Pre-Award Specialist

Special Instructions to Applicants: Please attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities. 

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

About George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing:

The George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing ranks among the top 20 undergraduate engineering programs (US News & World Report) and is strongly committed to nurturing the aspirations of faculty, staff and students in an inclusive environment. 

We seek greater representation of women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans in disciplines in which they have historically been underrepresented; to attract international students from a wider range of countries and backgrounds; to accelerate progress in building a faculty and staff who are diverse in background and thought, and we support an inclusive environment that fosters interaction and understanding within our diverse community.

Position Summary 

The Engineering Research Administration (ERA) Team in the School of Engineering and Computing is seeking a Pre-Award Specialist to support all phases of research proposal development and submission. This position will serve as a key administrator for pre-award activities, working closely with faculty, departmental staff, and institutional partners to ensure timely and compliant submissions of grant proposals.

Success in this role requires an independent, analytical mindset, strong organizational and time management skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. The ideal candidate will have a solid understanding of federal, state, and sponsor-specific regulations, policies, and procedures related to research administration.

Ideal Candidate: 

The ideal candidate is an experienced research administrator with strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills. They are adept at managing complex proposals, interpreting sponsor guidelines, and coordinating with faculty and institutional partners. Familiarity with research systems such as Cayuse and a working knowledge of budgeting and compliance requirements are preferred.

Hiring Range: Starting annual salary of $65,000 

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Workplace Requirements: 

This position is a full-time, fully remote position with the potential of occasional travel as required by team operations. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor's Degree
• Two or more (2+) years of related experience in proposal development, project management, and/or accounting
  • In lieu of education or experience requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis, may be substituted 

Skills Required: 

• Demonstrated initiative and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with faculty, research staff, and external stakeholders
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and strong client service orientation and professionalism in communication across diverse audiences. 
• Advanced problem-solving skills and the ability to manage complex research and administrative challenges
• Strong organizational and time management skills with ability to prioritize multiple projects and deadlines in fast paced environment. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and familiarity with grant submission systems and related administrative tools
• Proven critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with experience addressing complex administrative and research coordination challenge. 
• Understanding of budgeting principles and ability to support the preparation of financial and programmatic materials

Preferred Skills: 

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance, public administration, or a related field
• Four or more years of grant-related experience, preferably in an institution of higher education
• Experience supporting proposal submissions to federal, state, foundation, and other sponsors, including agencies such as NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, DARPA, CPRIT, ARPA-H, CFF, and JDRF
• Experience interpreting sponsor guidelines and supporting compliant proposal submissions
• Experience with Cayuse, sponsor portals, and other research administration systems
• Knowledge of budgeting principles and experience supporting the development of proposal budgets, financial plans, sponsor forms, and cost-share documentation
• Experience coordinating with faculty, institutional partners, OSP, subcontractors, and external collaborators to support timely proposal submissions
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, including drafting, organizing, editing, and formatting Word and PDF documents
• Ability to develop and recommend process improvements that support research coordination, proposal development, and stakeholder engagement

Essential Functions:

• Organizes, facilitates, and tracks proposal development efforts and proposal preparation timelines
• Understands, explains, and clarifies various sponsors' proposal requirements and review processes
• Researches and writes non-technical sections of proposals
• Provides comments, suggestions, and questions on the narrative section
• Ensures compliance with sponsor requirements
• Assists in the facilitation of faculty teams and colleagues in preparing large, complex, collaborative, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional proposals
• Identifies limited submission funding opportunities, posts them to the limited submission website and listserv, and assists in coordinating limited submission competitions when necessary
• Assists with training and development sessions designed for faculty, staff, postdocs, graduate students, and/or undergraduate students on topics related to the development of proposals for external grant funds
• Assists in preparing ad hoc administrative projects, such as website materials, proposal archives, etc.
• Supports the Principal Investigator (PI) on administrative requirements in proposal preparation, and ensures guidelines are followed for proposal formatting and submission requirements
• In collaboration with the PI, develops and reviews the budget, and assists with attaining cost-share commitments and sponsor forms
• Coordinates the request and review of subcontract documents
• Performs the data entry into the sponsor portal and Cayuse SP record
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.