The Grants Research Administrator – Research Development and Compliance provides comprehensive pre-award and post-award grant administration support, research development assistance, and regulatory coordination to investigators and research teams. This position facilitates competitive funding applications; assists with award setup, financial and administrative monitoring, reporting, and closeout; and supports investigators in preparing, submitting, and maintaining Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols. Working collaboratively with principal investigators, research staff, departmental leadership, sponsored programs offices, and institutional compliance offices, the position helps research teams meet sponsor and institutional requirements throughout the grant and protocol lifecycles.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Grant administration, Pre-Award and Post-Award Support

• Coordinate the preparation, review, and submission of grant applications to federal agencies, foundations, and other funding organizations.

• Assist investigators with application timelines, submission requirements, budget development, supporting documentation, and sponsor-specific guidelines.

• Review proposals for administrative completeness, consistency, and compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements.

• Coordinate with departmental administrators and institutional sponsored programs offices to facilitate timely submissions.

• Track funding opportunities, application deadlines, award status, and reporting requirements.

• Assist with post-award grant management, including award setup and review of award terms, budget and expenditure monitoring, effort and personnel coordination, progress reporting, sponsor communications, and award closeout in collaboration with institutional offices.

• Track project spending, budget balances, commitments, and upcoming reporting deadlines; identify potential discrepancies and communicate issues to the appropriate grant manager or investigator.

• Assist with budget revisions, rebudgeting requests, no-cost extensions, and other post-award administrative actions in accordance with sponsor and institutional requirements.

• Coordinate collection of information for annual and final progress reports, including milestones, personnel updates, and required supporting documents.

Research Development Support

• Identify relevant funding opportunities aligned with investigators’ research interests and departmental priorities.

• Help incoming graduate students and research staff identify opportunities for early-career awards, career development funding, pilot grants, and other mechanisms that support research growth.

• Provide individualized support to research personnel preparing funding applications or regulatory submissions.

• Serve as a resource for investigators navigating grant application processes, research development opportunities, and regulatory requirements.

• Develop templates, guidance documents, checklists, and educational materials to improve grant preparation and protocol submission efficiency.

IACUC Protocol Development and Compliance Support

• Assist investigators with preparing, drafting, organizing, submitting, and revising IACUC protocols, including new submissions, amendments, renewals, and continuing reviews as applicable.

• Provide educational support to researchers regarding protocol preparation, animal welfare principles, and responsible conduct of animal research.

• Assist with aligning animal research protocols with grant applications to ensure consistency between proposed experiments and approved or pending animal use activities.

• Coordinate with investigators, laboratory personnel, veterinarians, and the institutional IACUC office to obtain required protocol information, address administrative feedback, and track submission and approval deadlines.

• Help maintain protocol records and monitor review or expiration dates, ensuring that investigators are informed of upcoming actions and documentation needs.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Advanced degree in biomedical, biological, health, or related scientific discipline.

• Ability to interpret scientific proposals and communicate effectively with investigators and administrative or compliance personnel.

• Excellent project management skills, including the ability to coordinate multiple deadlines and competing priorities.

• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience contributing to National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other competitive grant applications.

• Familiarity with pre-award grant administration, institutional sponsored programs processes, and federal funding requirements.

• Knowledge of IACUC protocol development, animal research regulations, and institutional animal care and use policies.

• Experience supporting post-award grant administration, including budget monitoring, sponsor reporting, award modifications, and closeout activities.

• Experience mentoring trainees, educating researchers, or developing scientific training materials.

• Experience with research compliance, investigator support, or research program development.

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

Salary Range: Commensurate

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt 

ORP Eligible: No

Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite

Restricted Position: Yes

Hours per Week: 40

Employment Type: Staff / University Academic Professional (UAP)

University Job Title: Research Administrator

Contact Information:

Contact Name: Dr. Kevin Byrd
Contact Email: byrdk6@vcu.edu