Proposal Manager, Office of Research Administration

Engineering a world of possibilities

Mines invites applications for a Proposal Manager, responsible for the management of research and other sponsored proposals through the Office of Research Administration (ORA) at Colorado School of Mines (Mines). This position is a key member of the Proposal Analyst unit and serves as a resource to faculty to ensure compliant proposal submissions. The Proposal Manager will serve as a lead resource to faculty and administrators in the administration of all sponsored research, specifically the submission of funding proposals to external organizations.

The Proposal Manager, with support from the Assistant Director, manages a team of Proposal Analysts by monitoring the schedule and development of sponsored project proposals for Mines. This position will also be responsible for maintaining an accurate database of proposals which will be accessed by ORA and other organizations on campus, including individual faculty members, department heads, deans and central administration.

This position requires critical thinking skills to review and interpret proposal guidelines and sponsor expectations and is responsible for developing compliant proposal budgets, determining that a proposal is ready for submission, signing and submitting proposals on behalf of School by deadline, and providing formal and informal training to faculty members and department administrators.

This position requires on campus presence several days per week.

Primary Responsibilities

Proposal Submissions

Review research and other sponsored proposals for external funding to assure that the proposals comply with School, state of Colorado, and sponsoring agency regulations. Determine the completeness of proposals by ensuring all agency and School requirements are met and necessary forms and certifications are prepared. Submit approved proposals, on behalf of Mines, by the sponsor mandated deadline.

• Coordinate the information dissemination and proposal submission process for the School’s subrecipients, subcontractors, or third-party contributors. Accurately incorporate the subrecipient’s proposal into the School’s proposal and budget.
• Work with faculty to create institutionally approved proposal budgets by applying knowledge of a variety of cost information such as School and agency policies. Will determine allowable costs, coordinate with other units on campus for any cost waivers, and verify any institutional funds or resources used for cost matching. If costs are determined unallowable, recommend changes to the faculty.
• Perform cost negotiations with project sponsors; including a justification of costs and explanation of school polices and business practices.

Proposal Team Manager

• With support from the Assistant Director, the Proposal Manager will have direct supervision of the proposal analyst unit, 4-8 Full Time Employees, with the authority to hire, evaluate performance, and resolve personnel concerns.
• Determine proposal prioritization by evaluating the sponsor deadline, complexity of the proposal, School policy and staff resources. The Proposal Manager will effectively manage workloads and priorities for the Proposal Analyst unit to ensure that majority of proposals are complete and submitted by the sponsor deadline.
• With support from the Assistant Director of Pre-Award, provide training to the Proposal Analysts and faculty on proposal requirements, both school and sponsor, federal regulations, allowable costs, statements of work, indirect costs, etc. Provide assistance and guidance to Proposal Analysts when they are presented with an unusual situation or problem.
• Work with the Assistant Director of Pre-Award to establish, document, disseminate and review efficient business policies and procedures for the proposal team while ensuring best business practices.
• Serve as the final decision-maker regarding the accuracy and completeness of a proposal. Use authority to sign sponsor representations and certifications, specifically the standard federal representations and certifications included in grant application templates, including Letters of Commitment and cost share.
• Determine and maintain proposal creation…