Program/Project Manager, NSF Carolinas Grid Engine

The University of North Carolina; Harrisburg (Dauphin County); On-site; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of North Carolina invites applications for the Program/Project Manager to support the Carolinas Grid Engine, working directly with the Chief Operating & Ecosystem Development Officer to ensure disciplined execution across a complex, multi-partner federal initiative.

This hands-on role maintains project plans, budgets, and NSF reporting; coordinates across universities, utilities, technical colleges, and industry partners; the successful candidate will manage multiple

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and monitor project plans, schedules, milestones, and deliverables across Engine workstreams.
• Manage Airtable as central PM platform; maintain project data, milestones, risks, and owners.
• Track progress against annual and multi-year strategic plans and Engine KPIs; identify risks and bottlenecks.
• Maintain the Engine’s risk register, action-item logs, decision records, dashboards, and reporting views; drive follow-through on commitments.
• Coordinate with program leads and partners to collect, validate, and maintain KPI data.
• Support preparation of NSF quarterly and annual reports by coordinating reporting calendars and KPI results.
• Establish and maintain project-management standards, templates, workflows, and documentation practices.
• Support the implementation and ongoing use of operational systems, including Airtable, CRM platforms, and shared collaboration environments.
• Coordinate cross-partner implementation activities across universities, technical colleges, utilities, and industry partners.
• Manage NSF reporting and compliance, including calendars and deadlines, and data collection for reporting and evaluation.
• Coordinate with external measurement partners on data collection and reporting timelines.
• Support audits by maintaining organized project documentation and records.

Job description

Position Designation

Position Designation EHRA Non-Faculty

Employment Type

Employment Type Time Limited - Full-time

Months per Year 12

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8:00am -5:00pm (exempt)

Hours per week 40+ Exempt

FLSA Status

FLSA Status Exempt

Division

Division Research

Department

Department Div of Research (Adm)

Work Location

Work Location TBD

Salary Range

Salary Range $100,000 - $115,000

Primary Purpose of Department

The NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas is a two-state innovation ecosystem accelerating the modernization, resilience, and security of the nation’s electric grid. Led by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and joined by Clemson University, the South Carolina Research Authority, York Technical College, Joules Accelerator, and more than 100 public and private partners, the Engine was selected by the National Science Foundation as one of the nation’s Regional Innovation Engines and is backed by up to $160 million in federal support over 10 years.
Serving a 36-county region across North and South Carolina, the Engine advances use-inspired research, translation of innovation to practice, workforce development, and cross-sector partnerships in collaboration with leading utilities and global manufacturers. The initiative is projected to generate an estimated 20,000 new jobs and $2 billion in regional economic activity.

Primary Purpose of Position

The Program/Project Manager provides day-to-day project management and operational support for the Carolinas Grid Engine, working directly with the Chief Operating & Ecosystem Development Officer to ensure disciplined execution across a complex, multi-partner federal initiative.
This is a hands-on, execution-focused role at the operational center of the Engine. The Program/Project Manager maintains project plans, schedules, and deliverable tracking across Engine workstreams; coordinates the preparation and submission of quarterly and annual reports to the National Science Foundation; supports budget monitoring and financial tracking; partners with the university’s grants and contracts office on award administration; and works alongside the Marketing and Communications Manager to plan and execute Engine meetings, convenings, and events.
The successful candidate is highly organized, comfortable managing multiple parallel projects and deadlines, and effective at coordinating across universities, industry partners, utilities, technical colleges, and community organizations. This position requires strong attention to detail, sound judgment in a fast-moving environment, and the ability to keep complex work moving forward across partners who do not report to the Engine directly.

Summary of Position Responsibilities

The Program/Project Manager provides day-to-day project management and operational support for the Carolinas Grid Engine, working directly with the Chief Operating & Ecosystem Development Officer to ensure disciplined execution across a complex, multi-partner federal initiative.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Management & Operations

• Develop, maintain, and monitor project plans, schedules, milestones, deliverables, key activities, and responsibilities across Engine workstreams, including research and translation, workforce development, ecosystem development, and cross-sector partnerships.
• Manage Airtable as the Engine’s central project-management and performance-tracking platform, maintaining accurate and timely information on projects, milestones, dependencies, risks, action items, and responsible parties.
• Track progress against annual and multi-year strategic plans and Engine KPIs; identify schedule risks, dependencies, bottlenecks, and performance gaps, and elevate issues to the Chief Operating Officer with recommended solutions.
• Maintain the Engine’s risk register, action-item logs, decision records, dashboards, and reporting views; drive follow-through on commitments made across leadership and partner meetings.
• Coordinate with program leads and partners to collect, validate, and maintain KPI and performance data, ensuring information is complete, consistent, traceable, and aligned with established targets.
• Support preparation of NSF quarterly and annual reports by coordinating reporting calendars, data submissions, milestone updates, KPI results, accomplishments, and other required performance information.
• Establish and maintain project-management standards, templates, workflows, and documentation practices for use across the Engine and its partner organizations.
• Support the implementation and ongoing use of operational systems, including Airtable, pipeline-management tools, CRM platforms, and shared collaboration environments, with an emphasis on reducing duplicate data entry and improving reporting efficiency.
• Coordinate cross-partner implementation activities, ensuring alignment across universities, technical colleges, economic development organizations, utilities, and industry partners.

NSF Reporting & Compliance Support

• Manage the preparation, coordination, and on-time submission of quarterly and annual reports to the National Science Foundation, including collecting inputs from Engine leadership, pillar teams, and partner organizations.
• Maintain reporting calendars and deadline tracking for all NSF and federal reporting obligations; provide advance notice and reminders to contributors and hold contributors accountable to deadlines.
• Collect, organize, and verify performance data, metrics, and supporting documentation required for reporting, evaluation, and impact measurement.
• Coordinate with the Engine’s external measurement and evaluation partner on data collection schedules, reporting inputs, and deliverable timelines.
• Support audit readiness by maintaining organized, accessible, and complete project documentation and records retention consistent with NSF and university requirements.

Budget & Financial Support

• Support the Chief Operating Officer in monitoring the Engine budget, including tracking expenditures, commitments, and burn rate against approved budget categories.
• Prepare budget summaries, variance reports, and financial status updates for leadership review and for inclusion in NSF reporting.
• Assist in the preparation of annual budget development materials and resource allocation planning across Engine workstreams and subawards.
• Monitor subaward and partner spending activity in coordination with the Chief Operating Officer and university financial staff, flagging concerns in a timely manner.

Grants & Contracts Administration Support

• Serve as an operational point of coordination with the university’s Office of Research Administration, grants and contracts staff, and sponsored programs personnel.
• Support the preparation, routing, and tracking of subawards, contracts, memoranda of understanding, and partner agreements through university processes.
• Maintain organized records of executed agreements, scopes of work, deliverable schedules, and partner compliance obligations.
• Assist in gathering documentation and responses needed for sponsor inquiries, prior approval requests, and award modifications.