Working/Functional TitleGreat Lakes Midwest RFBC Administrator

　　Position SummaryThe Michigan State University (MSU) Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) within the Department of Community Sustainability is seeking a full-time Research Administrator II to provide post-award administration services for the new Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center.  

　　In July 2023, the Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) at Michigan State University was awarded a large, 5-year USDA cooperative agreement to establish a food business center with regional partners that will offer extensive technical assistance and a grant program for farmers and food business entrepreneurs, prioritizing those who have been historically marginalized.

　　The Research Administrator will oversee post-award and research administration activities to support the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center (GLM-RFBC). This will be a hybrid position with at least 1-2 days per week in person on campus expected. Position responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

　　Implement and oversee project management system for planning, completing, and communicating about program activities among project teams;

　　Manage and oversee project budget and contracts including processing financial and other transactions in the Kuali Financial System (KFS);

　　Initiate requisitions for purchase orders and/or assist the MSU Office of Contract and Grant Administration (CGA) with subcontracts with technical assistance providers and manage POs/subawards through completion including request and review invoices for accuracy, process payments, track progress through the financial system, and communicate with vendors, subcontractors, and sponsors as needed;

　　Order supplies, services, and equipment;

　　Examine project financials, budget, and expenditures for accuracy and report discrepancies to immediate supervisor and GLM-RFBC Director;

　　Provide monthly grant tracking expense reports and Business Intelligence (BI)/Power BI reports;

　　Communicate with MSU Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and CGA to ensure submissions, revisions, awards, extensions, and closeouts are in compliance and meet deadlines as required by grant sponsor.

　　Understand and ensure compliance with federal cooperative agreement, university policies, and administrative procedures, including in response to inquiries that may require further action;

　　Participate in CRFS project leadership team meetings and communicate regularly with the GLM-RFBC Director, Fiscal Officer, and Business Builder Grant Program Manager (who will manage the grant program administration), and CRFS leadership team to ensure timely execution of programming and operations as identified in the project work plan, which will be updated regularly and reviewed by USDA;

　　Track deadlines, status, and completion of deliverables, including to USDA as the funder, and coordinate planning, review, approval, and submission of semi-annual reports and other deliverables;

　　Identify, track, and coordinate efforts to resolve project issues, challenges, or bottlenecks, and escalate project issues to the management team and/or GLM-RFBC Director for further action and decision-making;

　　Schedule meetings for various groups and purposes and manage meeting logistics and expenses for virtual and in-person meetings, including occasionally traveling to in-person meeting sites within the project region (MI, IN, IL, and WI);

　　Respond to general project email inbox, including forwarding emails to appropriate team members and partners;

　　Contribute to and/or review project reports, work plans, budgets, and standard operating procedures and/or standards of practice;

　　Assist with compiling, recording, and summarizing project data for evaluation,