Research Grants & Contracts Portfolio Manager

About the Job

The ideal candidate is a proactive and self-directed professional who takes initiative, demonstrates accountability, and consistently takes ownership of their work. They possess a strong understanding of university and grant administrative structures, allowing them to navigate complex processes effectively and independently. This individual brings both strategic thinking and attention to detail, with the ability to manage the depth and breadth of work required in a dynamic academic and research environment.

They are adaptable, collaborative, and committed to advancing organizational goals through reliable execution and thoughtful problem-solving. This is not an entry-level position; position requires 2-3 days on campus per week.

Responsibilities:

T32 Grant Management - 35%

* Manage xTRAIN (trainee appointments and terminations) and xTRACT (trainee reporting and tracking).

* Oversee trainee documentation, including eligibility, applications, appointment letters, leaves of absence, payback agreements, and funding requests.

* Assist trainees and faculty with NIH Commons, including new account setup, profile maintenance, ORCID linking, and My NCBI/MyBibliography management.

* Maintain and manage the mentor list, ensuring new mentors are officially added.

* Prepare administrative components of proposals and progress reports.

* Collect and compile data for renewals and RPPR submissions.

* Serve as the primary point of contact for pre-award staff, accounting teams, and faculty.

* Liaise with departmental, collegiate administration, and Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) throughout the lifecycle of awards.

* Cultivate strong relationships with trainees to ensure accurate and long-term reporting.

Program Administration & Compliance - 35%

* Maintain trainee training records and compliance requirements (e.g., RCR, human subjects training).

* Manage travel logistics for trainees and sponsored visitors, including booking travel, preparing itineraries, and ensuring timely reimbursement of honoraria and expenses.

* Partner with faculty to prepare documents for research grant submissions (both sponsored and non-sponsored).

* Manage "Other Support" documents, biosketches, and CVs for Epidemiology faculty and training grant mentors.

* Coordinate with PIs to ensure program activities are properly developed, tracked, and reported in progress reports and grant submissions.

* Attend T32 stakeholder meetings as scheduled and collaborate with other training grant staff.

* Organize advisory board meetings, annual retreats, and special program events.

* Build and maintain relationships with pre-award, post-award, SPA, and administrative teams to support divisional and departmental goals.

* Ensure research personnel comply with all University, state, and federal regulations; maintain records and identify required training.

* Ensure compliance with University research policies and procedures.

* Demonstrate working knowledge of federal program guidelines, including budget constraints and sponsor requirements, and identify solutions to restrictions.

Purchasing and Contracts - 30%

* Manage purchase orders and requisitions for the divisions.

* Administer unfunded agreements for the Division of Epidemiology, including submission in MN-GEMS, gathering required documentation, and ensuring timely execution.

* Oversee software purchases for multiple divisions (including BMT, Epi, and Neonatology), proactively tracking renewals and securing prior approvals.

* Coordinates software license requests and equipment purchasing for Neonatology faculty, managing the full request-to-fulfillment workflow including needs documentation, vendor coordination, and tracking through University procurement systems, contracting process, and UIS review (when needed).

* Negotiate research contracts, particularly with industry partners.

* Manage executed contracts and ensure proper documentation.

* Maintains records of software subscriptions, licensing terms, renewal timelines, and equipment assets to support departmental planning and compliance.

* Manage division shipping processes, including invoicing, payments, tracking, and account management.

* Utilize Emburse for expense management.

* Reconcile PCard transactions for faculty and staff, ensuring accuracy and compliance.

* Identifies purchasing process improvements and communicates procurement policies to faculty to streamline requests.

Other duties as assigned.

Essential Employees:

The successful candidate will be designated as an Essential Employee. Essential Employees are expected to report to campus during a University State of Emergency (reduced operations or campus closure) unless specifically directed by the Department not to report or if directed by civil emergency or medical authorities not to report for health and safety reasons. As an Essential Employee, you must report to campus even if the closure is less than 3 days.

Qualifications

All required qualifications must be documented on application materials

Required…