidate will have experience using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in research administration or be open to learning and leveraging AI to support their work.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color , natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.