Job No. 159066
- Job Title:
- Assistant Research Administrator
- Employer:
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Northwestern University
- Location:
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Chicago , IL
- Posting Date:
- 21-Jul-2026
- Description:
-
Job Summary:
Completes clerical and administrative tasks in support of unit's sponsored programs and research mission. This may include coordinating pre-award &/or post-award processes; completing internal or external forms for any/all portions (including budget) of a proposal or award; collecting, distributing &/or archiving proposal and award related documents; using spreadsheets to calculate budgets and track data &/or data analysis.
Please note:
Supervisor provides objectives, deadlines & specific instructions only for new, difficult, &/or unusual work. Work is reviewed upon completion & only occasionally to verify technical accuracy & compliance with practice, policy, & procedures. EE informs supervisor of on-going progress &/or potentially controversial matters.
EE uses an advanced knowledge of skills, methods & practices & some innovation, analysis, & reasoning to choose appropriate alternatives from among pre-defined policies & procedures to complete work that includes successive steps & involves some non-routine problems &/or decisions.
As time and budget allows:
New-"Brown Bag"-Interested in becoming an RA?
Need more "How To:" sessions such as:
Fill out internal & external paperwork
Create & review budget
Review sponsor guidelines
Read a solicitation
Five University Business Processes classes (HR700, HR705, HR715, HR725, HR740)
Specific Responsibilities:
Complexity
Typically assists with research projects such as:
Single Principal Investigator (PI) basic proposals, grants &/or contracts
Components of multi-PI or multi-unit proposals, grants &/or contracts
NIH RO1-approximately $250K/yr. over 5 yrs.
NIH R21-approximately $150K/yr. over 2 yrs.
Foundation grants
NSF grants
Pre-Award
Completes pre-award administration of grant &/or contract activities.
Prepares proposals.
Obtains approvals.
Develops straightforward budgets using spreadsheets.
Updates bio sketches.
Formats & uploads files to electronic platforms.
Collects &/or distributes information both internally &/or externally to/from faculty, staff, students, etc.
Tracks proposal due dates and follows up/coordinates proposal routing as needed.
Post-Award
Completes routine post-award administration of grant &/or contract activities.
Processes purchase orders & cost transfers.
Reconciles budget statements.
Tracks expenses via spreadsheets.
Monitors project balances and end dates.
Coordinates core resource account set-up and maintenance.
Provides data needed for the preparation of interim and final financial and technical progress reports.
Processes account close-out activities.
Financial
Completes day-to-day financial transactional activities for grants &/or contracts (obtaining approvals as necessary).
Completes day-to-day financial transactional activities for department (obtaining approvals as necessary).
Updates spreadsheets.
Processes travel reimbursements.
Assigns P-card expenses.
Transfers expenses.
Purchases lab &/or office equipment &/or supplies, etc.
Monitors sponsored and non-sponsored budgets.
Ensures timely payment of invoices.
Reconciles accounts.
Provides financial data, analysis &/or reports for inclusion within grant, contract &/or department budget.
Human Resources
Processes paperwork associated with hiring & termination of employees.
Compliance
Tracks, update, process, and submit required forms &/or reports related to compliance.
Learns about compliance related issues & activities.
Miscellaneous
Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)
Organization, time management, detail oriented
- Contact information:
- Northwestern University
- Chicago, IL 60208
- United States
- Employer's Website:
-
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