Grants Manager

University of California, San Francisco•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The Grants Manager ensures consistent application of contract and grant policy, works closely with the OSR leadership to report and interpret performance and metric data, and works with OSR training specialists to assure coordination of additional training needs. Responsibilities include supervision, workload management and oversight, and staff development and mentoring for contracts and grants specialists and signing officials. It is expected that the C&G Manager has requisite knowledge and expertise to be granted signature authority for sponsored agreements and meets the rigorous standards of contract and grant management, including interpretation of university policies for the administration of research, training and public service awards. This position provides leadership and coverage in the event of contract supervisor absences. The Grants Manager identifies issues, collects relevant information and works closely with the Director or Assistant Director of Proposals and Grants to enact a plan for resolution, and then manages the positive outcome through to the conclusion. Decisions made by the Proposals and Grants Manager will impact OSR as well as our partners and counterparts throughout UCSF. The Office of Sponsored Research is an advocate for all researchers at UCSF and provides them with comprehensive pre-award services. The OSR, a $23M operation, is comprised of eleven shared service teams, including 151 Proposal and Grants Officers/Specialist/Associates, Contract and Award Officers/Specialist/Associates, and Team Managers supporting 2000+ faculty, and is responsible for all pre-award grant activity for the campus.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
Six (6) or more years of related work experience.
3 or more years of experience in a supervisory role overseeing contract and grant negotiation and administration.
In-depth knowledge of the organization's operational, personnel, and financial transactions and systems related to administration of contracts and grants.
Sufficient management and professional experience, business acumen, judgment and integrity to effectively serve faculty and sponsors while protecting, representing, and advancing the University’s best interests.
Demonstrated ability to work independently; excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
Service orientation, strong management skills including leadership, sound judgment and decision making, critical thinking and creative problem solving.
Demonstrated skills using common desktop / web applications; understanding of research enterprise databases.
Ability to communicate clearly verbally and in writing to multiple constituencies.
Demonstrated leadership/supervisory experience working within the research environment at a university or institute.
Able to comprehend and interpret complex language related to federal, non-profit and University policies and regulations.
Work independently and cooperatively in a high-pressure environment with time sensitive deadlines, including the ability to: (1) prioritize and be flexible, (2) work independently and as a team player, (3) communicate effectively and maintain quality customer service, and (4) provide leadership and take decisive action when necessary.
Able to communicate effectively and diplomatically with a wide variety of audiences in a professional, efficient and courteous manner, and to develop and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse, multicultural environment with various personalities.
Critical thinking skills, with proven ability to interpret and communicate policy.
Demonstrated ability to give corrective and constructive feedback.
Ability to work in a changing environment and deal effectively with ambiguity.
Ability to identify scope/difficulty of tasks and set objectives for self and others.
Demonstrated knowledge of pre-award research administration policies and practices including: NIH Grants Policy, Federal Acquisition Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Demonstration Partnership, and other government requirements (including CAS, A-21, A-110, A- 133, financial conflict of interest, human & laboratory animal use, certifications, etc.).
Experience developing policy and processes in response to changing institutional needs and external compliance mandates and/or regulations.
In-depth knowledge and experience related to federal and non-federal contract and grant administration in the context of an educational or non-profit institution.
Experience working in collaboration with UCSF partners in the development of new policy and processes.
Demonstrated experience with a broad range of domestic and international agreements (including contracts, grants, consortiums, sub-awards, material transfer and data use) for a variety of purposes (research, public service, fellowships, clinical trials, etc.) and an understanding of the requirements, implications, and policies associated with each type and purpose.
Demonstrated experience and proven efficacy in the management of a complex operation with diverse staff.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated ability to utilize diplomacy and negotiate mutually beneficial terms for complex agreements.
Knowledge of industry best practices.
Ability to analyze complex technical data using logic and quantitative reasoning.
Demonstrated ability to apply and implement creative solutions to complex problems that respect the policies and needs of each party.
Skilled in conflict resolution, negotiation and facilitation.
Experience utilizing metrics and measures as assessment tools.
7 or more years of experience in contract and grant administration at a university or institute with a research mission.
Demonstrated skills and success in leading a high-performance team in a deadline-driven, customer service organization, setting and achieving goals and results.
Knowledge and experience with academic audit and fiscal standards, working with auditors, writing management responses and successfully managing corrective actions.
Background or experience in training and staff development.
Solid knowledge of Research Administration Pre-award format, policies and practices.

