Pre-Award Grant Coordinator

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive wages

Tuition benefit program

Excellent retirement plans

Job summary

The University of Minnesota's Department of Computer Science & Engineering seeks a Pre-Award Grant Coordinator to support funding for faculty sponsored research. This role manages about 140 proposals annually and assists ~50 faculty with pre-award coordination in a hybrid work environment at Twin Cities Campus.

Responsibilities include grant proposal preparation, budgeting, compliance, subawards, and interfacing with funding agencies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and four years of administrative, budgetary and/or grant proposal or management experience or an equivalent combination.
• Experience with federal sponsors (NSF, NIH, DoD, DoE, USDA) is preferred.
• Experience with sponsor submission systems (Grants.gov, Research.gov, eRA Commons, NIH/ASSIST) is required or advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee all CS&E proposals by providing guidance, interpretation, and advisement during pre-award and award initiation processes for federal, state, non-profit, corporate UMF, and internal funding opportunities.
• Review sponsor guidelines, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance and provide expert advice to faculty; ensure proposal document compliance.
• Assist in proposal budget development, ensuring compliance with sponsor and University financial policies; revise budgets and provide setup details to SPA.
• Coordinate subaward proposals with other institutions; submit subaward initiation documents to SPA and assist with subaward set-up.
• Prepare, submit, and track proposals using sponsor submission systems (e.g., grants.gov, research.gov, eRA Commons, NIH/ASSIST).
• Review award notices for accuracy against proposal details to aid in grant setup and advise PIs and accounting staff on terms and conditions.

Skills

Administration

Budget management

Grant proposals

Higher ed experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

4 years experience

Tools

Grants.gov

Research.gov

eRA Commons

NIH/ASSIST

Job description

About the Job

The Pre-Award Grant Coordinator supports the development of funding for faculty sponsored research projects and programmatic initiatives in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering (CS&E). This position is responsible for managing 140 proposals annually and supporting the research of about 50 department faculty through pre-award coordination. This position reports to the Senior Research Accountant and allows for hybrid work.

Location: Twin Cities Campus, University of Minnesota

Work Environment: Hybrid

Work Schedule:

• Monday-Friday, totaling 40 hours per week, with exact schedule to be determined with the supervisor.
• Combination of in-person and remote days to be determined by the supervisor.

Primary Responsibilities:

Grant proposal preparation and submission (65%):

• Manage and oversee all CS&E proposals by providing guidance, interpretation, and advisement during the pre-award and award initiation processes for federal, state, non-profit, corporate UMF, and internal funding opportunities.
• Review sponsor guidelines, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance and provide expert advice to faculty. Use in-depth knowledge of the pre-award process to ensure proposal document compliance.
• Communicate with funding agencies, as needed, to clarify policies, procedures, and interpretations of application instructions.
• Assist in proposal budget development, ensuring compliance with sponsor and University financial policies regarding personnel categories, effort, cost‑sharing, direct and indirect costs, justifications, etc. Revise budgets as needed, and provide budget set up details to the Sponsored Projects Office (SPA).
• Coordinate subaward proposals with other institutions. Submit subaward initiation documents to SPA and assist with subaward set-up.
• Prepare, submit, and track proposals using in-depth knowledge of sponsor submission systems (e.g., grants.gov, research.gov, eRA Commons, NIH/ASSIST, etc).
• Track proposal status and communication with faculty; maintain internal department records of pending and active awards and other support documents.
• Compile and develop templates for common applications, maintain faculty current and pending support records, and ensure proposal document formats meet current requirements and update as needed (e.g., biosketches, other support, etc.)
• Review award notices from sponsor and the Notice of Grant Award for accuracy against proposal details to assist accountants in establishing the grant in the department and to provide expert advice to PIs and accounting staff on terms and conditions.

Pre-Award Process Management (25%):

• Maintain and update the department records for tracking faculty proposal information to assist the department in measuring annual targets.
• Regularly review and interpret updated regulations, guidelines and procedures to ensure continuous adherence to proposal terms. Provide expert advice to Principal Investigators and other department staff regarding regulations and changes.
• Prepare and/or review any requests to sponsors and work with SPA to ensure requests are submitted and results are communicated.
• Review faculty effort obligations and provide effort and award information to accounting staff for initial setup purposes.
• Assist PIs with progress reports and additional documentation requested by sponsors.
• Assist accountants in monitoring projects to ensure subaward setups, incremental funding or continuation awards are received and processed.
• Assist PIs with compliance approval. Use knowledge of various compliance issues to assure that all appropriate approvals are in place before proposal submission or beginning research as needed, assist faculty with issues, and house approval documentation in grant files.

Research Development (5%):

• Perform strategic analysis of pre-award activities in the department and provide reporting on annual research proposal activity, especially as it relates to the 2030 CS&E Strategic Plan and departmental goals of increasing research activity.
• Provide regular updates to faculty on upcoming proposal deadlines, opportunities, and important changes to funding agency policies and submission details.
• Develop and maintain proposal development resources, such as database, job guides, sample proposals, document lists, links to other relevant resources, etc., and distribute to PIs via intranet site and personal communication.
• Promote proposal readiness among faculty, particularly junior faculty.

Additional CS&E Staff Responsibilities (5%):

• Actively participate on committees, as assigned, and pursue training related to DEI initiatives (e.g., college/departmental DEI alliance, OED training, etc).
• Assist with special projects and activities, as assigned, in collaboration with faculty and staff colleagues, and in consultation with the Department Head or Finance Manager.
• Attend regular meetings related to the finance team and the broader staff.
• Serve as subject matter expert with research accounting colleagues.

Note, this position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer a STEM OPT training program.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

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

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in higher education.
• Experience working with faculty on proposal submissions from a variety of funding sources, especially federal sponsors. Relevant sponsors may include: National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of 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 and reporting functions, & other eResearch support systems.
• High level of attention to detail and ability to handle multiple tasks with overlapping deadlines; can re-prioritize tasks as needed.
• Experience delivering high-level customer service, including proactive communication and ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $39.43 - $45.20 per hour; depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment

Position Type: Civil-Service & Non-Faculty Labor Represented Staff

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

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• 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 Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

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

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, 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 successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

About University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive 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 by Forbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employer for 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-life flexibility.