Grants Coordinator I

Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York (NY); On-site; USD 67,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York seeks a Grants Coordinator I on the Pre-Award Team to support grant-related administrative activities for basic sciences and other VP&S departments. You will assist faculty in submitting grants and managing budgets, timelines, and records.

The role emphasizes customer service, collaboration, and deadline-driven work; exposure to academic grant-funded environments is a plus, with opportunities to learn budgets, sponsor requirements, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or combination of education and experience.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Customer service orientation and collaboration.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Commitment to diversity and equity.

Responsibilities

• Assist PIs in development, review, and submission of grant applications.
• Manage timelines to ensure on-time, high-quality proposals.
• Prepare grant budgets and justifications in line with sponsor policies.
• Maintain records of PI support and submission documents.
• Respond to RFAs and summary statements before submission.
• Track status of pending applications and funding outcomes.
• Support Just-In-Time requests from investigators.
• Maintain standardized templates and filing systems.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Critical thinking

Customer service orientation

Communication skills

Independent work

Team collaboration

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Job description

Grade 103

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $67,000-$72,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

As a member of the Pre-Award Team, the Grants Coordinator I contributes to CUIMC’s research mission by supporting grant-related pre-award administrative activities for the basic sciences and other participating departments in VP&S. In this role, the Grants Coordinator I will leverage strong organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills to assist faculty in submission and pre-award administration of grants and contracts. Key areas of responsibility will include assisting PIs in the development, review, and submission of grants; tracking and managing application materials; assisting with the development of grant budgets; and maintaining records. Through this role, the Grants Coordinator I can expect to build their knowledge of grants administration terminology, processes, technology platforms, and regulations and learn to perform the full scope of pre-award grant management.

Exposure to academic grant-funded environments and a background in biological sciences or business are a plus, but more important are a strong customer service focus, ability to work collaboratively in a deadline-driven environment, and initiative.

Responsibilities

Pre-Award Grant Administration:

• Under the direction of senior staff, gain foundational knowledge and expertise in pre-award grants administration, focusing on individual investigator grants.
• Assist PIs in the development, review, and submission of all Federal, State, and foundation grant and contract applications.
• Manage timelines and ensure the on-time completion of high quality, responsive, and compliant proposal applications.
• Prepare grant budgets and budget justifications in compliance with sponsor/donor and CU policies; engage with outside collaborators and establish subcontracts.
• Maintain detailed, up-to-date records of PI support, biosketches, and grant submission documents.
• Respond to RFAs and summary statements and address issues prior to submission.
• Ensure progress reports are prepared and submitted as required by sponsoring program.
• Track the status of pending applications, following up with investigators regarding review/funding status.
• Support investigators in responding to Just-In-Time requests.
• Ensure files are complete for awarded applications, following up with investigators and/or administrators regarding missing information.
• Maintain standards: budget templates, standardized checklists for core staff and PIs tailored to the sponsor/mechanism, standardized filing system using shared drives, updated resources and facilities.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management:

• Work collaboratively and cooperatively with faculty, grant writers, VP&S proposal development, SPA, and the post-award team on all aspects of grant administration.
• Develop and maintain a positive relationship with funding agencies, collaborating organizations, and multiple internal offices.
• Demonstrate professionalism and accountability in interactions with internal clients through clear, respectful, and timely communication and responsive follow-up.

Continuous Improvement

• Participate in and/or support assigned team projects and initiatives.
• Use tools and reporting mechanisms to track progress and ensure timely communication of issues and status.
• Keep current on all organizational policies, goals, and initiatives.
• Successfully complete all required university and department trainings.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or combination of education and experience.
• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Customer service orientation, with the ability to interact and collaborate positively, constructively and effectively with multiple constituencies.
• Capacity to work independently and successfully within a deadline-driven, multi-tasking environment. Ability to handle multiple projects and apply judgment to prioritize projects and tasks.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong commitment to fostering diversity and equity.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including strong Excel skills. Ability and willingness to learn new systems and programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in an academic grant funded environment preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in biological science or business/administration degree such as finance, accounting, business administration, business, public health, public administration, or a directly related field.

Other Requirements

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.