Legal Assistant - Office of Sponsored Programs

The Office of Sponsored Programs at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a Legal Assistant. This position has remote/virtual capabilities.

About the Opportunity

This position reports directly to the Office of Sponsored Programs ("OSP"), Assistant Director of the Award Negotiations sub-department and will work at the will and pleasure of the Director of OSP. This position will be supervised day-to-day by the Associate and/or Assistant Directors of the Award Negotiation sub-department within the OSP and work independently with the approval of the directors.

The Legal Assistant will perform delegated substantive legal work under the direction and supervision of directors, or their designees, in the OSP, which handles research and projects that may be highly confidential and requires a sufficient knowledge of legal concepts and skills, and ability to analyze and understand statutory regulations, and policies and procedures. The Legal Assistant will assist the Director in the Office of Sponsored Programs in rendering a broad range of organization and legal skills, which tasks shall include, without limitation.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
  
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
  
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
  
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
  
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
  
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
  
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

Award Negotiation

• Perform daily Award Negotiation tasks, including initial review, revisions, and final review of agreements; Obtain signatures by designated officials on finalized agreements.
• Draft and/or prepare correspondence, review and prepare award, agreement, or subaward documents for review and approval by Negotiators; and distribute to appropriate parties either via mail and/or email.
• Work with University departments and/or Negotiators to obtain potentially responsive documents for agreements.
• Manage and maintain Award Negotiation's workload management tracking system in an efficient manner and ensure that reports are produced and distributed in a timely manner.
• Manage and maintain the document management system (DMS), grants management system (WRAP), legacy system (Kuali Coeus, KC) to ensure that project records are properly saved and stored.
• Coordinate and assist in administering of meetings and trainings with negotiators on current matters.
• Create, manage, and test templates in the eRA system and ensure proper functionality for OSP and Award Negotiation to access.
• Assist with cross-communication between sub-departments, including seeking status updates on existing tasks and obtaining required documents.
• Managing Award Negotiation vanity email accounts: providing timely responses, requesting additional information as necessary, and forwarding requests to the appropriate individual(s).
• Other duties may be assigned by the Associate and Assistant Director of Award Negotiation.

OSP Overall

• Become a subject matter expert on OSP's current and legacy grants management systems (WRAP & Kuali Coeus (KC)) and/or electronic file management systems (DMS), including developing paths for improvements of the system and serving as the point of contact with sponsors and faculty or staff when requesting data or documents.
• Assist employees and campus stakeholders with troubleshooting OSP's current and legacy grants management systems: WRAP, KC, and/or DMS.
• Manage and maintain OSP's WRAP system and DMS for all proposals, awards, grants, agreements, subawards, etc. including but not limited to, creating/setting up projects and/or records in the research administration and electronic file management systems. Create and distribute additional reports from systems as needed and requested.
• Serve as a secretary or other designated positions on any standing or ad hoc committees, as assigned by OSP leadership.
• Assist in the review and implementation of guidelines and procedures related to OSP and research administration.
• Represent the OSP in meetings with groups inside and outside of the University.
• Assist in office administration when requested, including but not limited to, saving and filing project documents, and scheduling meetings.
• Other duties as assigned by the Director of OSP, as well as the Associate and Assistant Directors of the Pre-Award and Award Initiation and Management sub-departments.

• Bachelor's degree in a related field
  
• A minimum of three (3) year of experience in the following:
  
  
  
  
  • Legal Assistant or paralegal work in a law office.
    
  
  
  
  
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
  
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• The position requires a positive thinking, articulate person who can perform varied and complex administrative tasks delegated by Office of Sponsored Programs leadership.
  
• The position requires independent thinking and the ability to independently operate in an environment which is fast-paced and dynamic.
  
• Keen analytical and logic skills are essential as well as the ability to demonstrate good oral and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Contract administration experience.

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.