Posting Number req26228
Department Research Administration
Department Website Link CALES Research
Location Tucson Campus
Address Forbes, Rm 314 - 1140 E. South Campus Drive, Tucson, AZ 85719 USA
Position Highlights The University is seeking a Senior Grant and Contract Administrator. This position manages the pre-award phase of grants management lifecycle, handling preparation and submission of proposals and collaborates with principal investigators and other research staff to develop budgets, ensure compliance with sponsor and institutional regulations, terms and conditions.
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!
The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs.
Duties & Responsibilities
Proposal Development
Works directly with faculty members, research staff, administrators, and others in the preparation of proposals in accordance with the university and sponsor policies, guidelines and criteria.
Advises the PI on administrative requirements in preparing proposal submissions.
Develops budget proposals and associated justifications.
Confers with PI and Pre-award support staff at collaborating institutions to secure necessary sub-awards documents for proposals.
Manages internal Sponsored Projects proposal routing, review and approval process.
Assists with submission of proposal packages through external sponsor’s grant management portals.
Ensures central pre-award workflow system is updated to enable team management to reassign and adjust workloads as needed.
Pre-Award Compliance
Reviews grant proposals involving CALES faculty to ensure all applications meet exact agency and university regulations prior to submission.
Coordinates and reviews certain proposal elements (biosketches and facilities & resources) for consistency, accuracy, and completeness.
Reviews proposals for consistency with sponsor guidelines on budget, format, font size and page limits excluding narrative content (obtain and review sponsor guidelines).
Advisory
Provides policy and procedure interpretation to academic departments on all areas of Pre-Award, including interpretation of regulations and guidelines of funding with complex and broad guidelines for spending.
Contributes information and ideas as part of a cross functional team.
Improvement
Plans, arranges and participates in workshops and seminars for Faculty and Staff to promote participation in the proposal process.
Collaborates with team on annual CALES pre-award strategic plan.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Ability to effectively communicate with multiple stakeholders.
High attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple complex submissions under strict deadlines.
Ability to guide and advise faculty on proposal requirements while translating complex sponsor guidelines into actionable steps.
Strong proficiency in budget creation, forecasting, and understanding cost principles (e.g., Uniform Guidance).
Knowledge of policies and procedures of various funding agencies.
Knowledge of major Grant submission systems (Research.gov, ASSIST, Grants.gov).
Knowledge of Microsoft Office software; expert knowledge of Excel.
This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience preparing and submitting high volume, high value grant proposals.
Professional certification preferred, CRA.
Experience with UAccess Research and Financials preferred.
FLSA Exempt
Full Time/Part Time Full Time
Number of Hours Worked per Week 40
Job FTE 1.0
Work Calendar Fiscal
Job Category Research
Benefits Eligible Yes - Full Benefits
Rate of Pay $75,540 - $98,201
Compensation Type salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)
Grade 10
Compensation Guidance The Rate of Pay Field represents the University of Arizona’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. The University considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, and internal equity.
The Grade Range represent a full range of career compensation growth over time. The university offers compensation growth opportunities within its career architecture. To learn more about compensation, please review our Applicant Compensation Guide and our Total Rewards Calculator.
Career Stream and Level PC4
Job Family Grant & Contract Admin
Job Function Research
Type of criminal background check required: Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)
Number of Vacancies 1
Target Hire Date 8/1/2026
Expected End Date
Contact Information for Candidates Rachel Crookston, Grants & Contracts Manager II
[email protected]
Open Date 6/9/2026
Open Until Filled Yes
Documents Needed to Apply Resume and Cover Letter
Special Instructions to Applicant
Notice of Availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act), each year the University of Arizona releases an Annual Security Report (ASR) for each of the University’s campuses. These reports disclose information including Clery crime statistics for the previous three calendar years and policies, procedures, and programs the University uses to keep students and employees safe, including how to report crimes or other emergencies and resources for crime victims. As a campus with residential housing facilities, the Main Campus ASR also includes a combined Annual Fire Safety report with information on fire statistics and fire safety systems, policies, and procedures.
Paper copies of the Reports can be obtained by contacting the University Compliance Office at
[email protected].
