Pre-Award Grants and Contracts Officers

Announcement

Details

Open Date 07/27/2026 Requisition Number PRN45736B Job Title Pre-Award Grants and Contracts Officers Working Title Pre-Award GCO Career Progression Track P00 Track Level P5 - Expert, P4 - Advanced, P3 - Career FLSA Code Administrative Patient Sensitive Job Code? No Standard Hours per Week 40 Full Time or Part Time? Full Time Shift Day Work Schedule Summary

Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm, Hybrid

VP Area Academic Affairs Department 00051 - College of Engineering-Dean Location Campus City Salt Lake City, UT Type of Recruitment External Posting Pay Rate Range $60,000 - $80,000 Close Date 09/30/2026 Priority Review Date (Note - Posting may close at any time) Job Summary

The Price College of Engineering seeks a collaborative and service-oriented Pre-Award Grants & Contracts Officer (GCO) to join a centralized college research administration team supporting pre-award activities across multiple engineering departments, centers, and research initiatives. This position provides comprehensive proposal development and research administration support to faculty pursuing external funding from federal agencies, industry sponsors, foundations, and other entities.

Working closely with Principal Investigators (PIs), department leadership, the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP), and college research administration partners, the GCO assists with all aspects of the pre-award lifecycle, including proposal preparation, budget development, sponsor guideline interpretation, compliance certification, external partner documentation, submission management, and award transition support.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, collaborative, and able to manage multiple complex deadlines in a fast-paced research environment. This role requires strong communication skills, analytical thinking, and the ability to provide excellent customer service to faculty and research teams across a broad portfolio of engineering disciplines.

The Price College of Engineering is home to a dynamic research enterprise spanning multiple disciplines, centers, and industry partnerships. As part of a centralized college pre-award support model, this position partners with departments across the college to expand research capacity, improve consistency in proposal development processes, and enhance the faculty experience in securing external funding. The role offers the opportunity to work closely with innovative faculty and research teams advancing impactful engineering research and technology development within a collaborative environment that emphasizes professional growth, operational excellence, and high-quality faculty support.

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu

Responsibilities

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and facilitate the full pre-award proposal development process for faculty and research teams across the Price College of Engineering.
• Assist Principal Investigators with the preparation, review, and submission of grant applications, contracts, cooperative agreements, subawards, and other sponsored project proposals.
• Develop detailed proposal budgets and budget justifications in accordance with sponsor guidelines and University policies.
• Interpret sponsor requirements, funding opportunity announcements, and University policies to ensure proposal compliance and timely submission.
• Serve as a liaison between faculty, departments, the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP), Office of the Vice President for Research, IRB, IACUC, Technology Licensing Office, and other research administration entities.
• Coordinate proposal timelines, collect required documentation, and ensure completion of all administrative components of submissions.
• Assist with preparation and maintenance of biosketches, current and pending/other support documents, facilities statements, and other proposal-related materials.
• Support complex proposal submissions, including interdisciplinary, multi-investigator, multi-institutional, center-level, and industry-sponsored projects.
• Provide guidance regarding sponsor regulations, federal compliance requirements, and University policies related to sponsored projects.
• Collaborate with departmental and post-award staff to support smooth transitions from proposal submission to award setup and management.
• Maintain accurate proposal records and documentation in University and sponsor systems.
• Monitor sponsor deadlines and proactively communicate requirements and timelines to faculty and research teams.
• Contribute to the development of standardized processes, templates, training materials, and continuous improvement initiatives for the college's centralized research administration services.
• Participate in special projects and collaborative initiatives that support the research mission of the Price College of Engineering.
• Maintain current knowledge of evolving federal regulations, sponsor policies, and University research administration procedures.

Disclaimer:

This job description is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to the position. Duties and responsibilities may change based on organizational needs.

Minimum Qualifications

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).

Department may hire employee at one of the following job levels:

Pre-Award Grants & Contract Officer (GCO), III: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 6 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 4 years of directly related work experience.

Pre-Award Grants & Contract Officer (GCO), IV: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 8 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 6 years of directly related work experience.

Pre-Award Grants & Contract Officer (GCO), V: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 10 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 8 years of directly related work experience.

Preferences

Preferences:

• Experience supporting pre-award sponsored research activities in a university or research environment.
• Familiarity with federal sponsors such as NSF, NIH, DoD, DOE, NASA, or other federal agencies common within engineering research.
• Experience with electronic research administration and sponsor submission systems (e.g., Research.gov, Grants.gov, ASSIST, Cayuse, Workspace).
• Knowledge of University of Utah research administration policies and systems.
• Experience supporting complex, interdisciplinary, or multi-institutional proposals.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a collaborative team environment.

Type Benefited Staff Special Instructions Summary Additional Information

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems ("URS"). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801) 581-7447 for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS' post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801) 366-7770 or (800) 695-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801) 581-7447 if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.

Veterans' preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran's status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX (OEO). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator's office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number can be located at the: University of Utah Non‑Discrimination page.

Online reports may be submitted at https://oeo.utah.edu

https://publicsafety.utah.edu/safetyreport/ This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.

As per University of Utah policy 5-108: Transfer of Benefits Eligible Staff Members, a new hire to the University of Utah who is still serving a 12 month probationary period will not be hired into another University of Utah job (a transfer) until the successful completion of the probationary period.

Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• • What is your highest level of completed education?

• None

• High School Diploma or Equivalent

• Associate Degree

• Bachelor's Degree

• Master's Degree

• Doctorate Degree

• • How many years of related work experience do you have?

• Less than 6 years

• 6 years or more, but less than 9 years

• 9 years or more, but less than 12 years

• 12 years or more, but less than 15 years

• 15 years or more

• How did you hear about this position? Please specify the name of the job board, community, education, government agency, search engine, etc. used to find out about this position.

(Open Ended Question)

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Optional Documents