Contracts and Grants Coordinator

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; North Carolina; On-site; USD 63,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a Contracts and Grants Coordinator in the Arts & Sciences. The role focuses on pre-award and post-award contract and grant activities, budgeting, and reporting across multiple units and sponsors.

You will ensure compliance with sponsor rules, timelines and regulations while supporting faculty and staff across the college. The position requires masters with relevant experience or a bachelor’s with several years in research administration.

Qualifications

• Experience with pre- and post-award financial management for sponsored projects.
• Proficiency with budgeting, forecasting and proposal development.
• Knowledge of sponsor terms, regulations and compliance processes.
• Strong planning, communication and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and submission of contract and grant proposals.
• Assist with estimating project costs and preparing budgets.
• Prepare and submit proposals in university and sponsor systems.
• Ensure compliance with sponsor terms and conditions.
• Monitor post-award activities and report progress.
• Resolve post-award issues with departmental staff.
• Serve as subject matter expert for pre/post-award processes.
• Support other high-level administrative duties as required.

Skills

Financial mgmt

Payroll forecasting

Regulatory knowledge

MS Office

Communication

Organizational skills

Autonomy

Education

Masters +1–2 yrs experience

Bachelors +2–4 yrs experience

Tools

CAYUSE RAMSeS ConnectCarolina

Excel

Job description

Posting Information

Department Arts and Sciences Deans Office-300100

Career Area Research Professionals

Posting Open Date 09/28/2026

Application Deadline 10/12/2026

Open Until Filled No

Position Type Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)

Working Title Contracts and Grants Coordinator

Appointment Type EHRA Non-Faculty

Position Number 20060698

Vacancy ID NF0010081

Full Time/Part Time Full-Time Permanent

FTE 1

Hours per week 40

Position Location North Carolina, US

Hiring Range $63,000-$70,000

Proposed Start Date 11/09/2026

Position Information

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC -Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

Primary Purpose Of Organizational Unit

The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest academic unit within the University and consists of about 71 units, including centers, programs, institutional support and 42 academic departments and interdisciplinary curricula, which offer both undergraduate bachelor’s degrees and graduate-level masters and PhD degrees. The College is divided into four academic divisions: Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education oversees all academic student support units, including but not limited to Academic Advising, Honors, and the Academic Success Center. The Senior Associate Dean for Research & Innovation drives strategic planning and provides guidance across the academic divisions and research programs, fostering new models of innovation, new initiatives and new collaborations. The Office of the Dean is responsible for all of the academic, academic student support, financial and administrative operations in the College of Arts & Sciences.

The College of Arts & Sciences Business Operations Office is housed in the Office of the Dean and supports the fiscal and human resources operations of the departments, curricula, and programs by consolidating their business operations into one center. The Business Operations Office enables transparency of operations and information, creating a more responsive organization that utilizes online systems and automation to streamline processes. It consistently applies policies, ensuring compliance to UNC , State, and Federal regulations and laws.

The College of Arts and Sciences Research Support Team has both a Research Administration Team and a Research Development Team. The Research Administration Team is a shared services team that coordinates, administers, and consults on both pre- and post-award contract/grant activities within the College units. The team provides centralized proposal development support for all requesting units. The team handles the administration of both grant and contract proposal submissions and specified post-award responsibilities. Ultimately, we assist with and coordinate pre-award planning, proposal development, processing, and reporting.

The team also assists with the coordination and review of post-award materials with direct troubleshooting assistance on any related issues and activities. The team provides guidance to ensure that compliance is exceeded with all terms and conditions for all fund types and for establishing and supervisory oversight of both pre- and post-award sponsored projects administration and non-sponsored fund administration. This area of work includes preparing and packaging proposals, cost-estimating, budgeting, accounting, and reporting systems that include program operations at the University and all participating sites and subcontractors. The Research Administration team also provides support to the ‘field’ staff and the units.

Position Summary

This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.

The Contracts and Grants Coordinator is responsible for generally managing and providing direction, guidance, and leadership related to pre-award and post-award contract and grant activities within the College of Arts & Sciences. The selected candidate will play a critical role in meeting the proposal development and grants management needs of assigned units within the College while also serving as a divisional contact for faculty and staff regarding university and sponsor policies, processes, rules, and regulations.

This position is expected to perform high level tasks related to budgeting, proposal preparation, reporting, and overall grants management on a broad scale for many funding agencies – ranging from large, complex proposals and projects involving multiple faculty and departments at UNC and/or multiple collaborative universities (including subcontractors and/or consultants) to smaller, single-investigator awards or application submissions for student fellowships.

The Contracts And Grants Coordinator Will

• Take lead responsibility for planning and coordinating all contract and grant proposal submissions
• Assist with proposal development, including the estimation of project costs and the preparation of project budgets
• Prepare and submit proposal packages in university and sponsor systems
• Ensure compliance with sponsor terms and conditions
• Monitor, track, and report on post-award activities
• Resolve post-award issues by working closely with departmental and university post-award staff
• Serve as the subject matter expert for pre-award and post-award business processes, and
• Support other high level administrative duties as required.

Minimum Education And Experience Requirements

Mid-career with Masters and 1-2 yrs experience; or Bachelors and 2-4 yrs experience

Required Qualifications, Competencies, And Experience

It is necessary for the candidate to demonstrate the following:

• Knowledge and experience working with pre- and post-award financial management from a variety of sponsors.
• Extensive experience with calculating payroll and forecasting.
• Thorough understanding of how to interpret regulations and guidelines from a wide variety of funding agencies and use the funding mechanism required by those agencies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access).
• Extensive experience creating spreadsheets and developing formulas in Excel.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to perform work with a high degree of autonomy, accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, And Experience

• Three or more years of experience with financial management of sponsored research (pre- and post-award).
• Previous experience with UNC -CH systems (e.g., CAYUSE , RAMSeS, ConnectCarolina, Info porte).
• Experience with State, F&A, trust, and other fund types.
• Experience with financial and pre-/post-award management workflow tools.
• Experience managing funds and awards for multiple principal investigators across multiple units.
• Experience with shadow accounting.
• Experience with electronic personnel salary source management.
• Certified Research Administrator ( CRA ), Certified Financial Research Administrator ( CFRA ), and/or Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator ( CPRA ) credentials.
• Experience managing or providing work direction to peers and clients/customers.

Campus Security Authority Responsibilities

Not Applicable.

Quick Link

https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/326044

Posting Contact Information

Department Contact Name and Title Andrea Walens, Sr Dir RA

Department Contact Telephone or Email [e-mail]

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.