Manager , Pre-Award Services

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary:
  Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard
  
  Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $90,000.00-$

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

The mission of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) Office for Research is to facilitate the highest caliber of biomedical research, from basic to translational to clinical, among the VP&S faculty, students, and staff at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC).

As a member of the Pre-Award Team, the Manager I, Pre Award Services oversees grant-related pre-award activities for the basic sciences and other participating departments within VP&S. The incumbent applies advanced expertise in grants administration to support a complex portfolio of funding opportunities while providing leadership, guidance, and operational oversight for a team of pre-award professionals.

The Manager I is responsible for fostering employee development, supporting performance management activities, promoting collaboration and continuous improvement, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality pre-award services. This role requires strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to build effective relationships with faculty, researchers, and institutional stakeholders while ensuring compliant and timely proposal submissions.

• Pre-Award Grant Administration

  • Assists PIs in the development, review, and submission of all Federal, State, and foundation grants and contract applications, including individual investigator grants, multiple principal investigator (MPI), and complex grants, such as training grants, career development grants, and program center grants. Independently leads submission of grants:
    Manages timelines, research team communication, and the overall progression of submission to ensure the on-time completion of high quality, responsive and compliant proposal applications. Proactively communicates progress and roadblocks and collaborates with leadership to mitigate problems and identify or innovate solutions.
  • Facilitates and supports the research and identification of funding opportunities on behalf of investigators, as appropriate.
  • Prepares and delivers presentations to faculty and researchers. Prepares agenda and presents at monthly department administrator and researcher meetings.
  • Prepares grant budgets and budget justifications based on the aims provided and RFA technical content requirements in full compliance with sponsor/donor and CU policies, as well as engages outside collaborators and establishes subcontracts.
  • Drafts supporting documents for grants including letters of intent, letters of support, cover letters, facilities, and resources.
  • Maintains detailed, up-to-date records of PI’s other support, biosketches, and grant submission documents.
  • Responds to RFAs and summary statements and addresses issues prior to submission.
  • In coordination with the Post-Award Team and the principal investigators, promotes accurate preparation and timely submission of progress reports as required by sponsoring program.
  • Tracks the status of pending applications, follows up with investigator regarding review/funding status of application.
  • Supports investigators in responding to Just-In-Time requests.
  • Ensures files are complete for awarded applications, secures missing information from principal investigators and/or administrators.
  • Maintains standards: budget templates, standardized checklists for core staff and PIs tailored to the sponsor/mechanism, standardized filing system using shared drives, updated resources and facilities.
  • Guides and mentors researchers and junior team members on grant funding policies, regulations, and procedures.
  • Performs all other duties as assigned within scope of practice and/or training.

  People and Stakeholder Management

  • Manages a team of pre-award administrators. Provides coaching, ongoing feedback, and guidance to support employee development and performance. Participates in or leads creation and implementation of team processes to promote effective communication, collaboration, and decision-making, and ensure alignment across pre-award team. Models and communicates team values and culture.
  • Contributes to onboarding and training for new and current team members. Collaborates with lead trainer to identify training needs, provide subject matter expertise for development of training materials, facilitate trainings, and support the continuous improvement of pre-award learning and development resources.
  • Collaborates with leadership on human resources activities such as recruiting, hiring, and performance…