Research Contract & Purchasing Agent

55% - Contract Support:

• Provide comprehensive support throughout the processing lifecycle of research-related agreements including business service agreements fee-for-service agreements event/hotel agreements statements of work contract amendments and other contract documents.
• Perform preliminary compliance checks to verifyrequired elements are included and flag missing or inconsistent information for resolution.
• Ensure submissions received are aligned with established KU/KUCR contracting and competitive procurement requirements prior to routing for review.
• Utilize standardized templates and information from contract requests to draft agreements that are accurate complete and correctly formatted; this is a primary function of the role and requires meticulous attention to detail to ensure all terms parties dates and required provisions are correctly captured before routing for review.
• Manage and track agreements through internal workflows. Monitor agreement status and follow up proactively to reduce processing delays and improve turnaround times.
• Maintain organized accurate and searchable records of contracts amendments and related communications. This will be achieved through successful use of a contracts management or workflow system tracking worksheets and maintenance of shared inboxes.
• Provide guidance to staff on agreement processes required documentation timelines and system usage while escalating complex or non-standard issues as appropriate.

20% - Purchasing Support:

• Provide support for the procurement of goods and services in support of sponsored research ensuring transactions are accurate compliant and timely.
• Review and process purchase requisitions within the P2P system verifying availability of funding and appropriate budget allocation accuracy of account coding and completeness of supporting documentation (quotes justifications etc.).
• Conduct compliance-focused reviews of procurement requests to ensure adherence to KUCR university and Uniform Guidance requirements. Evaluate submitted quotes and documentation to confirm alignment with procurement standards and flag discrepancies or missing elements for correction.
• Coordinate and communicate with various parties including KU Purchasing Shared Service Centers Award Management Services and suppliers to facilitate workflows resolve issues and ensure applicable compliance requirements are met.
• Troubleshoot procurement-related issues including vendor discrepancies delayed approvals or system processing problems.

15% - Subcontract Purchase Order & Invoice Coordination:

• Administer and coordinate subcontract purchase orders and related invoicing workflows.
• Ensure all invoices are processed accurately and paid timely. Specifically subcontract invoices must be paid according to sponsor payment timelines under Uniform Guidance.
• Troubleshoot errors or exceptions related to subcontract purchase orders and payments.
• Coordinate with internal partners to resolve budget compliance or system issues.
• Provide routine reports and data related to subcontract purchasing activity.

10% - Other Duties as Assigned:

• Special projects.
• Providing assistance to other groups within the Fiscal Affairs team.

Disclaimer
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color ethnicity religion sex national origin age ancestry disability status as a veteran sexual orientation marital status parental status gender identity gender expression and genetic information in the universitys programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and is the Title IX coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Room 1082 Dole Human Development Center 1000 Sunnyside Avenue Lawrence KSTTY.

Work Schedule
M-F 8-5

Contact Information to Applicants
LaShana

1. Bachelors degree in Business Administration or a related field and 1 year of experience in procurement purchasing contract administration or research administration OR Associates degree and 3 years of related experience OR high school diploma/GED equivalency and 5 or more years of related experience.
2. Experience working with enterprise financial systems such as Oracle.
3. Minimum of threeyears experience workingwith Microsoft Office (Excel Word).
4. Demonstrated history of delivering high-quality work products as measured by consistently meeting or exceeding established accuracy quality or compliance standards in a high-volume environment.
5. Excellent written communication skills as evidenced by application materials.
6. Previous experience working independently while collaborating effectively with team members.
7. Demonstrated customer service skills as evidenced by application materials.

1. Experience in a university research administration environment includingUniform Guidance and sponsored project processes.
2. Experience supporting subcontract or subaward administration including purchase order coordination invoice processing and compliance review.
3. Experience providing support for research contracts or agreements including intake tracking documentation review and workflow coordination.
4. Strong organizational and project coordination skills with the ability to manage multiple transactions and deadlines simultaneously as evidenced by application materials.

Position Overview
The Research Contracts & Purchasing Specialist provides critical contract drafting processing and compliance support within the Fiscal Affairs team at the University of Kansas Center for Research. The primary function of this role is to review incoming contract requests and use established templates to draft accurate complete and correctly formatted agreements requiring exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy in every transaction. This position also performs contract intake tracking and compliance review and supports purchasing and subcontract invoice coordination ensuring all activities are completed in compliance with Uniform Guidance KUCR policies and university requirements.

The University of Kansas Office of Research advances the universitys research mission by supporting faculty and staff across the full sponsored project lifecycle from funding opportunity identification and proposal development through award management and closeout. Fiscal Affairs is a unit within the Office of Research responsible for the financial and administrative infrastructure that enables compliant efficient execution of research-related activities. This includes contract and agreement administration research purchasing accounts payable and financial oversight functions that collectively ensure KUCR meets its obligations to sponsors vendors and university policy. The Research Contracts & Purchasing Specialist is a key operational role on the Fiscal Affairs team working across the contracting purchasing and accounts payable functions to support a cohesive and well-coordinated research administration environment.

Due to complex state employment laws the University of Kansas may be unable to hire fully remote workers for this position outside of Kansas. Specifically we cannot currently offer employment to candidates residing in the following states: California Delaware Idaho & Minnesota. We appreciate your understanding and invite interested individuals from eligible states to apply.

Additional Candidate Instruction
In addition to the online application the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

1. A cover letter addressing how required and preferred qualifications are met.
2. Resume.
3. Contact information for three (3) professional references.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

For consideration please apply no later than Monday August 24.