Pre-Award Project Manager - Grants Hub

Bachelor’s degree and 3 years of related experience

Pre-Award Project Manager - Grants Hub

Professional & Scientific

Bachelor’s degree and 3 years of related experience

Enjoy bringing people, ideas, and resources together to turn ambitious research concepts into competitive funding proposals? Looking for a role where you can collaborate with researchers and stakeholders across a wide range of disciplines?

If so, the Grants Hub is seeking a Pre-Award Project Manager to support the successful development of interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams and proposals at Iowa State University! This position will coordinate the preparation and submission of large, complex grant proposals involving multiple stakeholders and provide project management support to IDR teams, starting from team formation and continuing through handoff to a post-award project manager.

This position will be classified as a Research Administrator II.

The Pre-Award Project Manager will work with researchers from all colleges and disciplines, with an emphasis on large, center-type proposals that involve researchers and stakeholders from multiple colleges, institutions, and sectors. This role will also serve as the primary point of contact to coordinate the Grants Hub’s comprehensive team-based proposal development support for selected IDR teams.

• Develop proposal checklists and calendars, identify key milestones and deadlines, assign tasks, and track progress towards deliverables.
• Work with IDR teams to identify and manage project scope, goals, risks, resources, and stakeholders.
• Develop project communications and reporting plans.
• Manage proposal-related communications with IDR teams, collaborators, stakeholders, and other sponsored funding support staff and actively participate in and facilitate working group meetings.
• Manage preparations and logistics for site visits and reverse site visits.
• Provide back-up and supplemental pre-award administration support, including budget development, document collection and review, and proposal routing and submission.
• Collaborate with other Grants Hub staff and external consultants to coordinate proposal-strengthening activities such as strategic intelligence analyses and color team reviews.
• Identify and implement improvements to project management and pre-award research administration processes, including through development of AI agents and automated workflows.

The successful candidate will have exceptional organizational and time management skills; strong oral and written communications skills; a proactive and collaborative approach to customer service and relationship building; a high attention to detail; and the ability to adjust to shifting deadlines and priorities.

The successful candidate must reside in the state of Iowa on or before their start date. This position offers the flexibility to work on-site in Ames or in a hybrid work arrangement as well.

• Demonstrated experience in managing the development and submission of complex research grant proposals and budgets involving multiple investigators and subcontracts.
• Experience with Federal regulations and agency policies and guidelines for sponsored research, proposal submission, and budgeting.
• Demonstrated experience working with interdisciplinary research teams, preferably in a university environment.
• Experience developing and managing strategic partnerships and collaborating with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience and/or formal training or certification in project management methodologies, frameworks, and best practices applied to complex research projects, grant development, or…