Pre-Award Coordinator

University of Minnesota; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 54,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

The University of Minnesota is seeking a skilled Pre-Award Specialist to join the College of Science and Engineering, supporting proposal development and submission across departments.

In a hybrid, 40-hour week role, you will coordinate intake, review sponsor guidelines, prepare budgets, and manage pre-award processes using UMN systems such as MN-GEMS and Grants.gov, ensuring compliance and timely submissions for major funding opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and four years performing administrative, budgetary and/or grant proposal or management experience, or a combination totaling eight years.
• Experience in higher education or research administration preferred.
• Experience with budget development and sponsor communications.
• Experience with sponsor guidelines and compliance considerations.

Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee proposal activities across assigned cohort departments, providing guidance, interpretation, and administrative coordination during pre-award processes for funding opportunities.
• Review sponsor guidelines, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance and provide administrative guidance to PIs and departmental staff; identify proposal compliance concerns and risks.
• Prepare and/or review proposal budgets in collaboration with departmental accounting staff and communicate sponsor requirements and restrictions.
• Complete administrative portions of proposals; review components for compliance with sponsor and University requirements.
• Prepare and route Funding Proposals (FPs) in MN-GEMS.
• Coordinate standard subaward proposal documentation with collaborating institutions and SPA.
• Prepare, submit, and track proposals using sponsor electronic submission systems (Grants.gov Workspace, Research.gov, ProposalCentral, eRA Commons, etc.).
• Serve as primary liaison with SPA for routine routing, submission coordination, and communication.

Skills

Grant proposal management

Budget development

Sponsor compliance

Communication with PIs

Policy knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MN-GEMS

Grants.gov

Research.gov

ProposalCentral

eRA Commons

UMN PeopleSoft

Job description

About the Job

The College of Science & Engineering (CSE) Pre-Award teamoperates as a cluster-based shared service supporting multiplecohort departments across the College of Science & Engineering. The team partners with faculty, departmental researchadministration staff, accounting teams, Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA), and external collaborators to coordinate andsupport proposal development for federal, state, foundation, industry, and other external sponsors.

The CSE Pre-Award team focuses on core pre-award functionsincluding:

• proposal intake and triage,
• proposal coordination,
• non-technical proposal development,
• sponsor and compliance guidance,
• submission management,
• and operational support for complex and strategically significantfunding opportunities.

CSE Pre-Award staff are assigned portfolio responsibilities acrossdesignated cohort departments and participate in cross-cohortsupport and coverage to maintain continuity of service duringworkload spikes, leave coverage, and staffing transitions. The teamuses a centralized Airtable-based intake and proposal trackingsystem to support this work. The CSE Pre-Award team is designed to preserve departmentalrelationships and faculty autonomy while expanding sharedoperational capacity, standardizing core workflows, improvingproposal coordination, and strengthening support for high-value andhigh-complexity funding opportunities.

Location

Twin Cities Campus, University of Minnesota

Work Environment

Hybrid

Work Schedule

• Monday-Friday, totaling 40 hours per week, with exact scheduleto be determined with the supervisor.
• Minimum of 3 days per week in the office, with exact scheduleto be determined with the supervisor.
• Up to 2 days per week remote, consistent with department andUniversity policies and staffing needs

Visa Language

Please note, this position is not eligiblefor H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer aSTEM OPT training program.

Primary Responsibilities

Grant Proposal Preparation and Submission (70%)

Manage and oversee proposal activities across assigned cohortdepartments by providing guidance, interpretation, andadministrative coordination during pre-award processes for federal,state, foundation, corporate, and internal fundingopportunities.

Responsibilities include:

• Review sponsor guidelines, policies, and procedures to ensurecompliance and provide administrative guidance to PrincipalInvestigators (PIs) and departmental research administration staff;use knowledge of sponsor requirements and University policy toidentify proposal compliance concerns, documentation gaps, andadministrative risks during the submission process; preparesummaries of requirements and timelines for submission for PIs anddepartmental staff.
• Prepare and/or review proposal budgets in collaboration withdepartmental accounting staff; understand and communicate sponsorand University requirements and/or restrictions regarding budgetlimitations, effort commitments, cost sharing, indirect cost rates,etc.
• Complete administrative portions of the proposal; review proposalcomponents for compliance with sponsor and Universityrequirements
• Prepare and route Funding Proposals (FPs) in MN-GEMS (MinnesotaGrants Electronic Management System)
• Coordinate standard subaward proposal documentation and routingactivities with collaborating institutions and SPA.
• Prepare, submit, and track proposals using sponsor electronicsubmission systems including:

1. Grants.gov Workspace,
2. Research.gov,
3. ASSIST,
4. eRA Commons,
5. ProposalCentral,
6. eBRAP,
7. and related sponsor systems.

● Serve as the primary liaison with SPA for routine proposalrouting, submission coordination, and standard administrativecommunication activities.

