Shared Grants Manager

Overview

Princeton University seeks a highly motivated, customer-focused, and results-oriented individual to serve as a Shared Services Grants Manager within the Sponsored Research Shared Services unit in the Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA). The position supports faculty, researchers, and departmental staff who do not have dedicated grants management resources within their academic units and provides comprehensive pre-award and post-award research administration services across a portfolio of Division I and II departments and units.

This position places a significant emphasis on providing expanded grants management support services across Division I-IV academic and administrative units. As part of ORPA's growing Sponsored Research Shared Services program, the role delivers short-term pre-award and post-award grants management support to departments experiencing vacancies, leaves, workload surges, or other operational challenges, ensuring continuity of service and minimizing disruption to faculty and research activities

The Shared Services Grants Manager serves as a trusted research administration partner, coordinating with faculty, department administrators, the Office of Research & Project Administration (ORPA), Sponsored Research Accounting (SRA), Procurement, Research Integrity and Assurance (RIA), the Research Development Office (RDO), the Office of the Dean for Research (DFR), sponsors, and collaborating institutions to ensure effective and compliant management of sponsored research activities.

The position requires strong independent judgment, initiative, accountability, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Serve as the primary research administration contact for assigned departments and provide end-to-end proposal development and submission support.
• Interpret sponsor guidelines and funding opportunity announcements and advise faculty and researchers on proposal requirements.
• Prepare budgets, budget justifications, subaward documentation, internal approvals, and other administrative proposal components.
• Review proposal packages for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with sponsor and University requirements.
• Assist with preparation and review of biosketches, current and pending support, facilities statements, and other sponsor-required materials.
• Identify and mitigate compliance, administrative, and business risks and coordinate required cost-sharing approvals.
• Facilitate ancillary reviews and coordinate with IRB, IACUC, IBC, URB, export controls, and other compliance offices as needed.
• Prepare and route proposals through Princeton and sponsor systems, coordinate with the assigned GCA, and shepherd submissions through required approvals.
• Route RAs, DUAs and other research-related agreements to the appropriate University office with necessary contextual information.
• Monitor proposals from development through submission and award negotiation and communicate status to faculty and departmental stakeholders.

• Provide ongoing oversight of faculty sponsored research portfolios and advise on the financial and administrative implications of award activity.
• Develop multi-year projections and financial forecasts and monitor expenditures, commitments, encumbrances, cost sharing, subawards, and available balances.
• Prepare revised budgets, rebudget requests, no-cost extensions, carry forward requests, prior approvals, cost transfers, and other financial adjustments.
• Assist with award setup, award modifications, supplemental funding, continuations, reporting requirements, closeout preparation, audit responses, and sponsor requests.
• Manage grant-supported personnel expenses, labor distributions, salary reallocations, effort certification, and cost-shared effort.
• Review travel, purchasing, procurement, and reimbursement transactions for compliance with sponsor and University requirements.
• Monitor subrecipient activity and invoices and coordinate with faculty, departments, ORPA, and SRA to resolve complex post-award issues.
• Identify potential financial or compliance risks and proactively recommend corrective actions.

• Provide temporary, ad hoc, and short-term pre and/or post award grants administration coverage for departments outside the assigned portfolio during vacancies, leaves, workload surges, or other operational needs.
• Quickly assess departmental needs, establish…