Sponsored Projects Administrator

UTHealth Houston; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% paid medical premiums

Generous paid time off

Longevity pay

State retirement plan

Gym membership discounts

Wellness programs

Employee discounts

Job summary

UTHealth Houston seeks a Sponsored Projects Administrator to oversee grants and contracts across multiple departments. You will review, negotiate, and finalize complex research agreements while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and UT system policies.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree with at least two years of experience in research administration or contract negotiation, and a hybrid on-site/remote work arrangement in Texas.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required; Doctorate in life science or JD preferred.
• 2 years of experience in research/research administration or healthcare contract negotiation.
• Hybrid work arrangement with on-site and remote days.
• Residency in Texas is required.

Responsibilities

• Review, draft, negotiate, and manage complex research agreements and subawards to protect university assets and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate between SPA and OTM; attend PI meetings to assess relationships and IP terms.
• Collaborate with Legal Affairs, CPHS, Procurement, and UT System on IP, data ownership, and regulatory issues.
• Educate faculty and administrators on contract policies and procedures; support process improvements.

Skills

Grant administration

Contract negotiation

Regulatory compliance

IP terms & ownership

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Doctorate in life science or JD

Job description

We are looking for a Sponsored Projects Administrator. This role is responsible for facilitating the preparation, review, negotiation, approval, and acquisition of grants and contracts for the University. Develops and administers procedures designed to comply with appropriate regulations relating to the administration of government and private research grants, agreements, and other sponsored projects, and interprets and applies such procedures and regulations. You will be responsible for reviewing grants, contracts, subcontracts, and award notices for up to 13 different departments. You must have experience managing a research portfolio or have transferable skills. The successful candidate will be organized, able to execute tenacious follow‑up, and able to handle the stress of working on these types of projects.
As a member of the Grants & Award Management Team, responsibilities may include facilitating the preparation, submission, review, negotiation, approval, and acquisition of grants and contracts for the University. Establishes and maintains awards and all required regulatory compliance in the Grants & Contracts and Financial systems. Issues, negotiates, and maintains all incoming and outgoing sub‑awards. Develops and administers procedures designed to comply with applicable regulations governing the administration of government and private research grants, agreements, and other sponsored projects; interprets and applies such procedures and regulations. Acts as liaison to all grant‑making agencies and sub‑award entities to ensure timely and proper project administration. Maintains deep knowledge needed to interpret and apply federal, state, institutional, and granting agency rules and regulations that govern research and other sponsored project administration.
You will be working in our University Center Tower on the tenth floor. The position is eligible for all UTHealth benefits, including great healthcare coverage and a retirement program run by the State of Texas. It is a normal work week with standard hours. It is classified as exempt. This team typically works two days on‑site and three remotely during the week.
What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.
Once you join us you won't want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full‑time employees
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year)
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue!
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service)
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan!

We take care of our employees! As a world‑renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as...

• Free financial and legal counseling
• Free mental health counseling services
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs
• Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc.
• Resources for child and elder care
• Plus many more!

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Independently reviews, drafts, redlines, and negotiates complex research agreements, including but not limited to collaboration agreements, sponsored research agreements, investigator‑initiated clinical trial agreements, subawards, material transfer agreements, data use agreements, fee‑for‑service agreements, and other non‑standard agreements. Places strict focus on protecting the university, its assets, and its faculty. Ensures compliance with federal, state, UT System, institutional policies, regulatory obligations, and risk tolerance, particularly regarding intellectual property (IP), data/materials ownership, and compliance requirements.
• Coordinates internal discussions between Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) and the Office of Technology Management (OTM) and attends meetings with Principal Investigators (PIs) to assess the relationship between the PI, commercial entities, and the university. Determines appropriate intellectual property (IP) agreement terms and secures the necessary approvals.
• Collaborates with schools/departments, Legal Affairs, OTM, Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS), Procurement, and UT System to resolve research contract‑related issues related to IP, data/materials ownership, and regulatory compliance
• Serves as a subject matter expert for the Grants and Award Management team by reviewing non‑standard grants and contracts to ensure appropriate IP and data/materials terms are included and consistent across documents. Assists in revising language to meet institutional standards
• Engages with faculty and departmental administrators to gather project details and ensure contract terms meet research/scientific, financial, regulatory, and other compliance needs. Gains an understanding of the research project to draft original language for unique agreements, with appropriate and favorable terms, and leads negotiations with external sponsors and collaborators.
• Coordinates project account setup with the post‑award team to ensure timely and accurate implementation of sponsored agreements
• Participates in on‑campus trainings and forums to educate faculty and administrators on IP, data/materials ownership, and other contractual policies and procedures
• Develops and maintains working knowledge of research compliance, contract law (including IP law), and institutional policy. Participates in internal process improvement efforts.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:

At least a Bachelor's Degree required; Doctorate Degree in a life science or JD is preferred.

Minimum Experience:

2 years of experience in research/research administration or research/healthcare contract negotiation. May substitute required experience with equivalent years of education beyond the minimum education requirement.

Security Sensitive:

This position is a security‑sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code

• 51.215 and Texas Government Code
• 411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code
• 117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R.
• 791.4.

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas. This is a hybrid position.