Specialist I, Grants & Contracts

The University of Rhode Island; Kingston (RI); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Rhode Island, based in Kingston, RI, seeks a Job Title Specialist I for Grants & Contracts to support pre-award and post-award activities within the Office of Sponsored Projects. The role requires coordinating with sponsors, reviewing amendments, and ensuring compliance across multiple grant types.

The position includes responsibilities for award set-up, monitoring allowability, and subaward oversight, with opportunities to supervise student workers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Two years of experience with federal grants, including familiarity with funding mechanisms, proposal preparation/review, funding sources, or grants administration.
• Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.
• Proven written communication skills and presentation skills.
• Experience with supervisory responsibilities and managing diverse groups.

Responsibilities

• Assist in pre-award review, approval, and submission of sponsored project proposals and amendments.
• Assist in award set-up including reviewing notifications, terms, accounting setup, and reporting dates.
• Monitor allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and consistency of sponsored project funds post-award; ensure compliance with grant requirements.
• Oversee records retention and maintain familiarity with federal/state/sponsor requirements for externally sponsored projects.
• Supervise student workers and perform other duties as required.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Verbal communication

Written communication

Presentation skills

Supervisory experience

Diversity and inclusion

Experience with federal grants

Computer proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Electronic grant administration software

Job description

80 Lower College Road, Kingston, RI 02881

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

Position Information

Posting Number

Posting Number SF02237

Job Title

Job Title Specialist I, Grants & Contracts

Position Number

Position Number 106015

FTE

FTE 1.00

FLSA

FLSA Exempt

Position Type

Position Type Professional Staff

Union

Union PSA/NEA - Professional Staff Assoc

Pay Grade Range Salary Hiring Range: $60,000 - $68,000

Status

Status Calendar Year, Full-time, Permanent

Department Information

Department

Department Research Office

Campus Location

Campus Location Kingston

Grant Funded

Grant Funded No

Job Description Summary

About URI: The University of Rhode Island enrolls approximately 17,000 students across its graduate and undergraduate programs and is the State’s flagship public research university, as well as the land grant and sea grant university, for the state of Rhode Island. The main campus is located in the historic village of Kingston, and the Bay Campus is located in Narragansett. Both campuses are near major beaches in a beautiful coastal community. URI is just 30 minutes from Providence, RI and within easy reach of Newport, Boston, and New York City.

THE POSITION IS ELIGIBLE FOR A HYBRID WORK SCHEDULE AFTER SIX MONTHS . POSITION SUMMARY : Participate and support pre-award and post-award functions within the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP); assist in the coordination of critical activities that range from pre- and post-award functions.

Duties and Responsibilities

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

Pre-Award Specific Duties:

Assist in the review, approval, and submission of proposal documents for sponsored projects, including requests for special handling (cost sharing, limited F&A, etc.). Managing the acceptance of amendments to sponsored agreements (e.g., grants, cooperative agreements or contracts).

Award Set-Up Specific Duties:

Assist in the review of award notifications, noting special terms and conditions, ensure compliance (e.g., compliance and ethics committee) before setting up account, and creating Electronic Research Administration accounts (e.g., input budget and set reporting dates).

Post-Award Specific Duties:

Assist in monitoring, review, and approval of sponsored projects funds for allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and consistency of treatment. Assist with federal and state grant/contract requirements including but not limited to patent reporting and subaward monitoring. Oversee OSP records retention program.

Maintain familiarity with federal, state, University, and sponsor requirements for University level externally sponsored projects and activities.

Monitor compliance and adherence to University, federal, and state policies and procedures.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

Supervise student workers.

Perform other duties as required.

LICENSES , TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT :

Personal computers, printers and word processing, electronic grant administration software, database and spreadsheet software.

Required Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS :

• 1. Bachelor’s degree.
• 2. Minimum of two years of experience working with federal grants, which includes two or more of the following functions: familiarity with federal agency funding mechanisms, proposal preparation, proposal review and approval process, identification of funding sources, and/or grants administration.
• 3. Demonstrated strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.
• 4. Demonstrated proficiency in written communication skills.
• 5. Demonstrated presentation skills.
• 6. Demonstrated computer experience (i.e. word processing, database, and spreadsheet functions).
• 7. Demonstrated familiarity with federal, state, and sponsor level requirements for sponsored projects.
• 8. Demonstrated supervisory experience.
• 9. Demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups/populations.

EEO Statement: URI is unwavering in its commitment to equal opportunity, community, equity, and diversity. In furtherance of its mission to serve and support all learners as the state’s public flagship university, URI continues to expand efforts to recruit and retain a broadly representative workforce as well as to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of those efforts. All employment decisions, including hiring, are made without regard to protected status. Qualified individuals with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation by contacting the URI benefits office at 401-874-2416. For TTY assistance, contact R.I. Relay Services at 711.

Preferred Qualifications

Environmental Conditions

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS : This position is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

Posting Date

Posting Date 10/16/2026

Closing Date

Closing Date 10/29/2026