Assistant Manager for Sponsored Projects

POSITION OBJECTIVE

Working with a high degree of independence, provide overall administrative management and coordination of a variety of grant administration, finance, budget, and business-related functions for various departments across Case Western Reserve University. The assistant manager will be assigned a research portfolio of the Center for Human Performance and Resilience interdisciplinary grants and contracts, based in multiple clinical research departments. These assignments will change as needed based on changes in funding levels, staffing needs and other dynamics. The assistant manager is expected to function as the financial and business manager across the Center and work directly with faculty and staff as it relates to grant submissions, financial reporting, tracking of expenses, determining optimal staffing levels based on available resources, and ensuring compliance with pre and post award management requirements. The assistant manager will develop and implement plans for optimizing the management of resources, exercising discretion and independent judgment to assigned departments related to managing revenues and expenses, as well as working with administrators across the university. The assistant manager has authority to accomplish objectives within established guidelines and policies with the expectation of only referring special problems to the Executive Director.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Provide multi-institution, complex proposal development for collaborative research, industry and clinical-trials grants and contracts. Provide background research to emphasize the connection between the research needs statement and the interests of the funder. Manage contract and grant proposal preparation processes for the more demanding and reporting-intensive sponsors with varying policies, restrictions, and deliverables. Collaborate with principal investigators, co-investigators, senior key personnel, and their respective research administration teams (within CWRU, external partners, and hospital affiliates) to build budgets and budget justifications for grants and contracts. Advise faculty on complex contract and grant terms that may impact the administration of a project involving multiple institutions in both the U.S. and international sites. Facilitate terms and conditions of awards, budget augmentation, and project period with the principals. Ensure compliance with all state and federal agency regulations, industry, non-profit organizations, and university procedures. Meet with principal investigators, department chairs, and executive director to discuss or initiate corrective actions prior to proposal submissions. Serve as a resource to assigned departments by interpreting proposal guidelines, providing guidance in navigating federal web-based submission platform, and navigating CWRU¿s internal routing process through SPARTA. (35%) Serve as the financial and business operations director for their assigned portfolio of $10 million+ funded projects. Extract data from multiple university sources and systems and perform continuous financial modeling for implementation. Review spending patterns to project future trends and prepare long-range operational forecasts and cash flow analysis. Develop monthly forecasts for each principal investigator outlining all projects in their portfolio and meet with them monthly to review trends. Develop and implement strategies to avoid over and under spending. Review and monitor spending levels and commitments. Be the main contact and primary administrator to departmental staff, faculty, and department chairs for all budget-related matters concerning Center for Human Performance proposals. Engage Case School of Engineering employees as needed and follow up with colleagues, departmental staff, and faculty to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner. Create efficiencies to improve accuracy. (20%) Solely responsible for inputting assigned proposals into federal web-based submission platforms (Grants.gov, Research.gov, ASSIST, etc.) and managing the internal routing process through SPARTA. Communicate with CWRU Office of Sponsored Projects, CWRU School of Medicine Office of Grants and Contracts, funder program officers, and federal funder administrators as needed to complete submissions. (15%) Monitor project budgets, expenditures, and overall financial performance and reporting requirements. Execute grant reports and budget revisions as needed. Ensure compliance with all grant-related policies including proper documentation, required reporting and invoicing, and timely communication with project sponsors. Track and monitor revenue and expense budgets. Prepare departmental performance and financial analyses and reports as required. (15%) Prepare administrative reports for submission to sponsoring agencies including interim and final financial reports for the university, which are then submitted to the sponsor. Interpret school and university policies and procedures pertaining to grant management and ensure compliance by all staff; communicate any policy changes to appropriate staff. Maintain a database of all sub-recipients and ensure they meet Single Audit requirements; gain an understanding of and communicate expectations for sub-recipients’ compliance programs. Serve an active role, including chairing committees, on various leadership teams in developing long- and short-term departmental strategy goals; cross‑train with SPARC team to ensure smooth grant management during absences. (5%)

NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Perform other duties as assigned. ( CONTACTS Department: Daily contact with faculty and research personnel in assigned departments and the Office of Research and Technology Management administrative offices, SOM, CSE, CAS, SON, MSASS research teams and administrators. University: Daily contact with purchasing, accounts payable, and other central administrative departments. External: Weekly contact with University Hospitals, MetroHealth and Cleveland Clinic physicians, administrators, research personnel and residents. Regular contact with federal funding agencies and institutes, industrial and non-profit funding agencies. Students: Contact with graduate students and student employees.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

No direct responsibility.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree and 5 or more years of related experience, or Associate's degree and 7 or more years of related experience. Grant administration experience required. Operational finance management preferred. Master's degree preferred.

REQUIRED SKILLS

Demonstrated experience in managing strategic and organizational planning activities within a complex organization, preferably in an academic or public health setting. Experience developing or managing large (multimillion dollar) budgets. Professional and effective oral and written communication skills; and good interpersonal skills with the ability to work and communicate with various individuals within and external to the university. Must demonstrate good presentation skills and the ability to articulate and accurately relay information to others in a formal and informal setting. Strong organization skills; ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines. Must demonstrate attention to detail and accuracy, time management skills, and follow-through. Effective management skills; ability to lead, train, work with, and elicit cooperation from team members and staff. Ability to work effectively independently and collaboratively within a team. Must be highly motivated, responsible, dependable and a self‑starter. Effective problem‑solving skills; must demonstrate excellent analytical skills, sound judgment and good decision‑making. Must demonstrate innovation and the ability to develop new ideas, procedures and systems in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Must demonstrate flexibility and ability to work under pressure; must be able and willing to conform to shifting priorities, demands and timelines. Experience with ASSIST, Grants.gov and Research.gov preferred. Experience with DoD budget planning process preferred. Knowledge of CWRU policies and procedures preferred. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, database applications, and with internet navigation. Experience with PeopleSoft and/or Oracle and SPARTA a plus. Must demonstrate willingness to learn new concepts, procedures, processes, and computer programs as needed. Demonstrated history of successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest. Ability to meet consistent attendance. Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face. Willingness to learn and work with artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies.

WORKING CONDITIONS

General office environment. #J-18808-Ljbffr