● Advise PIs on standard pre-award compliance issues, includingconflicts of interest, foreign involvement, sponsors’ public accesspolicies, other support documentation, documentation of involvementof human subjects or vertebrate animals, etc.

● Escalate complex compliance issues, subaward concerns,institutional exceptions, and advanced sponsor interpretationquestions to senior pre-award staff and leadership as appropriate.Track proposal status and maintain communication with faculty,departmental staff, SPA, and collaborating institutions throughoutthe proposal lifecycle.

● Manage other tasks that are in-scope for the pre-award team,including post-submission materials, Just in Time (JIT)information, and other sponsor requests for additionaladministrative documentation; assist PIs with interim and finalprogress reports for select awards

Pre-Award Process Management (30%)

Serve as a front-line operational resource for intake, triage, andworkflow coordination activities across assigned cohortdepartments. Responsibilities include:

• Review incoming proposal requests and intake submissionsto:

1. identify proposal complexity,
2. assess timeline feasibility,
3. determine required documentation,
4. and elevate complex or high-risk proposals as appropriate.

● Coordinate intake workflows and maintain proposal activity within the Airtable-based intake and tracking system; maintain accurateentries within the Airtable system, including deadlines, proposalstatus, and workflow updates

● Maintain organized proposal and compliance documentation withinestablished CSE Pre-Award team systems and shared resources.

● Review award notices and sponsor documentation against proposalmaterials to support departmental accounting staff with award setupand interpretation of standard award terms and conditions.

● Participate in cross-cohort proposal coverage and workloadbalancing activities to contribute to operational goals and servicemetrics including:

1. timely proposal coordination,
2. reduction in SPA returns/errors,
3. accurate intake and workflow tracking,
4. proposal deadline adherence,
5. and consistent service delivery across cohort departments.

● Regularly review updated sponsor regulations, Universityprocedures, and policy guidance to ensure accurate proposalcoordination and compliance support.

● Participate in regular CSE Pre-Award staff meetings regardingcurrent issues, policy updates, workload, processes, future tooldevelopment, etc.

● In collaboration with the Pre-Award team, compile and maintaintemplates and administrative resources for common proposalcomponents including biosketches, current and pending supportdocuments, facilities documents, and sponsor-requiredadministrative forms.

● Engage in pre-award process refinement; provide input ontemplates, job aids, and guidance; propose and evaluate solutionsto resolve recurring problems

● Continue professional development by attending relevant courses,workshops, seminars, and other training opportunities

● Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

● Bachelor's degree AND four (4) years performing administrative,budgetary and/or grant proposal or management experience OR acombination of education and relevant administrative, budgetary andgrants proposal or management experience totaling eight (8)years.

Preferred Qualifications

● Experience working in higher education

● Experience working with faculty on proposal submissions from avariety of funding sources, especially federal sponsors. Relevantsponsors may include: National Science Foundation (NSF), NationalInstitutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), Departmentof Energy (DoE), and/or Department of Agriculture (USDA).

● Experience with budget development.

● Experience with relevant electronic systems such as Grants.gov,Research.gov, ProposalCentral, UMN’s MN-GEMS, UMN’s PeopleSoft andreporting functions, & other eResearch support systems.

● High level of attention to detail and ability to handle multipletasks with overlapping deadlines; can re-prioritize tasks asneeded.

● Experience delivering high-level customer service, includingproactive communication and ability to troubleshoot and resolveissues.

About the Department

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) is ranked among thetop engineering and science academic programs in the country. Thecollege includes 12 academic departments offering a wide range ofdegree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorallevels. For more information about the College of Science andEngineering Office of the Dean, visit https://cse.umn.edu/.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range

$39.43 - $45.20 per hour; depending oneducation/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment

100% Appointment

Position Type

Civil-Service & Non-Faculty LaborRepresented Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for moreinformation regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package thatincludes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional trainingand degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition BenefitProgram
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee TransitPass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metroarea

While our salary ranges provide a framework, it is important tonote that most of the time, the initial pay may not reach the maximum of the range. Thisapproach ensures that compensation reflects the value and unique contributions ofeach candidate while maintaining equity within our organization. As part of ourcommitment to fair and equitable compensation, please be aware that the salary offered toincoming candidates will be based on their individual credentials and experience.

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversityand inclusion in enriching the employment experience of itsemployees and in supporting the academic mission. The University iscommitted to attracting and retaining employees with varyingidentities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to andopportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment withoutregard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender,age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteranstatus, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Employment Requirements

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successfulcompletion of a background check. Our presumption is thatprospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminalconvictions do not automatically disqualify finalists fromemployment.

About University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among thelargest public research universities in the country, offeringundergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude ofopportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of oneof the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities,students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit fromextensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers,international corporations, government agencies, and arts,nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized byForbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employerfor Women (2023, 2025, 2026), and Best Employer by State(2022-2026). In 2026, we also received Culture Excellence &Industry Awards recognition for employee appreciation and work-lifeflexibility.