Overview

Contracts Officer I Jobs in Chico, CA at Chico State Enterprises

Title: Contracts Officer I

Company: Chico State Enterprises

Location: Chico, CA

POSITION: Contracts Officer I

STATUS: Full-time / Benefited / Hourly / Non-Exempt

COMPENSATION: $30.43 – $35.64 per hour

DEPARTMENT: Chico State Enterprises Sponsored Programs Department

LOCATION: 25 Main St, Chico, CA. This position will be eligible for partial telecommuting.

RECRUITMENT ID: 447

RESIDENCY: Candidate must be a California resident. Chico State Enterprises is not a sponsoring agency for staff and management positions (i.e., H-1B Visas).

Chico State Enterprises (CSE) is a non-profit auxiliary corporation of California State University, Chico. CSE provides specialized business services to support innovative research programs, community partnerships, entrepreneurial projects, and other education-related activities funded by public and private grants, contracts, or gifts led by faculty and associates of the University. Annual revenues are $111 million and support 2,000 full- and part-time faculty, students, and staff.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Provide support to Chico State, CSE Administration, and CSE programs, projects, faculty, and staff by developing, preparing, processing, and disseminating funding awards and related documentation.

With guidance from the Contracts Unit Technical Lead and under the general supervision of the director of sponsored contracts, the incumbent’s work will center on:

Review and Administration of Sponsor Award Documents

  • Responsible for processing sponsored awards from a wide variety of sources, which may include federal, state and/or local governments, non-profits, and other funding sources.
  • Reviews and develops the terms and conditions of grant agreements, contracts, subcontracts, award modifications, and related budget documents.
  • Reviews, analyzes, and interprets sponsor and university documents, policies, procedures, and correspondence. Updates grant and contract templates to reflect changes.
  • Processes grant agreements and contracts through a required approval process; resolves issues as needed.
  • Prepares, maintains, and administers funding instruments, MOUs, pre-award compliance documents, and similar documents according to CSE and CSU policies and procedures, and applicable government regulations.

Negotiations of Award Terms and Conditions

  • Provides technical assistance to faculty and staff project directors concerning grant agreement and contract development.
  • Consults and confers with faculty and staff, external stakeholders, and collaborators regarding the development of grant agreements and contracts, budget matters, and program objectives; drafts recommendations, produces reports, and distributes information as needed. Interprets and explains agreement provisions and terms as needed. Resolves problems arising during contract negotiation.
  • Identifies contractual and policy issues, such as compliance requirements and conflicts of interest, and follows through until issues are resolved.
  • Maintains up-to-date records of award, amendments, extensions, and any other documentation of grant and contract-sponsored projects. Collaborates with the CSE compliance officer and other CSE administrative staff to encourage best practices and ensure compliance with contractual obligations.

General Duties

  • Partners with other CSE administrative staff to serve as an educational resource to the campus regarding institutional processes.
  • In collaboration with sponsored programs pre- and post-award staff, maintains complete award records to ensure compliance with reporting and regulatory requirements; ensures accessibility to CSE administrative staff.
  • Updates and maintains various spreadsheets, databases, and logs to track award processes and ensure clear communications with CSE units.
  • In consultation with the contracts unit technical lead and director of sponsored contracts, engages in ongoing professional development geared toward taking on new challenges or assignments over time.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:

  • Bachelor's degree and two years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
  • Demonstrated ability to perform the functions and duties described in the essential job functions above.
  • Ability to read, understand, interpret, and apply relevant city, county, state, and federal statutes, rules, ordinances, codes, and regulations.
  • Demonstrated experience managing significant volume of transactions in an organized and well-documented manner.
  • Demonstrated experience assessing and prioritizing multiple tasks, projects, and demands.
  • Demonstrated experience meeting project deadlines and timely completion of assignments.
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, university faculty and staff, and sponsors in a customer-service-oriented manner.
  • Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with two-factor authentication processes; web-based file and document sharing platforms; electronic agreement/contract and signature management platforms, including Adobe Sign and DocuSign; and collaborative communication tools such as Teams, Planner and OneNote.
  • Ability to learn applicable institutional and departmental systems, including grant administration databases.
  • Demonstrated experience communicating knowledge and ideas both verbally and in writing with clarity and effectiveness to internal and external audiences.

Preferred:

  • Understanding of research administration guidelines of federal and non-federal sponsors supporting research and educational activities, preferably in a university environment.
  • Knowledge of basic principles of accounting.
  • Experience with Uniform Guidance.
  • Experience with research proposal and/or grant administration software.

COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required

for employment. Chico State Enterprises will make a conditional offer of employment, which

may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current Chico State Enterprises employee who was conditionally offered the position.

BENEFITS:

Benefits for employees working 30 hours or more per week include employer paid life insurance ($50,000) and long-term disability; options for health, dental, and vision insurance; FSA; paid holidays including 1 personal holiday; vacation accrual (initially 10 days/year); sick leave (up to 12 days/year); employer contributions to a 403(b) retirement plan (up to 8%).

HOW TO APPLY:

To be considered, submit the following documents by July 10, 2026. Documents submitted after this date may not be considered.

  • Resume
  • Cover Letter
  • Three Professional References

BY DROP BOX: https://csuchico.app.box.com/f/85c55608a639461d92c659470165258b

BY EMAIL: [email protected]

Paper applications will not be accepted; however, Chico State Enterprises is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is happy to provide reasonable accommodation to applicants at any step of the application process. If you need assistance in this regard, or are having technical difficulties, please contact the Human Resources office at 530-898-6811 or [email protected] prior to 5:00 p.m. on the document deadline date. The employer is Chico State Enterprises, a nonprofit corporation serving as an auxiliary organization of California State University, Chico. Employment is considered to be at-will.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, Chico State Enterprises provides equal opportunity in employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. It is Chico State Enterprises’ policy to hire only United States citizens and aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States. All new employees must provide proof of identity and authorization to work.

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