Grants and Contracts Specialist

University of Maryland•College Park, MD

22h

About The Position

Research Development Coordinator (Pre- and Post-Award Administration) Position Summary The Research Development Coordinator provides school-wide, end-to-end pre-award and post-award grants administration support for the School of Public Policy (SPP), with a primary focus on NIH, NSF, and other federal, state, foundation, and philanthropic sponsors, including complex, multi-PI and center-level grants (e.g., Southern Population Aging Research Center-supported activity). This position responds directly to faculty demand for consistent, high-quality grants management across a broad range of sponsors and carries primary responsibility for proposal submission, budget development, award setup, ongoing grant administration, and coordination with the Office of Research Administration (ORA). The coordinator works closely with faculty, SPP centers, the Business Office, ORA, and other campus offices to ensure compliant, efficient, and timely administration of sponsored projects, while reducing administrative burden on faculty and research leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Three (3) years of professional grants, finance, or accounting experience.
Additional work experience as defined above may be substituted on a year for year basis for up to four (4) years of the required education.
Knowledge of grants related policies and procedures, and federal, state, and other applicable related laws, rules, regulations, and ordinances.
Skill in oral and written communication.
Skill in the use of Microsoft Office and Google Workspace products.
Ability to multitask and prioritize assignments.
Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures, regulations, and laws.
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and significant, progressively responsible experience (typically 5+ years) in federal grants administration (e.g., NIH/HHS, NSF) and/or other major external sponsors (foundations, state agencies), or
Demonstrated experience preparing and submitting complex proposals and managing sponsored awards throughout the full award lifecycle, including NIH, NSF, and other federal sponsors, as well as foundation or state awards as appropriate.
Strong working knowledge of federal research regulations, including Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), and familiarity with sponsor-, university-, and state-level requirements.
Experience using electronic submission and management systems such as ASSIST, Grants.gov, Research.gov/FastLane, Proposal Central, and similar sponsor platforms.
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple complex deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a service-oriented approach to faculty support.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in higher education administration, research administration, finance/accounting, or another closely related field, with multiple years of directly relevant grants administration experience across federal and non-federal sponsors.
Experience supporting multi-PI, multi-institutional, or center-level NIH awards.
Experience working in an academic unit with close coordination with a central Office of Research Administration.
Familiarity with foundation and non-NIH federal sponsors.
Experience developing standardized grants management

Responsibilities

Lead preparation and submission of grant proposals to NIH, NSF, and other federal sponsors, as well as foundation, state, and philanthropic sponsors, across the School.
Develop detailed proposal budgets and budget justifications in collaboration with faculty, SPP centers, and the Business Office, ensuring alignment with sponsor requirements and institutional policy.
Assemble complete, compliant proposal packages, including narratives, budgets, subaward documentation, biosketches, and required institutional components.
Coordinate subaward materials (scopes of work, budgets, compliance documents) with external partners.
Ensure adherence to sponsor guidelines, formatting requirements, page limits, and university, ORA, and campus-unit requirements, including internal routing, documentation standards, and submission timelines.
Manage internal routing and approvals in coordination with ORA and other campus offices.
Serve as the primary administrative contact for submissions using systems such as ASSIST, Grants.gov, Research.gov/FastLane, Proposal Central, and related platforms.
Coordinate award setup in Workday with ORA and the SPP Business Office following receipt of notice of award.
Monitor project expenditures and budget balances in Workday to ensure alignment with approved budgets; communicate proactively with faculty and staff regarding spending patterns.
Partner with the SPP Business Office on financial transactions, including purchasing, payroll allocations, cost transfers, and reconciliations; this role does not independently execute financial transactions but provides grants-specific oversight and coordination.
Support effort reporting, rebudgeting requests, and no-cost extensions in coordination with ORA and central offices.
Track sponsor reporting requirements and deadlines (financial and technical) and coordinate timely submissions.
Assist with grant closeout activities and post-award documentation.
Identify and troubleshoot post-award administrative issues, coordinating resolution with ORA, the Business Office, and relevant campus units.
Maintain accurate records of proposals, awards, and key administrative milestones.
Develop and maintain standard budget templates, checklists, timelines, and internal documentation to support consistent grants management practices across the School.
Provide clear guidance to faculty and staff on grant timelines, administrative requirements, and institutional processes.
Ensure proposals and awards align with applicable sponsor, university, and State of Maryland policies and requirements, including federal regulations such as Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200).
Coordinate required compliance actions (e.g., IRB, COI, export control) with ORA and appropriate campus compliance offices.
Provide procedural guidance to faculty regarding compliance processes while relying on ORA and designated offices for formal interpretation and approvals.
Flag potential compliance concerns and work with designated offices to support timely resolution.
Serve as a central point of coordination for grants administration across SPP, working closely with faculty, centers, departmental administrators, and the Business Office.
Provide guidance and informal advising to other SPP research administration staff on grants management processes, sponsor expectations, and ORA requirements.
Promote consistent, transparent, and service-oriented grants management practices across the School.
Participate in campus research administration meetings and working groups as appropriate.