Manager, Pre-Award Research Administration

Department: Col of Engineering and Computing

Classification: Financial Svcs Manager 1

Job Category:  Classified Staff

Job Type:  Full-Time

Work Schedule:  Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type:  Hybrid Eligible

Salary:  Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check:  Yes

About the Department:

The Chief Business Officer team within the CEC Office of the Dean facilitates the planning and implementation of the unit’s financial and operational vision as it relates to the full range of business functions and activities for the college to include finance, research administration, human resources, operations, and information technology. The CBO is accountable for and provides overall leadership, supervision, management, and coordination of these functions, as well as provides oversight for the development of implementation of policies and procedures to achieve desired outcomes. The CBO team maintains relationships with central administration and other university departments, as well as other units’ CBO teams, to facilitate these outcomes.

The Research Administration team, within the CBO team, supports faculty with proposal submissions as well as financial management and compliance of their research grants and contracts in an efficient manner, provided with a customer-service focus. The college recently added pre-award responsibilities, as part of a university effort to enhance the research administration infrastructure across the campus. As part of this new initiative, applicants will have the opportunity to help develop and influence the pre-award process at the college level.

The College of Engineering and Computing has experienced rapid growth in its research portfolio over the past five years with expenditures totaling over $65M in 2023 and has projects with over $120 million in current awards with almost 300 active awards. Our proposal activity is approaching 400 submissions annually. The CEC research portfolio presents a fantastic opportunity for applicants to provide research administration in a growth environment.

George Mason University provides outstanding benefits to employees, including, but not limited to, a generous number of holidays and tuition remission. More information is available at

About the Position:

The Manager, Pre-Award Research Administration leads and supervises all staff performing pre-award activities for the sponsored research portfolio for the College of Engineering and Computing. The Manager is expected to provide high-quality customer service to faculty members conducting sponsored research, and ensure adherence to quality standards and all policies and award regulations. The Manager is expected to perform some pre-award activities in support of the unit, as well as provide management for the Pre-Award team.

Responsibilities:

Management and Oversight of Pre-Award Staff Oversees, Evaluates, and Reviews Staff Performing Pre-Award Activities to include:

Supervises the day-to-day operations of a team of Pre-Award Administrators; Monitors workload distribution and redistributes tasks, as appropriate; Provides guidance to team members, as appropriate; Assists with establishing and deploying training for the CEC Pre-Award team; Ensures quality in all staff activities; Ensures strong levels of customer service to faculty, departments, and centers being served; and Completes required performance evaluations, addresses performance issues in a timely manner, and escalates to supervisor as necessary.

Management and Oversight of Pre-Award Process for the College:

Monitors and facilitates proposal process through the routing process in compliance with University procedures and institutional signatures; Completes departmental review of CEC proposals and works with Pre-Award Administrators to resolve any issues prior to submission to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP); Develops, implements, and maintains pre-award policies and procedures for the college ensuring compliance with overall University policies; Serves as backup to Pre-Award Administrators when necessary to ensure CEC is able to meet proposal workload and timely submissions; Assists Pre-Award Administrators with complex issues or proposals as necessary; and Provides reporting on pre-award performance as necessary.

CEC Liaison with University and External Research Administration Teams and Organizations to include:

Works in partnership with the Office of Sponsored Programs to ensure all pre-award activities are completed in accordance with University policies and procedures, as well as resolves any issues with proposal submissions; Partners with the Office of Research Integrity and Assurance (ORIA); Works with Post-Award team lead to coordinate inter-team meetings to facilitate collaboration between the Pre-Award and Post-Award teams, as necessary and appropriate; Confers with PI and Pre-Award support staff at collaborating institutions to secure necessary subaward documents for proposals; and Serves on university committees as necessary such as the OSP Advisory Group.

Performs other duties as necessary in support of the CEC Sponsored Research portfolio including supporting the needs of the Director of Research Administration, Chief Business Officer, and Associate Dean for Research.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in related field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience; Experience in Sponsored Programs Administration; Experience with creation and submission of research proposals and working with stakeholders on revisions as needed; Experience with supervision of a team; Knowledge of federal rules and regulations relating to research grant and/or contract activity; Fundamental interpersonal skills in a professional environment; Proficient in the use of computers with a solid working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); Skill in providing effective customer service; Demonstrated ability to analyze data and sponsor guidelines and formulate conclusions; and learn changing technologies related to grants and contracts management; and Demonstrated ability to proactively resolve issues in a timely manner; and to work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree in related field; Certified Research Administrator (CRA) certification or Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA) certification; Extensive experience in Sponsored Programs Administration; Previous management experience of research administration teams; and Knowledge of University and College policies and procedures relating to grant and contracts activity; and University and College processes, systems, and offices related to and/or involved in grant and contract submission and management.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the  Manager, Pre-Award Research Administration at Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume.

Posting Open Date: June 7, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: June 21, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes

A Force for Innovation in the Heart of Northern Virginia’s Technology Corridor

About the College

The College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) at George Mason University is a fast-growing force for innovation in research and education. Ranked nationally in the top 100 in both undergraduate and graduate education, the CEC enrolled a record high of 10,933 students in fall 2023. The college has 34 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs including several first-in-the-nation offerings. Of its 320 full-time faculty, 93 are tenured, 77 are tenure-track, 90 are term faculty, and 60 are research faculty. As part of a nationally ranked research university, CEC research teams expended $65 million in sponsored research awards in the past year and had projects with over $119 million in current and anticipated awards. The college stands out for its leading research in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurity engineering, biomedical imaging and devices, healthcare, autonomous systems, 5G/Next G communications, systems architecture, computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and more. The college encourages and supports multidisciplinary research and provides ample opportunity for faculty to work with other disciplines.

About the University and the Region

George Mason University is the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of more than 40,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 research institution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutes of Higher Education. The university has campuses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William County. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. provides unmatched geographical access to federal agencies and national laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providing excellent opportunities for interaction with industry. The region is consistently rated as being among the best places to live in the country and has an outstanding local public school system.

About the Future

In conjunction with Amazon’s decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degree programs in computing. As a result, Mason has committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and high-tech fields. Among the university’s exciting initiatives are the launch of the Institute for Digital Innovation—a university think tank and incubator to serve the digital economy—and the expansion of Mason Square, home to its Arlington facilities. In 2025, Fuse, a new 355,000 square foot building, will open to students, faculty, and research teams. This net-zero facility will house the Institute for Digital Innovation, state-of the-art classrooms, labs, and collaborative spaces. It will also include retail space, and leasing opportunities for local businesses. These initiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment by Mason that will rapidly elevate the university’s already leading national position in computing and related areas.

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