What are the responsibilities and job description for the GRANTS & CONTRACTS MANAGER position at University of Washington (UW) Medicine?
Req #: 244173 Department: MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING Appointing Department Web Address: https://mse.washington.edu/ Job Location: Seattle Campus Posting Date: 03/14/2025 Closing Info: Open Until Filled Salary: $7,622 - $8,454 per month Other Compensation: Shift: First Shift Benefits: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here.
As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.
The Department of Materials Science & Engineering in the College of Engineering has an outstanding opportunity for a Grants and Contracts Manager/Specialist. The department averages approximately $8 million in new awards per year, and the Grants and Contracts Manager/Specialist plays a crucial role in the department’s goal of providing high-quality education and research programs that are at the forefront of national trends and integrate with regional strengths/issues/needs.
Under the general supervision of the department administrator, the Grants and Contracts Manager/Specialist co-manages MSE’s grant and contract program and is responsible for completing all pre- and post-award duties for a designated portfolio of departmental PIs. This position works to ensure successful grant proposal submission; does the financial reporting of grants, contracts, and sub-awards; and provides administration and day-to-day management of all research activities for their assigned portfolio of PIs. It also works closely with sponsor agencies, central UW offices, faculty, and departmental staff to ensure both that the department is in compliance with all sponsor, UW, federal, state, and industry policies and that grant administrative deliverables are being accomplished. The person in this position is expected to understand and interpret complex requirements and must be able to balance multiple priorities and deadlines in a complex environment, with demonstrated ability to prioritize essential tasks with short lead times. This position requires a high degree of personal initiative, strong communication and organizational skills, high work standards, and an active interest in providing excellent customer service.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Pre-Award ManagementManage the preparation and submission of all competitive and non-competitive grant proposals for submission to granting agencies, including multi-university and multi-department proposals.
Develop complex budgets and other administrative sections of grant and contract proposals and prepare non-engineering portions of grants and both incoming and outgoing research sub- awards, applying appropriate stewardship of available funding streams.
Monitor, review, communicate, integrate, and implement complex federal, state, foundation, and University regulations and policies into MSE’s grants and contracts to ensure compliance.
Provide technical advice and interpretation of governmental and foundation regulations as well as University policies and procedures to Principal Investigators (PIs), researchers, chair, administrator, related support staff, and third parties.
Facilitate timely adherence to sponsor deadlines such as proposal deadlines, progress report deadlines, and requesting extensions, supplements, or revisions as needed. Deliver required components related to administration and operations aspects in a timely manner and ensure that other teams are informed of relevant deadlines and requirements.
Interface with the University Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), Grants and Contracts Accounting (GCA), funding agencies (NIH, NSF, DOD, foundations, etc.) as well as academic offices.
Prepare and route electronic and paper forms to resolve related questions.
Oversee and complete grant transfers from other institutions to MSE as necessary.
Provide training and orientation to faculty and staff concerning pre-award and post-award management.
Facilitate the review and processing of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and Intellectual Property (IP) agreements related to research awards and purchases.
Post-Award Management
Independently manage multiple sponsored projects assuring that all transactions are allowable, allocable, and reasonable.
Assure compliance with non-IRB related policies and procedures at the UW and sponsors.
Authorize actions by central university offices and MSE in matters concerning the establishment and continuation of grant, contract, and research sub-awards.
Ensure grant, contract and research sub-award agreements are executed in a timely manner, by regularly monitoring status and communicating with appropriate internal and external administrative offices.
Implement, monitor, and manage budgets.
Work through the administrative details of research sub-awards with various institutions domestically and internationally.
Facilitate sub-award set up within the UW to ensure timely invoicing as needed. Ensure sub-recipient monitoring is adequate and documented.
Interact with staff of UW Grant and Contract Accounting on post-award management issues including ensuring correct application of indirect costs.
Work through the close-out at the end of grants.
