Research Liaison Officer 1, 2, or 3 - Engineering (Finance)

Department: Dean, Engineering Salary: Commensurate with Experience/Education
Description:

Supports individuals and groups within the University of Houston in research and research proposal development for funding complex, multidisciplinary proposals. Strategically collaborates with other research entities and private businesses outside of the University System to coordinate, develop, fund, and implement Research projects into cohesive programmatic thrusts that can be leveraged into academic, industry, government and community partnerships.

1. Identifies strategic high dollar and high visibility funding opportunities that fit UH capabilities, research assets; leads initiatives for multidisciplinary center and training grant proposals; maintains a master list of these opportunities and tracks statistics on submission and funding-success rate.
2. Develops, maintains and advances the campus and system wide faculty expertise database to match funding opportunities to faculty and to build teams to address complex multidisciplinary research problems. The database is also intended to be used by faculty to identify appropriate collaborators.
3. Facilitates University driven initiatives to increase success and visibility of the institution.
4. Identify trends in sponsor research interests and advise proposal preparation accordingly.
5. Assists in the development, project management and critical review of large/complex/high visibility proposals.
6. Develops new programs and resources to assist faculty with successfully securing funding from various sponsors.
7. Collaborates with the DOR Communication Office to develop and disseminate key information and news to the research community through email, publications, website, symposiums and working groups.
8. Leads and develops educational and training programs in grant proposal development for the research community including workshops, coordinating symposium and seminars, and new faculty orientation activities. Includes conducting proposal writing workshops and overseeing the Research Mentoring Faculty mentoring program to help new investigators develop grant proposals.
9. Develops and enhances multi-disciplinary strategic partnerships within and outside of UH.
10. Acts as a liaison between the Office of Research and funding agencies.
11. Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Research Liaison Officer 1, 2, or 3 (broadband)

Job Summary: Research Liaison Officer plays a critical role in supporting the institution's research and sponsored projects by managing all aspects of proposal preparation, pre-award administration, and post-submission Just-in-Time (JIT) activities. This position works collaboratively with faculty, researchers, administrative staff, and external sponsors to ensure timely, accurate, and compliant submission of grant and contract applications, maximizing funding opportunities.

Key Responsibilities:

-Funding Opportunity Analysis: Proactively interpret complex sponsor guidelines, solicitations, and regulatory requirements (e.g., NIH, NSF, DOD, foundations, industry). Advise Principal Investigators (PIs) and project teams on eligibility, application components, and submission processes.
-Budget Development: Collaborate with PIs to develop detailed and compliant project budgets, including personnel costs, fringe benefits, equipment, supplies, travel, subawards, and indirect costs. Ensure adherence to sponsor and institutional policies regarding allowable costs and F&A (indirect) rates.
-Narrative and Administrative Component Review: Review and provide feedback on administrative sections of proposals (e.g., biosketches, facilities & resources, data management plans, human subjects/animal use sections) for completeness, accuracy, and adherence to sponsor formatting requirements.
-Subaward/Consultant Management: Coordinate with subaward institutions and consultants to obtain necessary documentation (e.g., letters of intent, scopes of work, budgets, budget justifications, institutional approvals) for inclusion in prime proposals.
-Internal Routing & Approvals: Facilitate the internal review and approval process for all proposals, ensuring all necessary institutional clearances (e.g., conflict of interest, compliance with human subjects/animal research protocols, cost-share commitments) are obtained prior to submission.
-Electronic System Submission: Prepare, upload, and submit proposals through various electronic research administration systems (e.g., Grants.gov, NIH eRA Commons, NSF FastLane, institutional portals) ensuring all required forms and attachments are accurately completed and submitted by deadlines.
-Compliance Oversight: Ensure all proposals are in full compliance with federal regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200), state laws, institutional policies, and specific sponsor requirements.

II. Just-in-Time (JIT) & Post-Submission Activities:
JIT Management: Monitor for and respond promptly to Just-in-Time (JIT) requests from sponsoring agencies (e.g., NIH). Coordinate with PIs and relevant internal offices (e.g., IRB, IACUC) to gather and submit required documentation.
Revision & Resubmission: Assist PIs with the preparation and submission of revised applications or resubmissions based on sponsor feedback or new requirements.
Preferred Qualifications (for RLOs):

Master's degree.
Certification such as Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA).
Experience with a specific institutional grants management system (e.g., Cayuse, InfoEd, Kuali Research, Workday Grants).
Familiarity with specific federal agency guidelines (e.g., NIH, NSF, DOD, HRSA).

Experience will be considered in lieu of education.
Education will be considered in lieu of experience.

MQ: Requires application of advanced principles, techniques and theory in a professional discipline or a thorough general business management knowledge. Knowledge of this level is typically obtained through a directly job-related:

Research Liaison Officer 1- Requires a Masters and 3 years of directly job related experience
Research Liaison Officer 2- Requires a Masters and 5 years of directly Job related experience
Research Liaison Officer 3- Requires a Doctoral Degree and 7 years of directly job related experience

All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check.

The University of Houston System and its universities are an Equal Opportunity Institution.