Project Manager

Axle; Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off & Holidays

401K match up to 5%

Educational Benefits for Career Growth

Employee Referral Bonus

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Job summary

Axle, a bioscience and information technology company, seeks a Project Manager to support NIH programs in Bethesda, MD. You will handle FOA development, intake validation, and budget verification while ensuring compliance with NIH requirements.

The role spans post‑award setup, closeout activities, and ongoing grant management documentation for GMS. The position requires 5–7 years of project management experience, strong budgeting, and proficiency with MS Office/MS Project.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5–7 years of project management experience.
• Experience supporting government-funded or NIH-related programs is a plus.
• Strong documentation, budgeting, and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft FOA templates and FOA administrative sections.
• Validate administrative completeness and flag missing items.
• Perform budget verification and cost analyses.
• Conduct compliance checks and prepare checklists.
• Manage post‑award setup, onboarding, and metadata entry.
• Track JIT requests and prepare summaries.
• Draft notices of award packages and funding documentation.
• Coordinate communications and meeting notes for GMS.

Skills

Project management

Budget management

Documentation

MS Office

Tools

MS Project

MS Office

Job description

Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision‑making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Axle is seeking a Project Manager to join our vibrant team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting the Bethesda, MD.

Benefits We Offer

• Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• 401K match up to 5%
• Educational Benefits for Career Growth
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Healthcare (FSA)
  • Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
  • Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
  • Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)

Responsibilities

1. Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) & Administrative Support

Draft FOA templates and administrative sections for GMS review.

Maintain FOA publication tracking log and clearance workflows.

2. Application Intake & Validation

Validate administrative completeness (forms present, page limits) and flag missing items.

Prepare administrative completeness reports for each application.

Deliverable: Application Intake Report (one per application).

3. Budget Review Support

Perform mathematical verification and consistency checks between SF-424 Research & Budget Justification.

Produce budget comparison worksheets and preliminary cost‑analysis summaries.

Deliverable: Budget Verification Worksheet & Cost Summary.

4. Compliance & Checklist Reviews

Check presence of required assurances (human subjects, vertebrate animals, IACUC, IRB approvals), registrations (SAM/UEI), and other attachments.

Prepare checklist summary for GMS review.

Deliverable: Compliance Checklist.

Compile institutional award history, audit summaries (Single Audit), and other source documents for GMS.

Deliverable: Applicant Risk Brief.

6. Just‑In‑Time (JIT) Tracking

Track JIT requests; validate completeness of JIT materials and prepare JIT summary memos.

7. Communications & Workflow

Draft standard correspondence and internal routing memos for GMS approval.

Maintain shared mailbox triage log.

Deliverable: Draft Correspondence Packet.

B. Award & Notice Preparation

1. Draft Notice of Award (NoA) Packages

Assemble draft Notice of Award elements (funding summary, terms to consider, recommended conditions) for GMS review.

Deliverable: Draft NoA Package (for review only).

2. Funding Documentation

Prepare funding summary sheets, obligation worksheets, and internal checklists.

Deliverable: Funding Summary & Obligation Worksheet.

C. Post‑Award Tasks

1. Post‑Award Setup & Onboarding

Enter award metadata into NIH tracking systems (under supervision), create grantee file folders, and assemble administrative award packets.

Deliverable: Award Setup Checklist.

Reconcile budget vs. awarded amounts; prepare monthly/quarterly financial status summaries for GMS review.

Track and summarize Federal Financial Report (FFR) submissions and flag delinquent reports.

Review and summarize progress reports, other support, no‑cost extension requests, and prior approval requests for completeness and policy issues.

Prepare issue logs and draft recommendation memos for GMS action.

Deliverable: Post‑Award Compliance Summary & Issue Log.

4. Amendments, Modifications & Closeout Support

Compile documentation for administrative amendments and closeout packages (final FFR reconciliation, final progress report, property disposition).

Prepare draft closeout checklists and closeout memos.

Deliverable: Closeout Package & Checklist.

5. Closeout & Records Management

Ensure award records meet NIH retention/compliance standards and prepare electronic archive packages.

Deliverable: Archived Award Record Package.

Performance Standards & Acceptance Criteria

Timeliness: Deliverables submitted within agreed due dates; late submissions require written notification and mitigation plan.

Accuracy: Zero arithmetic errors on budget worksheets; policy-related flags must reference applicable NIH policy citations (drafts acceptable; final determinations by GMS).

Completeness: Each deliverable contains required fields and a one-page executive summary for GMS.

Quality: Documents are professional, editable (MS Word/Excel), and include version control (version, date, author).

Acceptance: GMS reviewer will accept, accept with comments, or reject deliverable within 5 business days. Rejected deliverables must be corrected and resubmitted within the agreed timeline. (See Performance Evaluation Standards – Attachment 4)

Reporting & Meetings

Status Reports: Weekly brief status report on active tasks and outstanding items (format: 1-page plus dashboard).

Monthly Meeting: Monthly review with GMS leadership to review performance metrics, risks, and backlog.

Ad Hoc: Immediate escalation for items that could materially affect award timing or compliance.

Key Personnel & Qualifications

Grants Management Specialist

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• 5+ years of federal grants experience; NIH experience preferred.
• Experience with eRA Commons and IMPAC II.
• 3+ years of experience in finance/accounting preferred.
• Proficiency with SF-424, modular budgets, and indirect cost calculations.
• Knowledge of NIH Grants Policy Statement, human subjects regulations, and audit reporting.
• Personnel must meet NIH background check and required clearance standards. Contractor to provide resume, PII redaction training certificates, and references.

Project Manager

• Develops project management documentation and monitors/reports progress to project owners.
• Conducts project analysis and reports to upper management.
• Develops and tracks project budgets.
• Researches project management best practices and new industry standards.
• Provides subject matter expertise and support to other project managers.
• 5–7 years of experience in a related field supporting a variety of projects.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite and project management software, including MS Project.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of methods, metrics, tools, and techniques of business process reengineering.
• Knowledge of principles and methods of cost‑benefit analysis.

Disclaimer: The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed.

EEO Statement: The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.

Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: [e-mail]

Salary Range: $120,000 - $130,000 USD