Sr. Grants & Contracts Manager (Research Administration)

We are seeking a Sr. Grants & Contracts Manager who will be responsible for all activities related to sponsored projects within a division. This position serves as a leader and first point of contact and resource guide for faculty, staff, and analysts for the planning and development of budgets for submission with proposals to various federal agencies, private agencies, foundations, and commercial entities. The Sr. Manager will provide instructions on protocol, regulations, and guidelines for compliance with sponsors and/or the university.

The Sr. Manager will oversee managers, analysts, and/or supervisors and professional staff and is responsible for the performance and outcomes of multiple related units. Their decisions are influenced by resource availability and functional objectives per the Director of Research Administration or Assistant Director (s). The Sr. Manager will identify funding sources, acquire and allocate resources, ensure compliance, advise on grant and contract regulations, negotiate contracts, and oversee the grants and contracts management function for a department/division.

Job Scope/Complexity

Will provide broad/in-depth guidance on protocols, regulations and guidelines to PI and other scientific/research professionals, both within the university and with other associated research/administrative professionals outside of the University. This position offers leadership, guidance, and learning support to Grants & Contracts Managers, analysts, and specialists within the divisional research administration team. Works closely with faculty and staff on complex awards and submissions; provides ongoing staff training; disseminates information on new regulations and compliance rules; provides regular sponsored funding reports to the Director/Assistant Director of Research Administration and/or department/division leadership as required.

Act as the final point of contact for the department or division with faculty, grants, and sponsored research staff. The Sr. Manager owns the division’s most complex and highest-risk sponsored portfolios, where award structures, sponsor requirements, and compliance exposure are greatest, and serves as the division’s subject-matter authority on the most difficult proposals, awards, and audits.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Supervisory

Serve as a leader for the financial management of sponsored projects.

Manage the largest and most complex sponsored portfolios of various faculty, and balance and assign portfolios across Grants & Contracts Managers/Analysts and teams as volume and complexity shift.

Develop and oversee the maintenance of budget monitoring systems for faculty discretionary funds. Review reports, analyze variances, and take appropriate action.

Ensure compliance in all areas related to grant and contract management, including sponsoring organization guidelines, internal protocols, accurate protocol information within documents, conflicts of interest, etc.

Ensure compliance in all areas related to grant and contract management, including compliance registrations, safety and environmental health issues, internal protocols, conflicts of interest, etc.

Provide supervisory oversight and quality review to Grants & Contracts Analysts and the rest of their teams, including monitoring and managing accounts, audits, evaluations and reporting.

Manage the performance, development, and efficiency of Grants & Contracts Analysts, supervisors, and professional staff across the department/division’s grants and contracts units.

Serve as the division’s senior escalation point and final reviewer for the most complex, highest-risk, and highest-value awards, including large multi-component and multi-PI awards, center grants, program projects, cooperative agreements, federal contracts, and complex subaward and consortium arrangements.

Establish and maintain divisional standards, templates, and internal controls for grants and contracts administration, and ensure consistent application of sponsor and institutional requirements across all teams.

Monitor and manage risk at the portfolio level across the division, including aggregate award volume, financial exposure, effort commitments, and compliance findings, and lead remediation with department and division leadership.

Represent the division in institutional committees, sponsor and audit engagements, and University-wide initiatives to improve sponsored program policy, systems, and processes.

Other duties as assigned.

Development

Stay abreast of relevant regulations, policies, and guidelines governing research administration, such as federal regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance), institutional policies, and sponsor requirements.

Partner with department and division leadership on multi-year capacity planning, staffing strategy, and the recruitment, development, and succession planning.

Pre-Award

• Oversee the development of project budgets in collaboration with principal investigators, ensuring accuracy, feasibility, and compliance with sponsor guidelines.
• Responsible for the timely preparation of proposal budget for Principal Investigator review.
• Partner and act as final point of contact with faculty and/or budgetary staff and the Office of Research Administration on the planning and development of submissions to various federal offices, private agencies/foundations and commercial entities.
• Manage process for the final grant package presentation and approval with the Office of Research Administration.
• Facilitate contract negotiations with industry partners, government agencies, and other external entities.
• Provide ongoing guidance, facilitation and expertise to faculty pursuing funding and provide analysis of all grant and contract applications.

Post-Award

Oversee the administrative aspects of sponsored awards, including establishing project accounts, coordinating and tracking the negotiation of terms and conditions with funding agencies, and ensuring compliance with agreement terms and conditions and sponsor guidelines and regulations.

Ensure that post-award processes are coordinated by members of the grants and contracts team, including award setup, review, account setup verification, and ensuring that staff is setup appropriately. Report on financial impacts of these activities to department/divisional leadership on a monthly basis as requested by the Director/Assistant Director of Research Administration.

Ensure that project expenditures, financial transactions tracking, and account reconciliation are handled appropriately to ensure proper stewardship of sponsored funds.

Provide leadership and guidance in the preparation of progress reports, financial reports, and other required documentation to funding agencies and sponsors in accordance with grant requirements and deadlines.

Revise and advise on approved budget changes to awarded grants/contracts.

Manage internal sponsored audits and the development of an account reconciliation system for sponsored accounts.

Develop reports for forecasting and trending expenditures for awards.

Manage the process of delivering technical and financial reports to private and government sponsors.

Maintain ongoing updates and communications related to current funding, including regular auditing and reporting to PIs on the financial status of grants, contracts, and

discretionary accounts. Provide relevant updates and reports to departmental/divisional leadership.

Ensure that post-award responsibilities are completed, including budget distribution, account reconciliation, e-form setup, effort reporting, cost transfers, payment of invoices, and paperwork finalization related to subcontract setup.

Assist with closeout of grants and contracts.

Provide information and direct assistance to complete contract and grant closeouts.

Ensure that closeouts handled by members of the grants and contracts team are handled appropriately.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree.

Eight years of related experience in sponsored research and/or financial positions. Four of those years must be in a leadership capacity with management responsibilities, including supervising other managers or supervisors and managing the most complex sponsored portfolios.

Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond a high school diploma/graduation equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Successful completion of the Research Administration Trainee program (13-15 months) is equivalent to two years of relevant experience for this position. If an employee does not successfully complete the program, no additional experience will be applied.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in an academic or medical setting
• Knowledge of JHU on-line systems for budgets, purchasing, and accounting.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the JHU accounting system and related fiscal offices.
• Direct involvement in JHU grants and contracts leadership development training projects, serving as a recognized subject matter expert.

Technical Qualifications & Specialized Certifications

• Thorough knowledge of external federal guidelines/procedures for grants and contracts, including NIH, NSF, DOD and NASA.
• Knowledge of Excel, Access and Word.
• Knowledge of accounting and budgeting theory and practices.
• Technical Skills & Expected Level of Proficiency

Analytical Skills - Advanced

Attention to Detail -Advanced

Confidentiality and Discretion - Advanced

Grant Closeout Procedures - Advanced

Grant Proposal Preparation - Advanced

Grant Regulations - Advanced

Grants and Contracts Management - Advanced

Oral and Written Communications - Advanced

Record Keeping - Advanced

Regulatory Compliance - Advanced

Relationship Management - Advanced

• The core technical skills listed are most essential; additional technical skills may be required based on specific division needs.
• Classified Title: Sr. Grants & Contracts Manager
• Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PF
• Starting Salary Range: $87,635 - $153,545 Annually (Commensurate w/exp.)
• Employee group: Full Time
• Schedule: Monday-Friday: 9:00am-5:00pm
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Location: Remote
• Department name: BSPH Research Admin
• Personnel area: School of Public Health