Senior Research Portfolio Administrator

The Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School seeks a talented and enthusiastic individual to join our growing community as a Senior Research Portfolio Administrator.  As a manager of sponsored and research projects, this individual will administer pre- and post-award aspects of a complex portfolio for interdisciplinary faculty whose funding sources range from NSF, DoD, DOE, NIH, ONR, DARPA and other federal and private sources. They will work directly with senior and junior faculty members and their labs to create and submit proposals, create budgets, authorize and approve expenditures, review monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports, forecast financial scenarios, and make sound recommendations for spending plans.

The Senior Grants Manager may also be expected to participate in sponsor update and kickoff meetings, to present financial data to sponsors and to function as a member of a given project team when required. The Senior Research Portfolio Administrator will work independently in a large research department environment, but will also support the Genetics Business Office team and be expected to participate in special projects to support the Department. S/he will provide an outstanding level of customer service to a broad customer base on a wide range of very complex pre- and post-award, sponsored and compliance issues.  They will provide a management-level liaison with other university offices, the financial offices of relevant HU departments as well as other universities connected to the lab’s research programs, and with industrial biotech interests. She/he will work closely with collaborators on funding opportunities and joint ventures.

The pre-award responsibilities for the Senior Research Portfolio Administrator position include identifying and disseminating funding opportunities, proposal and budget creation and development, application submission, and liaising with the HMS Sponsored Research Administration, the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Office of Technology Development on industry-sponsored research agreements, as well as collaborators at other academic and start-up institutions.

Post award responsibilities include overseeing and managing funds and communicating with the lab. They will work closely with the lab and department on the monthly expenditure reconciliation, interpreting and applying financial and compliance related policies, ongoing monitoring of special terms and conditions, and preparing financial updates for Principal Investigator, sponsors, the department and Harvard central offices.

In addition, the other duties include preparation of agreements and drafting of other research-related documents (billing agreements, etc.). The candidate will also update personnel funding and will work with the PI to determine the funding. The candidate will work with the PI on all effort certifications. This position will use a high degree of judgment and problem-solving skills to communicate and apply Department, University and sponsor guidelines throughout the sponsored project life cycle. The individual will be working closely with Genetics and HHMI staff, post-docs, and students, as well as other HMS departments and University administration offices -- requiring excellent written and verbal communication skills. He/she will contribute to the development of lab-specific procedures and policies, both financial and operational. S/he will also work with lab personnel and the department Research Operations Manager to ensure research equipment and space is managed appropriately.