Coordinate arrangements for research program activities such as sponsor onsite review meetings, seminars, and visits.
Ensure cost-share processing, as appropriate.
Sponsor and Internal Reporting for Grants and Contracts
Work with Principal Investigators to complete and submit required sponsor reporting such as progress reports and final reports.
Provide financial information as required. Keep PIs abreast of deadlines and reporting requirements.
Provide regular reports to Principal Investigators to review and confirm monthly transactions and payroll charges.
Provide monthly and quarterly reports (and as requested) that include spending analysis, forecast future needs, and communicate status and progress of personnel, travel, equipment, research sub-awards, and other spending activities and communicate status and progress to principal investigators.
Meet with Principal Investigators to review project plans and projections.
Ensure timely and accurate completion of faculty effort certification report.
Manage subcontracts in Workday (i.e. monitor the spending, invoice approval, etc.) and communicate with the subcontract administrative contact.
Administrative Duties
Conduct ongoing review of existing procedures and develop new approaches as needed.
Review and approve grant expenditures and purchases in Workday while verifying funding and compliance.
Allocate effort according to award, including setting up and maintaining costing allocations for PIs and supporting staff.
Process expense transfers as needed.
Act as the co-grant and contract Compliance Officer for the department in compliance with UW, federal, and state policies and regulations.
Serve as co-Faculty Effort Coordinator for department.
Attend monthly/quarterly University, college, and departmental meetings, including MRAM, and research admin staff meetings.
Advise Administrator of research activities and issues on a regular basis.
Research, lead and delegate special projects as needed.
Other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
Four years of experience in research administration and financial planning.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Experience developing and monitoring complex budgets.
Demonstrated experience adhering to local, state, federal, and sponsor financial rules and regulations.
Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
Ability to work collaboratively and independently with a high degree of reliability, accuracy, and productivity.
Ability to exercise independent judgment and work independently to resolve problems.
Commitment to continuous process improvement.
Demonstrated ability to manage priorities to meet deadlines while maintaining attention to detail.
Advanced experience with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Experience in UW research management (pre- and post-award) with substantial responsibility for proposal development, financial reporting and subcontract management.
Experience managing payroll with NIH salary cap limitations.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, administrative creativity, and strong initiative.
Advanced knowledge and experience in UW and sponsor administrative submission, personnel, acquisition, and reporting systems such as NSF Fast lane, grants.gov, GrantTracker, e-Verify, SAGE, Workday, Grant and Contract Certification Reports, and Faculty Effort Certification reports.
Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are access ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.
The Department of Materials Science & Engineering in the College of Engineering has an outstanding opportunity for a Grants and Contracts Manager/Specialist. The department averages approximately $8 million in new awards per year, and the Grants and Contracts Manager/Specialist plays a crucial role in the department’s goal of providing high-quality education and research programs that are at the forefront of national trends and integrate with regional strengths/issues/needs.
Under the general supervision of the department administrator, the Grants and Contracts Manager/Specialist co-manages MSE’s grant and contract program and is responsible for completing all pre- and post-award duties for a designated portfolio of departmental PIs. This position works to ensure successful grant proposal submission; does the financial reporting of grants, contracts, and sub-awards; and provides administration and day-to-day management of all research activities for their assigned portfolio of PIs. It also works closely with sponsor agencies, central UW offices, faculty, and departmental staff to ensure both that the department is in compliance with all sponsor, UW, federal, state, and industry policies and that grant administrative deliverables are being accomplished. The person in this position is expected to understand and interpret complex requirements and must be able to balance multiple priorities and deadlines in a complex environment, with demonstrated ability to prioritize essential tasks with short lead times. This position requires a high degree of personal initiative, strong communication and organizational skills, high work standards, and an active interest in providing excellent customer service.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Pre-Award Management
Post-Award Management
Sponsor and Internal Reporting for Grants and Contracts
Administrative Duties
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are access ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
Salary : $7,622 - $8,454
