Pre-Award Grants Specialist II

Iowa State University; Ames (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Iowa State University, through the Bioeconomy Institute, is seeking a Pre-Award Grants Specialist II to manage outgoing proposal activity and coordinate submissions across multiple teams. You will serve as the main contact for ISU PIs and collaborators, tailoring services to each proposal’s needs while supporting administrative review and document preparation.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree with related experience and knowledge of grant administration, including budgets, timelines, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 2 years of related experience.
• Experience supporting proposal development activities, including preparation, coordination, review, and submission of grant or sponsored project proposals.
• Experience developing, reviewing, or managing budgets related to grants, contracts, sponsored projects, or other complex funding sources.
• Experience working directly with faculty, researchers, principal investigators, industry contacts, or research support staff in a higher education, government, or research setting.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), or related certification; or active progress toward obtaining certification.
• Knowledge of Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), federal sponsor regulations, and/or policies and procedures related to sponsored funding administration.

Responsibilities

• Represent the Bioeconomy Institute as a first point of contact for all new proposal efforts, liaising between ISU Principal Investigators (PIs) & collaborators and other ISU departments.
• Provide services tailored to each proposal team, based on PI experience, communication style and preferences.
• Prepare and revise budgets and budget justifications for large, complex research proposals.
• Proposal routing in coordination with the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration.
• Develop action-item focused timelines and checklists of required documentation.
• Collect, draft, and distribute templates; prepare forms and attachments for submission.
• Pre-submission, financial and administrative (non-technical) review of application package for completeness.
• Proposal file uploads and final submission to a variety of federal and non-federal web portals.
• Work with BEI administration to market pre-award services to new and existing internal customers.
• Contribute to process improvement and assist institute administration and post-award counterpart during annual reviews and as needed, providing proposal statistics and trends.
• Locate and/or review funding opportunities aligned with institute priorities, disseminate to institute affiliates.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Position Title:

Pre-Award Grants Specialist II

Job Group:

Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree and 2 years of related experience

Job Description:

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities:

Thrive in a dynamic environment where you can manage a variety of projects while playing a key role in advancing impactful research in renewable resources, food, energy, bioproducts, and associated services? Are you looking for a role that offers variety, challenge, and the opportunity to contribute to the success of cutting-edge research?

If so, the Bioeconomy Institute (BEI) at Iowa State University is hiring a Pre-Award Grants Specialist II position! This position will manage all outgoing proposal activity for the institute, coordinating many simultaneous submissions with a variety of internal/external faculty, staff, departments, collaborators, & agencies. Proposals may vary significantly in size and complexity, ranging from small, single-PI submissions to multi-million-dollar transdisciplinary research efforts.

This position will be classified as a Grants Specialist II.

What You'll Do:

• Represent the Bioeconomy Institute as a first point of contact for all new proposal efforts, liaising between ISU Principal Investigators (PIs) & collaborators and other ISU departments.
• Provide services tailored to each proposal team, based on PI experience, communication style and preferences.
• Prepare and revise budgets and budget justifications for large, complex research proposals.
• Proposal routing in coordination with the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration.
• Develop action-item focused timelines and checklists of required documentation.
• Collect, draft, and distribute templates; prepare forms and attachments for submission.
• Pre-submission, financial and administrative (non-technical) review of application package for completeness.
• Proposal file uploads and final submission to a variety of federal and non-federal web portals.
• Work with BEI administration to market pre-award services to new and existing internal customers.
• Contribute to process improvement and assist institute administration and post-award counterpart during annual reviews and as needed, providing proposal statistics and trends.
• Locate and/or review funding opportunities aligned with institute priorities, disseminate to institute affiliates.

This position is a key contributor to the BEI administrative, shared services team and will provide support to our interdisciplinary research teams. Candidates should possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, the ability to work independently and manage competing priorities while meeting deadlines, and a strong attention to detail. Additional strengths include effective time management, adaptability, and the ability to perform successfully in both high-volume and low-volume work environments.

This is a two-year fixed term position with the opportunity for renewal.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting proposal development activities, including preparation, coordination, review, and submission of grant or sponsored project proposals.
• Experience developing, reviewing, or managing budgets related to grants, contracts, sponsored projects, or other complex funding sources.
• Experience working directly with faculty, researchers, principal investigators, industry contacts, or research support staff in a higher education, government, or research setting.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), or related professional certification; or active progress toward obtaining certification.
• Knowledge of Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), federal sponsor regulations, and/or policies and procedures related to sponsored funding administration.

About Iowa State University Centers and Institutes and the Bioeconomy Institute:

Centers and Institutes at Iowa State University bring together faculty, staff, students, and external partners to advance research and engagement around shared areas of expertise. While similar to academic departments in their focus on specific subject areas, centers and institutes are designed to be flexible and collaborative, emphasizing transdisciplinary research, external partnerships and funding, and connections between the university and industry, government, and community stakeholders rather than administering degree programs.

The Bioeconomy Institute is a national leader in advancing the bioeconomy, "where society obtains food, energy, bioproducts, and associated services from renewable sources." Celebrating more than 20 years as the "front door" to biorenewables at Iowa State University, the institute fosters collaboration among departments, colleges, and research units across campus. Together with more than 50 industry partners and over 150 affiliated faculty and staff, the institute drives innovation and research focused on renewable resources, including feedstock development, waste utilization