Pre-Award Coordinator

Job Overview

Position:
Pre‑Award Coordinator (G&C Professional 2 or
3)

Job

Location:

Twin Cities – Hybrid (1 day in office per month)

Full‑Time, Regular, 12‑month appointment

Hybrid schedule with occasional in‑office work.

Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–4:30 pm (flexible as needed for proposal processing).

Non‑Essential Employee

Position may be eligible for visa sponsorship.

• Assist with auditing and refining internal workflows to identify barriers; design, recommend, and implement solutions that increase efficiency and accuracy (85% of time).
• Liaise with CVM’s SPA Grant and Contracts Officer to ensure compliance and consistency.
• Assist with creating SOPs for new sponsors and institutional systems (e.g., MN‑GEMS).
• Assist the Administrative Director in planning and preparing complex multi‑institutional proposals, center grants, and program‑project submissions.
• Manage the timely submission of grant proposals to federal, business/industry, and philanthropic sponsors by providing full lifecycle proposal management from concept to sponsor submission, including:
  • Developing project timelines and submission checklists
  • Creating and managing proposal budgets
  • Reviewing formatting and content for sponsor compliance
  • Routing proposals through internal approval systems
  • Submitting applications via sponsor platforms (ASSIST, Grants.gov, ezFedGrants, and others)
• Advise faculty and staff on university and federal policies, sponsor requirements, eligibility, and compliance obligations.
• Contact funding agencies to clarify program requirements, policy interpretations, and submission logistics; serve as a liaison between PIs and the college.

• Maintain pre‑award grant files and summaries, track pending awards, new grant awards, and prepare grant reports (10% of time).
• Provide data on collegiate proposal submissions and awards.
• Help develop tools for pre‑award use (checklists, budget templates, calculators, job‑aid tutorials).
• Maintain knowledge‑management systems, including:
  • CVM pre‑award Google site
  • Sponsor‑specific checklists
  • Budget templates and calculators
  • Proposal tracking lists
  • Onboarding manuals and training materials
  • Pre‑award intranet updates

• Support and organize college research events, including a One Health Event, RIDE Seminars and Summit, and special events.
• Assist with organizing Federal Grant Writing Groups for early‑career faculty and postdoctoral scholars.
• Train, onboard, and support new Pre‑Award Specialists and Department Administrators as needed.

• For G&C Professional 2:
  Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, finance, accounting, research administration, or related field plus two years of experience (or equivalent). For Professional 3: same degree plus four years of experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously while meeting strict deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including drafting administrative proposal components.
• Ability to interpret policy and communicate regulatory requirements clearly.
• Experience using electronic research administration systems and sponsor submission platforms (e.g., Grants.gov, ASSIST, ezFedGrants).
• Experience preparing and submitting grant proposals and knowledge of federal regulations (Uniform Guidance, PAPPG).
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, and data‑tracking/reporting tools.

• Experience developing and managing complex proposal budgets, including salary/fringe, indirect costs, tuition remission, subawards, and multi‑year projections.
• Knowledge of sponsor‑required certifications and compliance requirements (conflict of interest disclosures, external professional activities reporting, etc.).
• Experience managing a diverse portfolio of non‑federal grants and contracts with complex cost‑sharing requirements and varying IDC rates.
• Experience with no‑code platforms such as Airtable, Smart Sheets, and Zapier.