Grants & Contracts Manager

The Data Science and AI Institute is seeking a Grants & Contracts Manager who will be responsible for all activities related to the sponsored projects within the institute/centers. The ideal candidate will oversee the pre-award, post-award and closeout activities for a variety of grants/contracts, with varying levels of complexity. This role also manages a team of two or more professional and para-professional level positions. The Manager serves as first point of contact and resource guide for the faculty and analysts for the planning and development of budgets for submission with grant packages to various federal agencies, private agencies, foundations and commercial contract proposals. This includes providing instruction on protocol, regulations and guidelines pertinent to the agency/or university.

This position will assist the Sr. Financial Manager to oversee pre- and post-award activities for DSAI. Overall duties include: Overseeing proposal development, maintaining subawards, providing account balances and spending projections, budget allocation, cost transfers, account reconciliation and reporting, p-card approvals, preparation and review of grant and contract proposals and providing guidance in the interpretation and implications of applicable grant terms and conditions including university and grant guidelines, and managing the grant closeout process. This position will work directly with project PIs, Co-Is and administrative staff to ensure effective, accurate and timely performance of required tasks.

This position will interact primarily with DSAI faculty, staff, and other department collaborators in a support role. The position will be assigned work primarily by the Sr. Financial Manager and assist with both pre- and post- award activities. Faculty interactions will include preparing grant proposal submissions, quarterly budget review meetings and projections as examples. After sufficient training, day-to-day tasks will be executed independently with help from other finance team members as needed. The position will review work by other finance team members, interpret policies, and cross-train others.

This position will oversee the overall DSAI portfolio of grants which may include sponsors such as NSF, DoD (ARO, ONR, AFOSR, DTRA), DOE, DARPA, NASA, NIH as well as industry partnerships, foundations, collaborations with National Labs and internal funds.

This position is responsible for overseeing the tracking of expenditures, budget allocations, subawards, and account maintenance for accounts across the DSAI portfolio. They will also oversee grant closeout for grants in the overall DSAI portfolio.

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 guidance and learning support to Grants & Contracts Analysts, Specialists and Coordinators within the department. Works closely with faculty and staff on complex awards and submissions; provides ongoing staff training; disseminates information on new regulations and compliance rules; provides quarterly and annual sponsored funding reports as needed to institute and center leadership as required. Will act as the final point of contact for the institute/centers with faculty, grants and sponsored research staff.

Types of sponsored awards for which the position is responsible

This position works independently on a variety of complex level grants/contracts, including those from NIH, NSF, DOD (ONR, ARO, AFOSR, DTRA), DOE, DARPA and NASA. These grants, contracts and awards may involve highly detailed budgets, multiple projects, Cores and Subawards, Investigator-initiated, Consortium and New Center, Dept. of Defense grants, higher complexity Foundation grants and pharmaceutical company clinical trials. Will also provide direction and assistance to Analysts with details related to Subawards from other institutions on their federal pass-through grants. May also work directly with management of non-sponsored funds, including general funds and gifts, on a limited basis.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as institute/center liaison for Sponsored Projects Office, Office of Research Administration and University Shared Services.
• Partner with and act as final point of contact with institute faculty and/or budgetary staff and the Office of Research Administration (JHURA) toward the planning and development of application submissions to various federal offices, private agencies/foundations and commercial companies.
• Responsible for pre-review of complex proposals.
• Manage process of final grant package presentation and approval with the Office of Research Administration.
• Responsible for the timely preparation of the proposal budget for Principal Investigator Review.
• Revise and advise on approved budget changes to awarded grants/contracts.
• Manage the sponsored portfolios of various institute faculty.
• Develop and oversee the maintenance of budget monitoring systems for JHU departmental funds. Review SAP reports, analyze variances and take appropriate action.
• Manage internal sponsored audits and the development of an account reconciliation system for sponsored accounts.
• Develop reports for forecasting and trending of expenditures of awards.
• Manage the process for delivering the technical and financial reports for private and government sponsors.
• Provide on-going guidance, facilitation & expertise to faculty in their grant pursuit efforts by providing analysis of all grant and contract applications.
• Ensure compliance in all other areas related to grant and contract management, including sponsoring organization guidelines, internal protocols, accurate protocol information within grant documents, conflicts of interest, etc.
• Maintain ongoing updates and communications related to current grants and contracts, this includes regular auditing and reporting to principal investigators on the financial status of grants, contracts and discretionary accounts. Also provide relevant updates and reports to leadership, as needed.
• Provide regular reporting to principal investigators on the financial status of grants, contracts and discretionary accounts. Assist with closeout of grants and contracts.
• Ensure that related post-award processes are coordinated appropriately by members of the grants & contracts team, including award setup, review, account setup verification, and ensuring that staff is set up appropriately.
• Ensure that post-award responsibilities are completed, including budget distribution, account reconciliation, e-form setup, effort reporting, cost transfers, paying invoices and paperwork finalization related to subcontract setup.
• Oversee and direct all aspects of complex award management activities and provide oversight to other members of the grants & contracts team, including monitoring and managing accounts, audits, evaluations and reporting.
• Provide information and direct assistance required to complete contracts and grant closeouts, as needed. Ensure that all closeouts handled by other members of the grants & contracts team have been handled appropriately.
• Ensure compliance in all other areas related to grant and contract management, including compliance registrations, safety and environmental health issues, internal protocols, conflicts of interest, etc.
  Manage the performance and efficiency of other members of the grants and contracts team.

Special Skills/Knowledge

• Knowledge of accounting and budgeting theory and practices required. Thorough knowledge and understanding of The Johns Hopkins University accounting system and related fiscal offices preferred.
• Ability to make independent judgments and to act on decisions on a daily basis.
• Proven ability to provide leadership, management and training to the sponsored research team.
• Ability to work with flexibility on several tasks simultaneously and to meet various concurrent deadlines.
• Thorough knowledge of external Federal guidelines/procedures for grants and contracts, including NIH, NSF, DOD and NASA.
• Strong communication skills are required as well as tact and discretion. Maintain strict confidentiality of payroll/personnel and budget information.
• Knowledge of Excel, Access and Word.
  Knowledge of JHU on-line systems for budgets, purchasing and accounting preferred.

Supervisory responsibility

Two - four staff members which may consist of Budget Specialist, Grants & Contracts Specialists, Grants & Contracts Analysts and Sr. Grants & Contracts Analysts

Budget authority

This position may oversee a team with portfolios in excess of $30 million.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree
• Five years of related experience in sponsored research and/or financial positions, preferably in an academic or medical setting. Two of those years must include working in a lead or supervisory capacity with extensive supervisory responsibilities or high level, direct involvement in grants and contracts leadership development training projects, serving as a recognized subject matter expert.
  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.

Additional Applicable Information .

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

Classified Title: Grants & Contracts Manager

Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PE

Starting Salary Range: $73,300 - $128,300 Annually (Commensurate w/exp.)

Employee group: Full Time

Schedule: Monday through Friday- 8:00am to 4:30pm

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Hybrid/Homewood Campus

Department name: MINDS Institute

Personnel area: Whiting School of Engineering