Grants and Contracts Manager

University of Texas at Austin•Austin, TX

1d•$90,000

About The Position

Established in 2023 as UT Austin’s newest college, the School of Civic Leadership is a community of scholars and students dedicated to studying the foundational ideas and institutions of a free society, with the goal of advancing human flourishing. We value independent thought, civil discourse, reasoned deliberation, and intellectual curiosity as we prepare to meet the challenges of the present and sustain the blessings of liberty for future generations. Upholding the University’s motto—Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis, “Education is the guardian genius of democracy”—we advance The University of Texas at Austin’s mission to achieve excellence in education, research, and public service. The University of Texas at Austin provides an outstanding benefits package to staff, including: Competitive health benefits (Employee premiums covered at 100%; family premiums at 50%) Vision, dental, life, and disability insurance options Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays Teachers Retirement System of Texas (a defined benefit retirement plan) Additional voluntary retirement programs: tax sheltered annuity 403(b) and a deferred compensation program 457(b) Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses Training and conference opportunities Tuition assistance Athletic ticket discounts Access to UT Austin's libraries and museums Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Capital Metro buses with staff ID card For more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards Purpose The Grants Manager provides comprehensive pre-award and post-award research administration support for sponsored projects within the School of Civic Leadership. This position partners closely with faculty and central offices to ensure compliant proposal development, effective award management, accurate financial reporting, and responsible stewardship of sponsored funds. The role supports faculty research success by coordinating sponsor engagement, maintaining regulatory compliance, and facilitating efficient administrative processes across the full life cycle of externally funded projects.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, accounting, finance, higher education administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
At least two years of demonstrated experience managing post-award sponsored projects in an academic or research environment, including award setup, budget management, reporting, and closeout.
Experience preparing and coordinating financial and programmatic reports (quarterly, annual, and final) for sponsored projects in collaboration with faculty and central offices.
Proven experience supporting proposal development and submission to federal agencies and other external sponsors, including budget development, budget justifications, cost share, subawards, and required certifications.
Familiarity with federal sponsor systems such as Grants.gov and eRA Commons, and the ability to interpret agency-specific proposal and reporting requirements.
Experience coordinating faculty and research personnel compliance, including FCOI training verification, appointment coordination, and effort certification support.
Strong financial and analytical skills, with experience monitoring sponsored project expenditures, identifying variances, and resolving budget or compliance issues proactively.
Ability to maintain complete, accurate, and auditable grant files in accordance with University and sponsor requirements.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to serve as a liaison among faculty, unit leadership, central offices (e.g., OSP), and external sponsors.
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Responsibilities

Coordinate all post-award activities for sponsored projects within the School of Civic Leadership, including award setup, budget increments, cost share reporting, and financial oversight.
Prepare and coordinate required quarterly, annual, and final financial and programmatic reports in collaboration with principal investigators (PIs), unit leadership, and central offices.
Maintain complete, accurate, and auditable project files for all sponsored awards.
Ensure compliance with state, federal, sponsor, and University policies and procedures governing sponsored research and grant administration.
Coordinate with new faculty, graduate research assistants, undergraduate research assistants, and post-doctoral fellows to establish and maintain PI or Co-PI status (as applicable), personnel appointments, and related unit code creation.
Work with faculty and the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) to ensure that all covered individuals on a project have completed required Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) training and any sponsor- or University-mandated compliance requirements.
Assist faculty and senior personnel with bi-annual effort certification reporting, ensuring accurate and timely reporting for faculty, staff, and student employees supported on sponsored projects.
Monitor sponsored project budget groups and process fund transfers as necessary.
Review and monitor financial transactions, including appointment documents, payroll reallocations, and payment vouchers.
Prepare monthly expenditure and variance reports for all active sponsored accounts and proactively identify and communicate potential budget or compliance concerns to faculty and unit leadership.
Work with faculty in all aspects of proposal preparation and submission to federal agencies, foundations, and other governmental and non-governmental sponsoring organizations in accordance with University and sponsor guidelines and deadlines.
This includes preparation of budgets and budget justifications, cost-share commitments, sub-award documentation, letters of agreement, and required certifications.
Serve as faculty liaison to the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) and sponsor organizations as appropriate.
Attend and support quarterly and annual sponsor briefings, meetings, and workshops to assist faculty engagement, track funding priorities and reporting expectations, and coordinate follow-up actions related to proposal development, award management, and grant stewardship.
Additional duties as assigned.

Benefits

Competitive health benefits (Employee premiums covered at 100%; family premiums at 50%)
Vision, dental, life, and disability insurance options
Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
Teachers Retirement System of Texas (a defined benefit retirement plan)
Additional voluntary retirement programs: tax sheltered annuity 403(b) and a deferred compensation program 457(b)
Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
Training and conference opportunities
Tuition assistance
Athletic ticket discounts
Access to UT Austin's libraries and museums
Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Capital Metro buses with staff ID card