Junior/Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist

All Candidates Must Apply Directly Through LJI’s Website

https://www.lji.org/careers/

[Click “Open Positions” to find correct opportunity.]

Career Opportunity

La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) is looking for a self-starting critical thinker to join our team! If you can deliver outstanding customer service to our world-renown faculty while taking exceptional pride in your work then we want to hear from you.  Title/position will be commensurate with experience.

What We’re Looking For (Junior)

• Capacity to function purposefully and efficiently in deadline-driven situations
• Regularly exercise sound judgment and problem-solving skills
• Interact effectively with a diverse group of professional backgrounds and personalities
• Maintain a flexible, collaborative, and positive work environment at all times
• Understand and follow rules, policies, and procedures
• Proficient computer and technology interface skills
• Able to follow directions from a supervisor, work productively, and stay engaged with a minimum amount of oversight
• Open to providing as well as receiving constructive criticism and feedback
• Excellent written and verbal communication preferred

What We’re Looking For (Senior)

• All of the above plus 5-7 Years of daily and direct NIH grants and contracts experience

Job Summary

Reporting to a Supervisor or Lead within LJI’s Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), the Jr. (or Sr.) Grants and Contracts Specialist will prepare and submit all funding proposals on behalf of LJI to various federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private foundations, as well as process select non-financial post-award administration of grants and contracts awarded to LJI.

The Jr. (or Sr.) Grants and Contracts Specialist will work directly with faculty, research staff, scientific cores, administrative departments, and LJI management to collect all required information for funding proposals and progress reports while adhering to LJI protocols plus sponsoring agencies’ guidelines.

The Jr. (or Sr.) Grants and Contracts Specialist must continually demonstrate a commitment to high-quality customer service and an eager willingness to be there for all LJI research personnel, administrative staff, and sponsors in all matters related to sponsored programs within OSR’s area of responsibility.

Core Duties & Responsibilities

• Pre-award administrative duties for grants and contracts submitted to U.S. Government Agencies (primarily NIH) and other public or private funding organizations.
• Assist Faculty, Instructors, and Postdoctoral Fellows in identifying prospective funding sources and appropriate funding mechanisms based on PI’s position and/or other eligibility requirements.  This may include navigating Grants.gov, eRA Commons, Proposal Central, and other online portals.
• Provide guidance and timelines to Faculty, Instructors, and Postdoctoral Fellows regarding solicitation instructions and review proposal documents for conformity with sponsor guidelines.
• Respond to “Just-in-Time” requests from NIH as well as equivalent non-NIH requests/activations.
• Analyze the terms, conditions, and budget of award documents to identify potential problem areas.  Provide top-tier support to all investigators when working with sponsors to resolve any questions or concerns of an administrative nature.
• Apply specialized knowledge and interpretation of rules, regulations, policies and procedures from funding agencies and combine those with LJI protocols to inform a proper course of action.
• Liaison with funding agency sponsors to respond to inquiries, explain decisions made and/or actions taken, and to clarify award terms and conditions for all concerned parties.
• Process certain non-financial post-award administration of grants and contracts awarded from U.S. Government Agencies (primarily NIH) and other public or private funding organizations.
• Prepare, amend, and perform some due diligence for inter-institutional consortium agreements in order to initiate a sub-award to an LJI subcontractor, or in order to obtain pass-through funds from a prime grantee when LJI is the subcontractor.
• Enter and maintain proposal and award data in LJI’s Serenic Navigator system, OSR’s submission schedule, and other databases/spreadsheets whenever necessary.
• Work closely with OSR supervisors as well as other department leadership and staff.
• Miscellaneous OSR-facing support duties as assigned.

More about the Office of Sponsored Research

The Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) serves as LJI’s coordinating office for all Government Agency and most Private Foundation externally funded research grant proposals submitted by on behalf of LJI by our Faculty, Instructors, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Graduate Students.  OSR assists all PIs during the grant or contract application preparation and submission process.  We work to enhance the cooperation and support afforded to all research staff.  Additionally, OSR operates in close concert with institute leadership on reports and projections for all manner of cyclical and special ad hoc initiatives.

More about La Jolla Institute for Immunology

https://www.lji.org/about-us/