University of Washington Jobs

Req #: 233497

Department: APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY

Posting Date: 04/22/2024

Closing Info: Open Until Filled

Salary: $8,000 - $10,000 per month

Shift: First Shift

Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-staff-20230119_a11y.pdf)

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state, and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities, and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

The Electronic and Photonic Systems team at the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington is hiring – see yourself at APL!

The Applied Physics Laboratory is a research unit at the University of Washington. Our research expertise is in ocean physics and engineering, ocean and medical acoustics, polar science, environmental remote sensing, and signal processing. We conduct research and development that is sponsored by a variety of federal and state agencies and take great pride in our long-standing status as a US Navy-designated University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Our work takes place not only on the University of Washington campus and medical centers, but in field locations around the world – at sea, in the air, and on polar ice caps. We apply rigorous scientific inquiry and engineering excellence in pursuit of solutions to important problems for the good of our region, nation, and world.

Diversity is a core value at the University of Washington and the Applied Physics Laboratory shares this commitment. We are focused on building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable research environment for all students, staff, and collaborators. We believe every member of our team enriches our community by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions.

In the Electronic and Photonic System (EPS) Department, engineers work on large-scale, state-of-the-art research projects to advance important scientific inquiries made by sponsors ranging from the National Science Foundation to the Department of Defense. These projects focus on cabled ocean systems requiring unique power and telemetry systems supporting instrumentation hundreds of kilometers offshore connected in real-time with transoceanic cable technology.

Under the general supervision of the EPS Department Head, this individual will assist in all stages of the management of large programs within EPS, including a large-scale project at the Lab. Supporting these programs will involve activities across the sponsored research spectrum. At the pre-award stage, this position will be required to work collaboratively with multiple PIs to research, understand, and advise on the administrative requirements of various types of funding requests (traditional and non-traditional), prepare and review proposal documents, including budgets, in compliance with those requirements, and manage the approval and submission process both within APL and with offices across the University. Post-award work will include all administrative actions required to set up a new, modified, or extended award, the coordination, establishment, and monitoring of sub-awards, facilitation of all complex administrative actions, setup and management of fabrication projects, internal and external financial reporting, budget analysis, financial compliance, and project closeouts.

The Department Head will rely on this position to answer all key questions and manage all issues related to research administration. They will be tasked with assuring operational efficiency. This person is responsible for coordination between the research group, sponsoring agencies, and University offices and often serves as the representative for the Department in high-level interactions.

EPS was recently awarded a federal contract funding for a large, complex program. Over the next four years, $50 million is expected to flow through this award, with additional projects of a similar size expected in the coming years. It is staffed at APL-UW by a team of 12 engineers and includes several major subcontractors who will each receive multi-million-dollar awards from APL-UW for the duration of the project. The partnerships with the subcontractors are instrumental to APL-UW’s ability to accomplish project goals and therefore must be managed closely by the person in this role.

Major Duties and Responsibilities: Financial and Compliance Management:

Manage all pre and post-award activity for the assigned projects including: • Function as the department’s subject matter expert for research proposals submitted to sponsors. They will develop and prepare budgets, graphs, figures, and other administrative sections of highly complex proposals for grants and contracts based on their knowledge of sponsor requirements and program objectives. • Maintain knowledge of Laboratory and University policies and procedures. Implement and maintain compliant procedures and practices. Provide expert-level advising for investigators and research staff regarding all pre-and post-award activities. • Stay up to date with each principal investigator’s portfolio of funded awards and proactively advise on how best to meet project timelines, deliverables, and budgets. • Management of subawards including the coordination of subaward documentation at the proposal stage and subaward monitoring once awarded. Act as liaison with sub-awardee on behalf of PIs to resolve any questions or gather the required documentation. Keep sub-awardees informed of any changes that may impact their sub-award, including guidance on issues of compliance. • Assist with the execution of large, complex purchases. Coordinate and track purchases across APL, UW, and the vendor, working at each stage to keep the process going. Draft RFPs for PIs and act as the point person at the department level. • Set up and manage fabrication projects ensuring compliance with all fabrication rules including appropriate title and tracking once the fabrication is complete. Assist with title transfers where necessary. • Provide monthly and quarterly reports to project personnel that analyze spending patterns and forecast the impacts of future project activity. Create ad hoc reports as requested. • Coordinate the creation and submission of all required reporting to sponsoring agencies for assigned projects. Produce ad hoc reports made at the request of sponsoring agencies.

Quality Assurance: • Conduct a thorough review of all proposal packets ensuring each application meets the solicitation requirements and is compliant with University policies. Identify any sections that could result in delay or an administrative rejection of the proposal at the University or sponsor level. Advise PI on how to correct any problematic section. • Collaborate across the laboratory on the improvement of departmental processes and tools to further enhance the level of administrative support. Enhance or develop communication pathways that provide regular updates to investigators and department leadership on matters of compliance and changes to processes. • Work with the Department Head to implement process improvements.

Administrative Responsibilities: • Enhance or develop policies and procedures for pre- and post-award administrative functions at the department level which results in streamlined processes and increased efficiencies. • Assist with internal and external audits as requested. Serve as a subject matter expert on areas of compliance related to active EPS projects. • Participate as a power user and act as a first line of support to the EPS department for all Workday Financial processes and report generation.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related discipline AND at least five years’ experience working in research administration with responsibility for proposal development, including complex budgets and subawards.

• Prior experience with proposal preparation and award administration. Prior experience with Department of Defense Contracts, including sole source arrangements. • US Citizenship. • Ability to obtain/maintain a Department of Defense clearance. • Experience interacting with department leadership. • Ability to work independently, take initiative and ownership of work, successfully prioritize, and manage multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Ability to exercise independent judgment and manage competing priorities using strong organizational skills. • Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office skills using a range of software programs including Word and Excel. • Skilled at developing complex linked spreadsheets. • Demonstrated ability and/or experience handling a high volume of diverse tasks, under deadlines, with consistently excellent accuracy and attention to detail. • Flexibility and resourcefulness. • High level of accountability – drives for results, displays a sense of ownership, and is passionate about attaining goals and surpassing expectations. • Proactive problem solver and communicator, with a desire to improve systems.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration. The person hired into this position must be a U.S. citizen and successfully obtain and continue to maintain a Department of Defense (DOD) Personnel Security Clearance. The process for obtaining a DOD Security Clearance can be viewed using the following links: Processing Applicants (dcsa.mil) or General Investigations and Clearance Processes (dcsa.mil) (https://www.dcsa.mil/mc/pv/mbi/gicp/) Desired: •Experience working with staff from UW operations (OSP, GCA, ISO, etc.) and sponsor program and research staff. •Comfortable in collaborative settings and working within and across cultures. •Advanced knowledge and experience in UW and sponsor administrative submission, personnel, acquisition, and reporting systems.

Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.