"Pre and Post Award Manager"

Pre and Post Award Manager

Company: North Carolina State University

Job Location: Raleigh, NC

Category: Sponsored Programs, Grants, and Contracts

Type: Full-Time

Join the Pack! A community with nearly 8,000 faculty and staff, and 30,000 students. NC State is one of the largest employers in North Carolina, offering a large range of career opportunities. Visit us at https://jobs.hr.ncsu.edu/.

Essential Job Duties: This position will serve as the pre-award proposal development and post award financial management for ORI and non-ORI clients. This position will need strong organizational and time management skills. Will also need to think creatively and innovatively about ways to improve current processes. This is a hybrid position with the expectation of at least 2 days per week in the office. This position is contingent upon the continuing availability of funding, with funding availability expected through June 30, 2027.

Duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Post-Award Financial and Administrative Management:
  • Review new awards with principal investigators and staff, ensuring proper understanding of terms.
  • Coordinate award setup, including salary distributions and cost share setup in TEARS.
  • Initiate internal fund distributions and chartfield segment requests to establish segments in other departments.
  • Monitor expenditures monthly for allowability and alignment with budget and performance period.
  • Review, approve, and audit financial transactions charged to sponsored accounts.
  • Conduct monthly account reviews to ensure spending is allowable and within the University, State, and Federal guidelines. Consult with clients on budget changes and initiate re-budgeting or modification requests as needed. Ensure that the spend projection makes sense in accordance with the period of performance.
  • Independently work with units to assess any potential changes that may need to be made to a project. Consult on and initiate prior approval requests such as changes in PI, no-cost extensions, re-budgeting, and subawards through the Project Modification Request (PMR) system.
  • Monitor project end dates; support timely and accurate project closeouts and submit to Contracts and Grants.
  • The individual in this position should possess knowledge of university, state and federal regulations regarding sponsored programs, and be able to provide consultation based on this knowledge.
• Client Support and Regulatory Compliance:
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for ORI and non-ORI clients, providing expert consultation on university, state, and federal sponsored programs regulations.
  • Advise on complex or ambiguous issues and ensure program accountability and compliance.
  • Collaborate with central offices to resolve policy or procedural issues.
  • Convey sensitive information or decisions to clients.
  • Ensure cost share setup and tracking (effort and non-effort) is complete and accurate.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant policies, procedures, and best practices.
• Professional Collaboration and Strategic Advising:
  • Develop and maintain strong working relationships with faculty, staff, and university offices.
  • Promote the use of best practices and facilitate mutual understanding across departments.
  • Support strategic planning and development of sponsored program initiatives.
  • Share knowledge to build capacity and improve decision-making across the unit.
  • Serve as TEARS coordinator and college-level approver for PMRs and closeouts as needed.
• Proposal Development and Pre-Award Administration:
  • Review and interpret sponsor guidelines (RFPs, NOFOs, solicitations) and provide guidance to faculty and staff.
  • Assist clients in budget development and completion of proposals, including submissions via sponsor portals.
  • Assist clients with routing proposals through the internal Proposal Information Navigation System (PINS) for approval.
  • Coordinate with other college research offices for collaborative proposals.
  • Ensure timely and accurate final submission of proposals to sponsors.
• Data Analysis, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement:
  • Conduct monthly account reviews and spending projections.
  • Analyze financial data and project performance to identify issues or discrepancies.
  • Run reports to forecast project closeouts and compliance timelines.
  • Develop and monitor internal schedules, databases, and reports to track proposal and award activity.
  • Recommend and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and service quality.
• Other Work/Responsibilities: Other duties as assigned.
• Minimum Experience/Education: Requires post-baccalaureate credentials plus 2-4 years experience; a bachelor's degree plus 3-5 years experience may be substituted for the advanced degree on an exceptional basis. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.
• Required Qualifications:
  • Strong skills in business productivity software tools e.g. Microsoft Excel, GOOGLE etc along with an aptitude for quickly adopting the use of new technology software
  • Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
  • Strong organizational and analytical skills with the flexibility to manage multiple competing priorities in a dynamic environment while maintaining high attention to detail.
  • Ability to optimize financial systems and processes for efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness with a strong sense of urgency and results orientation.
  • Proven integrity and sound judgment with the ability to make independent decisions, exercise discretion, and interpret a wide range of policies and procedures.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Minimum of three years' experience in pre- and post-award management
  • Certified Research Administrator (CRA) credentials
  • Experience working within a university or higher education environment
  • Proven ability to manage diverse funding sources, including state-appropriated, discretionary, and sponsored funds
  • Experience designing and implementing business processes to improve efficiency and compliance
• Required License or Certification: N/A
• AA/EEO Statement: NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.