Assistant Director, Grants Manager (1 year term)

https:/www.scheurer.org/careers/; Kentucky; On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Case Western Reserve University seeks a Grants Manager to oversee financial management and compliance for a large portfolio of grants. The role involves working independently to manage finances, collaborate with faculty, and ensure compliance with funding regulations.

Qualified candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree with significant experience in finance and grant management. Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills are essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in operational finance and grant management.
• Demonstrated experience in a complex organization.
• Familiarity with university policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Manage financial operations and oversee multiple grants.
• Develop and prepare funding proposals for contracts.
• Monitor compliance with grant regulations.
• Prepare financial reports for sponsoring agencies.

Skills

Strategic planning

Budget management

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Problem-solving skills

Knowledge of university policies

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Office

PeopleSoft

Oracle

Job description

POSITION OBJECTIVE

Working with a high degree of independence, provide overall administrative management and coordination of a variety of business related functions; finance, budget, and grant administration for the department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology within the School of Medicine. The Grants Manager will be assigned a research portfolio made up of multiple grants and contracts with annual expenditures between $8.5m and $9.5m. These assignments will change as needed based on changes in funding levels, staffing needs and other dynamics. The grants manager is expected to function as the financial and business manager across the assigned portfolio and working with directly with faculty and staff as it relates to grant submissions, financial reporting, tracking of expenses, determining optimal staffing levels based on available resources, and ensuring compliance with post award management for multiple NIH institutes, other Federal and State agencies, industrial and non-profit funding agencies. The grants manager will develop and implement plans for optimizing the management of resources, exercising discretion and independent judgment to assigned departments related to managing revenues and expenses, as well as working across units within the Office of Finance and with administrators across the School of Medicine and Case Western Reserve University. The grants manager has authority to accomplish objectives within established guidelines and policies with the expectation of only referring special problems to the administrative director of operations. This is a one-year term position.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Serve as the financial and business operations director for their assigned portfolio which will range between $5.5m and $6.5m in annual direct spending. Extract data from multiple university sources and systems and perform continuous financial modeling for implementation. Review spending patterns to project future trends and prepare long-range operational forecasts and cash flow analysis. Develop monthly forecasts for each principal investigator outlining all projects in their portfolio and meet with them monthly to review trends. Develop and implement strategies to avoid over and under spending. Review and monitor spending levels and commitments. Be the main contact and primary administrator to departmental staff, faculty and the chair for all things related to funded projects. Create efficiencies to improve accuracy. (30%)
• Provide multi-institution, complex proposal development for collaborative research, industry and federal grants and contracts. Provide background research to emphasize the connection between the research needs statement and the interests of the funder. Manage contract and grant proposal preparation processes for the more demanding and reporting-intensive sponsors with varying policies, restrictions and deliverables. Advise faculty on complex contract and grant terms that may impact the administration of a project involving multiple institutions in both the U.S. and international sites. Facilitate terms and conditions of awards, budget augmentation, and project period with the principals. Ensure compliance with all state and federal agency regulations, industry, non-profit organizations, and university procedures. Develop, and implement a system to ensure all projects closeouts are done timely. Maintain files of sponsored projects financial reports and close out packages. Meet with principal investigators, the chair and administrative director of operations to discuss/initiate corrective actions prior to proposal submissions. Serve as a resource to faculty by identifying potential funding sources, interpreting proposal guidelines, providing guidance in navigating federal web based submission platform, and managing the internal routing process through Sparta. (25%)
• Manage the salary spend across the portfolio by balancing the resources available to each individual faculty. Determine appropriate and affordable staffing based on grant budgets and projections of clinical trial revenues. Initiate reorganizations and layoffs when funding resources change or are eliminated. Override the instructions of principal investigators if necessary. Complete monthly effort/salary distributions for exempt employees. Complete salary adjustments as needed while working collaboratively with department staff. (20%)
• Prepare administrative reports for submission to sponsoring agencies including interim and final financial reports. Interpret school and university policies and procedures pertaining to grant management and expenditures and ensure compliance by all staff. Communicate any changes to policies and procedures to appropriate staff to ensure implementation. Ensure compliance with federal regulations as outlined in -21, A10 and A133. Maintain a database of all sub-recipients and note all sub-recipients subject to the Single Audit requirements. Gain an understanding of compliance programs of sub-recipients and communicate additional expectations to comply with the university’s compliance program. Monitor receipt due date of audit reports and if reports are not received request the audit reports from sub-recipients. Review audit reports and follow up with sub-recipient to determine if corrective actions have been taken on findings related to the university. Monitor on a regular basis sub-recipient activities for compliance with program and university requirements. Monitor sub-recipient expenditures to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. Assist sub-recipients with resolution of financial noncompliance. (6%)
• Approve SmartCart orders submitted by window shoppers while assuring research budgets are in place to support the purchases. Order research supplies as directed by principal investigators or their delegates deciding the best mechanism for ordering and payment. Manage a high purchase limit Pcard. Order supplies using the Pcard when appropriate. Assign correct speedtypes and accounts when Pcard charges are posted. Monitor expenses for correct billing amounts. Purchase supplies and computers using the preferred vendor on-line ordering system where available. Coordinate shipping to the departments including FedEx, UPS and US mail. Return supplies as needed. Manage and process Gift-Card Requests and Zelle payments. Manage Wire Transfers, Independent Contract execution, N-Award, Metro Salary Invoices, vendor invoices. Serve as Pcard manager for principal investigators, and lab managers. Assign speedtypes to lab manager’s Pcard statements to keep correcting journals to a minimum. Contact lab managers to update Pcard statements before month end close to assure Pcard charges do not hit the operating speedtypes unnecessarily. Prepare journals to reassign speedtypes when needed. Perform Pcard and Dcard reconciliation for School of Medicine departments as needed. Conduct internal audits in monitoring and reviewing all credit card purchases for compliance in adherence to procurement policies, notifying cardholders when non-compliant transactions are made. (9%)

NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Present the School of Medicine’s position, utilizing independent judgement, as it relates to compliant management, billing, and payments for shared research endeavors with administrative staff at affiliate hospitals to be ensure effective financial management of clinical trials. Working across Case Western Reserve University and with the appropriate affiliate staff representatives, monitor, review and approve various crossbills and reports with University Hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth Medical Center to ensure accuracy and funding availability. (4%)
• Set up purchase orders for repetitive purchases or service contracts, and sub-contract purchase order creation. Track end dates and set up continuation purchase orders as needed. Track encumbrances on expense statements, ensure they are reduced or removed when appropriate and cleared when projects are ended. Work with head office for Events and Catering, maintaining compliance with university partners. Serve as liaison between Office of Graduate Studies and Office of the Vice Dean of Med Education in the School of Medicine regarding compliance requirements related to students and alcohol served at events. Serve as liaison between vendor and legal for contract review on deadline. (3%)
• Key contact for all matters related to travel and the university’s travel policy and serve as primary advisor providing critical guidance on travel and expenses policy and compliance for end users. Maintain knowledge of all training opportunities and ensure all personnel have obtained required training and approvals to access the travel and expense system. Execute all travel arrangements, reviewing the request for policy compliance and ensure travel and expense regulations are adhered to. Manage payment requests including travel and non-travel reimbursements for non-university employees and students. Manage expense reports including travel and non-travel reimbursements for Case Western Reserve University employees and students. Process tuition payment invoices through journaling. (3%)
• Perform other duties as assigned. (<1%)

CONTACTS

Department: Daily contact with faculty and research personnel in assigned departments and the School of Medicine Office of Finance and Planning, Grants and Contracts and all administrative offices, and School of Medicine administrators to exchange information.

University: Daily contact with purchasing, Accounts Payable, and HR central administrative departments to exchange information.

External: Weekly contact with University Hospitals, MetroHealth and Cleveland Clinic physicians, administrators, research personnel and residents. Regular contact with federal funding agencies and institutes, industrial and non-profit funding agencies to exchange information.

Students: Frequent contact with graduate students and student employees to exchange information.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

No direct responsibility.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree and 5 or more years of related experience, or Associate’s degree and 7 or more years of related experience required. Operational finance management and grant management experience preferred. Master’s degree preferred.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Demonstrated experience in managing strategic and organizational planning activities within a complex organization, preferably in an academic or public health setting.
• Experience developing or managing budgets.
• Knowledge of university policies and procedures preferred.
• Professional and effective oral and written communication skills; and good interpersonal skills with the ability to work and communicate with various individuals within and external to the university. Must demonstrate good presentation skills and the ability to articulately and accurately relay information to others in a formal and informal setting.
• Strong organization skills; ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines. Must demonstrate attention to detail and accuracy, time management skills, and follow-through.
• Effective management skills; ability to lead, train, work with, and elicit cooperation from team members and staff.
• Ability to work effectively independently and collaboratively within a team. Must be highly motivated, responsible, dependable and a self-starter.
• Effective problem-solving skills; must demonstrate excellent analytical skills, sound judgment and good decision-making.
• Must demonstrate innovation and the ability to develop new ideas, procedures and systems in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Must demonstrate flexibility and ability to work under pressure; must be able and willing to conform to shifting priorities, demands and timeline.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, database applications, and internet navigation. Experience with PeopleSoft and/or Oracle a plus.
• Must demonstrate willingness to learn new concepts, procedures, processes, and computer programs as needed.
• Demonstrated history of successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest.
• Ability to meet consistent attendance.
• Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face.
• Willingness to learn and work with artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies.

WORKING CONDITIONS

General office environment.