Responsibilities

Through the work of subordinate staff, oversees and coordinates operations of department with other contract and grant professionals and managers in the organization.
Functions as organization expert for policies and procedures relating to sponsored projects issues and concerns.
Makes recommendations to higher level managers regarding organization-wide policies and procedures.
Communicates / teaches advanced / expert research administration such as compliance focused concepts at campus, national, organization level meetings.
Develops new programs on special or emerging areas of interest or concern.
Establishes and recommends changes to policies which affect the department.
Manages staff review of grant and contract award terms and conditions.
Provide daily oversight, expertise, guidance and problem resolution to Grants Officers, Grants Specialists and Grants Associates on policy interpretation and implementation questions, as well as situational problem-solving and transactional activities to facilitate their daily work.
Provides training and professional development, either formally or on-the-job, for staff to ensure subject matter knowledge in appropriate areas (e.g., sponsored project administration).
Supervise a dual Team comprised of Grants Officers, Grants Specialists, Grants Associates, (currently 17-18 staff).
Develop and mentor Grants Officers and work on leadership opportunities for them; provide guidance in building relationships with client departments, and direction regarding mentoring staff reporting to them.
Interview, make hiring decisions, manage performance (write and deliver performance appraisals, progressive discipline, etc.), approve leave, make recommendations for career development, and ensure and oversee necessary training and skills building.
Implement team-building strategies.
Develop outcome measures to evaluate and recognize achievement.
Manages team and responsible for achieving goals through subordinate team members.
Recommends, works closely with Proposals and Grants Director and Assistant Director indeveloping and monitoring staff FTE, human resources and space planning.
Review and analyze quarterly workload distribution metrics, monthly deadline matrix, transaction and activity reports for trends and metrics.
Grants Manager will make recommendations to the Director or Assistant Director on adjustments and changes in team workloads and/or assignments.
Manage workloads in partnership with Grants Officers/Grants Specialists within the team and collaborate with other Team Managers to manage workloads and coverage across teams.
Collaborate with other Grants Managers to determine workable changes to assignments due to growth, turnover, customer requests, etc.
Work closely with the Director or Assistant Director to address staffing needs and develop strategies to address changes in workload volume or complexity.
Facilitate effective working relationships and processes between the Grants Officer, Grants Specialist and Grants Associates within the two teams (and across the two teams), managing roles and responsibilities of the two positions.
Address and respond to department concerns, complaints, compliments, and requests for Grants Officer or Grants Specialist assignment changes, with a focus on transaction- based issues and the day-to-day workflow and deadlines of the Team; escalate to the Grants Director as needed.
Lead weekly Team meetings with Grants Officers, Grants Specialists and Associates based on agenda/skills building items identified/developed at Proposals and Grants Team Manager meetings.
Attend bi-weekly OSR Leadership meetings for sharing, consulting, problem solving, etc. across teams.
Participate in weekly meetings with the Grants Director or Assistant Director.
Attend NCRUA or SRA conferences.
Has a delegation of authority status to sign contracts and grants.
Review proposals prior to submission and sign as the Institutional.
Review award documentation for accuracy and special terms and conditions.
Understand and recognize the need for review of problematic terms and conditions by a Contract Officer, such as variations on Intellectual Property, Data Ownership and Use, Indemnification, Confidentiality etc.
Sign as the Institutional Representative accepting awards on behalf of UCSF.