Program Manager

Texas A&M University System • College Station, TX

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) is establishing a new PreAward Research Support Services unit to strengthen proposal development and enhance the overall research enterprise across the college. As part of this new service, VMBS is recruiting two key positions that will work collaboratively to provide comprehensive, faculty‑centered support for intramural and extramural grant submissions. Together, these roles will coordinate proposal planning, manage timelines and sponsor requirements, maintain essential documentation and tracking systems, and contribute to initiatives that advance research competitiveness and operational excellence within VMBS. The Program Manager – PreAward Research Support Services plans, organizes, directs, and manages day-to-day activities and develops and implements procedures for supporting faculty in submitting intramural and extramural research grant proposals. The position is responsible for managing pre-award research support services, including developing and delivering faculty-facing proposal support, coordinating and tracking grant submissions, monitoring timelines and sponsor deadlines, providing and maintaining boilerplate and required documentation, and leading grant- and program-related initiatives that are medium to large in scope.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five years of related experience, specifically related to sponsored research and/or research administration.
• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.
• Strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills, and strong project coordination skills.
• Ability to track timelines, budgets, deliverables, and stakeholder communications across multiple projects.

Nice To Haves

• Experience managing grant portfolios, proposal development, or research administration processes.
• Familiarity with Grants.gov and key requirements for proposals to foundations and other external funding opportunities.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional projects involving faculty, staff, and external stakeholders.
• Experience developing training materials, presentations, or program support resources.

Responsibilities

• Management of Pre-Award Grant Proposal Services: Provides a full range of pre-award services to assist faculty in obtaining extramural and intramural research funding.
• Provides proposal preparation guidance for research funding opportunities faculty wish to pursue.
• Serves as a primary point of contact within the college for grant proposal questions and directs faculty to appropriate entities within the university (e.g., SRS, AgriLife Research) as needed.
• Manages collection of required proposal documents and ensures timely and complete transmittal to Sponsored Research Services (SRS) for proposal submission.
• Develops and implements procedures for administration and continuous improvement of pre-award services.
• Reviews and updates project scopes and timelines as needed and helps ensure work is completed within committed time, scope, and sponsor deadlines.
• Assists with development and maintenance of related support materials, including checklists, templates, and boilerplate text for common proposal sections.
• Works closely with faculty and university entities to ensure that all necessary and required documents (e.g., letters of support or commitment, biosketches, current and pending support, conflict-of-interest documents) are obtained for grant submissions.
• Assists faculty with preparing and reviewing budget documentation and ensures required budget information is provided to SRS in the appropriate format.
• Engages with subaward partners to ensure all necessary subaward documents are obtained and transmitted to SRS in a timely manner for inclusion in proposal budgets and packages.
• Strategic Evaluation of Funding Opportunities: Assists in identifying grant funding opportunities for faculty and works in conjunction with Texas A&M Sponsored Research Services (SRS) and AgriLife Research.
• Assists faculty in aligning their research expertise and strategic priorities with available funding opportunities and supports identification of relevant collaborators and stakeholders.
• Develops and maintains relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners to support awareness of upcoming opportunities and strategic positioning.
• Develops funding summary sheets for selected sponsors and programs that outline key requirements, eligibility, emphasis areas, deadlines, and relevant contacts.
• Communication and Collaboration: Facilitates meetings and communications with faculty, collaborators, SRS staff, and other university partners as needed to ensure grant proposals are developed efficiently and effectively.
• Maintains and develops communication between stakeholders and partners, including AgriLife and SRS, by attending regular joint meetings, briefings, and trainings.
• Supports outreach and relationship-building efforts with relevant industry and community partners, as applicable to program and proposal development needs.
• Compliance, Training, and Staff Support: Manages project quality control and quality assurance activities for grant submissions and related pre-award processes to help ensure adherence to sponsor and institutional requirements.
• Develops and updates training materials and delivers training sessions, including workshops or one-on-one support for junior and established faculty on grant proposal preparation.
• May supervise program support staff and student assistants, including assigning work, monitoring progress, and providing feedback.
• Performs additional tasks and special projects as assigned to support unit, college, or institutional needs related to research administration and faculty support.

Benefits

• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums
• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays
• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas
• Free exercise programs and release time
• All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more
• Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee
• Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level