Grants Manager

Vanderbilt University•Nashville, TN

About The Position

The Grants Manager will be a key member of the grant administration team within the College of Connected Computing (CCC). This position will focus on execution of pre- and post-award activities serving a specified faculty portfolio within the College. It requires exercise of independent judgment, initiative, and decision making and will necessitate a high degree of understanding of university life, policies, and procedures along with external sponsor guidelines and requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree, preferably in finance, accounting, business, or a related field
3+ years of experience in pre- and post-award management (both federal and non-federal), required; a combination of education and experience may be considered
Strong administrative support skills
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Excellent written and verbal skills
Outstanding attention to detail
Problem-solving skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage competing deadlines
Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills
Experience working with faculty on complex awards and familiarity with a variety of sponsors
Advanced understanding of research compliance and sponsor-specific regulations

Responsibilities

Provide policy guidance and assistance with all aspects of proposal development, administrative forms, sponsor-required certifications and representations, and compliance requirements
Develop an appropriate budget, Principal Investigator checklist, and timeline for each proposal submission
Work directly with the Principal Investigators & external collaborators, and interface with central administrative offices to ensure that applications meet all university, school, and sponsor requirements
Identify and resolve issues during the proposal preparation and submission process
Ensure school-level approvals are included in proposal attachments
Facilitate application submission, ensuring deadlines are met
Respond to sponsor requests and questions
Analyze and interpret complex grants and contract specifications, guidelines, and regulations
Act as a liaison with central administrative offices and external entities to facilitate award management
Monitor, analyze, and manage budgets and expenditures along with all aspects of the award to ensure compliance with sponsor terms and conditions, Uniform Guidelines, and University policies
Create budget reconciliation and forecasting reports and meet regularly with faculty to review their financial situations
Ensure compliance with requirements such as effort reporting and financial & progress reporting
Assist in the administrative and financial aspects of annual and final progress reports required by sponsors
Collaborate with sponsors for appropriate prior approval requests, extensions, budget revisions, and general questions
Facilitate the setup of outgoing subaward agreements and manage invoice approvals
Work closely with the central administrative office to coordinate reviews of incoming contract agreements
Provide interim account setups and courtesy extensions as required
Serve as Human Capital Management (HCM) Costing Specialist, managing payroll
Complete timely journal entries as necessary, grant closeouts, etc.
Assist with rate setting/implementation for PI/Faculty Service Center(s)
Participate in institutional and College-wide research administration/financial operations training
Collaborate with research administration team members to share best practices and develop new tools & resources for implementation