Pre/Post Award Grants Manager

Division: Academic Affairs | Department: Office of Research Administration

Reports to: Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation

About the role

This position serves as the primary coordinator of Pre-award business processes for select departments, with an emphasis on Subrecipient Monitoring, Subaward & Subcontract Preparation, review, and submission procedures, and award negotiations. The incumbent also serves as the post-award management contact for research faculty within select departments, handling post-award management including review and approval of expenditures of sponsored projects, PeopleSoft administrative functions, and compliance with federal, state, university, and sponsor policies.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for electronic grants management, including review, submission, and authorized signatory of proposals and subawards in the absence of the Director.
• Provides pre-award assistance to faculty and staff in the development and submission of proposals to federal and non-federal sponsors.
• Serves as the primary contact for UMassD faculty, staff, and external organizations in subcontracting activities.
• Prepares, reviews, and negotiates new subawards, subcontracts, and amendments from federal and non-federal sponsors and to lower-tier sub-recipients.
• Monitors subcontracts to ensure compliance with subcontract terms and federal, state, and university laws, policies, and procedures.
• Responsible for UMassD Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting.
• Processes subaward invoices, including obtaining PI approvals and coordinating submission of invoices for payments.
• Prepares and maintains subcontract records in electronic and hard copy format; performs subcontract closeout.
• Assists in the proposal review and submission process using electronic systems such as Research.gov, Grants.gov, FedConnect, NASA NSPIRES, NOAA, DARPA, and ARPA-E, utilizing Cayuse 424 or similar system-to-system interfaces.
• Works closely with PIs to review and develop budgets, justifications, current and pending support information, and other required proposal components.
• Performs pre-award compliance monitoring, including initial and final reviews of proposals to ensure compliance with university policies and sponsor guidelines.
• Provides feedback and advice to faculty and staff on proposal development and submission.
• Completes the final review of proposals and submits them on behalf of the institution to external sponsors.
• Coordinates final submission notices with faculty and ORA staff.
• Assists faculty and maintains close working relationships with key stakeholders for pre- and post-award activities, including award generation, reporting requirements, no-cost extensions, re-budgeting, and award closeout.
• Maintains working knowledge of and interprets federal, state, sponsor, and university policies for award management.
• Provides guidance to research faculty and staff on compliance with federal, university, and state policies.
• Conducts detailed reviews of executed award notices and contracts to determine specific terms, conditions, and reporting requirements.
• Analyzes and evaluates grant budgets for accuracy and ensures the integrity of award and project data in PeopleSoft.
• Monitors accounts for financial compliance, ensuring expenditures are allowable and within budget; resolves issues such as overdrafts and underspending.
• Reviews and approves purchases, salaries, and other expenditures on sponsored projects in compliance with regulations.
• Reviews and approves cost transfers and re-budgets, forwarding them for sponsor approval as needed.
• Monitors the account closeout process, ensuring timely closure with sponsors and in PeopleSoft, and prepares final reports of expenditures and other sponsor closing reports.
• Provides indirect supervision to Research Development staff and may oversee students and administrative staff in duties related to pre-award and subrecipient monitoring.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Over three years of demonstrated experience in grants management or proposal preparation.
• Experience dealing with Federal and State agencies and knowledge of their funding priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher.
• Significant award and contract negotiation experience, including subcontracting and electronic grants administration.
• Professional certification (CRA).
• Experience in higher education.
• Familiarity with Federal Acquisition Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations, and Office of Management & Budget (OMB).
• Experience working with PeopleSoft, Summit, and Cayuse.
• Over five years of experience in grants management or proposal preparation.

Skills

• Excellent computer skills, including knowledge of spreadsheets and online databases.
• Ability to effectively utilize a wide array of information technology resources (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet, federal electronic systems).
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to perform under tight deadlines with tact and discretion.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Ability to work well with diverse internal and external constituencies across various professional levels.
• Knowledge of federal and state regulations as they relate to grants and contracts.

Pay

$66,500 to $88,000

Benefits

• 75% employer-paid health insurance.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Life Insurance.
• Long Term Disability.
• State Pension Retirement Plan.
• Optional Retirement Savings Plans.
• Tuition Credit (Employee, Spouse, & Dependents).
• Twelve (12) paid holidays.
• Paid personal, vacation, and sick time.