Pre-Award Manager

UNC-Chapel Hill•Chapel Hill, NC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Pre-Award Manager is the senior technical expert and operational leader of the Gillings School of Global Public Health’s centralized Pre-Award Research Administration Unit. The role provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and advanced subject matter expertise for pre-award research administration across the School, supporting its sponsored research enterprise across eight academic departments, research centers, and international research activities. The manager independently oversees day-to-day pre-award operations, makes operational and staffing decisions within established parameters, and represents the pre-award function to internal and external stakeholders. The position supervises Pre-Award Research Administrators and supports faculty and research teams throughout proposal development and submission. It manages complex, high-risk, and multi-institutional submissions; serves as the primary escalation resource for sponsor compliance and regulatory interpretation; and ensures consistency, accuracy, and compliance across pre-award activities. The role reviews and approves complex proposal budgets, including cost sharing, subaward budgets, F&A calculations, and effort commitments. Working with faculty investigators, department leadership, the Office of Sponsored Programs, and ServiceFirst leadership, the Pre-Award Manager oversees proposal planning, budget development, sponsor compliance review, quality control, and submission processes. The manager also leads process improvement, establishes service standards, develops and monitors performance metrics, manages portfolio assignments and coverage, and fosters excellence in research administration. The position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement under System Office policy; UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to live within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience managing complex pre-award sponsored research activities, including multi-institutional, center-level, and large federal proposals.
Comprehensive knowledge of federal, state, foundation, and industry-sponsored research regulations, including NIH, NSF, DOD, CDC, and HRSA requirements; 2 CFR 200 cost principles; effort reporting; and data sharing requirements.
Demonstrated experience supervising, mentoring, evaluating, and/or developing professional research administration staff in a complex, deadline-driven environment.
Demonstrated experience reviewing, developing, and approving complex proposal budgets, including cost sharing, subaward budgets, F&A rate calculations, and effort commitments involving multiple stakeholders.
Experience leading or contributing to process improvement, operational change, and development of standard operating procedures in a research administration function.
Demonstrated ability to serve as a subject matter expert and primary escalation resource for complex sponsor compliance questions, regulatory interpretation, and high-risk proposal situations.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to explain complex regulatory and technical information to diverse audiences.
Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, meet firm submission deadlines, and maintain accuracy and quality in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
Ability to build and maintain productive working relationships with faculty, department administrators, central research offices, and external sponsors.
Proficiency with research administration systems and electronic proposal submission platforms, including Grants.gov, NIH eRA Commons, NSF Research.gov, and institutional systems.

Nice To Haves

Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA) designation, or active progress toward one or more of these certifications.
Experience in a shared services or centralized research administration model, including management of portfolio assignments and team coverage protocols.
Experience in higher education research administration, including post-award processes, preferably at a research-intensive university.
Experience developing and delivering training programs, workshops, and guidance resources for research administration audiences.
Familiarity with UNC-Chapel Hill research administration systems, OSP processes, and institutional policies governing sponsored research.
Experience developing service-level metrics, performance dashboards, and operational reports to evaluate team productivity, proposal volume, and submission outcomes.
Experience supporting large-scale, multi-institutional, or center-grant proposals, such as NIH P30, P50, or U54 mechanisms.
Leadership, supervisory, or management training or certification.

Responsibilities

Lead the centralized Pre-Award Research Administration Unit and oversee the School’s pre-award research administration activities.
Manage day-to-day pre-award operations and make operational and staffing decisions within established parameters.
Supervise, mentor, evaluate, and develop Pre-Award Research Administrators.
Manage complex, high-risk, and multi-institutional proposal submissions.
Serve as the primary escalation point for complex sponsor compliance questions and regulatory interpretation.
Review and approve complex proposal budgets, including cost sharing arrangements, subaward budgets, F&A calculations, and effort commitments.
Oversee proposal planning, budget development, sponsor compliance review, quality control, and submission processes in coordination with faculty, department leadership, OSP, and ServiceFirst leadership.
Ensure pre-award activities comply with federal, state, sponsor, university, and School requirements.
Lead continuous process improvement and operational change initiatives, and establish standard operating procedures and service standards.
Develop and monitor performance metrics and operational reports.
Manage team portfolio assignments and coverage.
Represent the pre-award function to internal and external stakeholders.
Build productive working relationships with faculty, department administrators, central research offices, and external sponsors.