Senior Project Manager, Grant Operations

Role Description

The Senior Project Manager (SPM) in the Office of Funded Programs (OFP) is a strategic, cross‑functional role responsible for driving operational excellence across both pre‑award and post‑award functions. This position identifies opportunities to streamline processes, leads the development and implementation of efficiency initiatives, and ensures consistent, high‑quality execution across the department. The Senior Project Manager also owns OFP’s training suite, manages departmental Impact Labs, and provides backfill support for pre‑award activities as needed.

This role requires a proactive, solutions‑oriented professional who learns quickly, navigates ambiguity with confidence, and can independently move complex projects from concept to completion. This role ensures that project goals align with organizational objectives, overseeing scope, timelines, budgets, resource allocation, and stakeholder coordination. The Sr. Project Manager will proactively identify risks, drive solutions, and optimize project execution for maximum impact.

The Association offers many resources to help you maintain work-life harmonization through your changing needs and life situations. To help you be successful, you will have access to Heart U, our award-winning corporate university, as well as additional training and support, locally.

#TheAHALife is more than a company culture; it is our way of life. It embodies our commitment to work-life harmonization and is guided by our core values where our employees can thrive both personally and professionally.

Responsibilities

• Process Improvement & Operational Excellence:
  • Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and quality across pre‑award and post‑award workflows.
  • Lead the design, development, and implementation of new processes, tools, and operational models.
  • Develop a service catalog for OFP.
  • Conduct end‑to‑end mapping of pre‑award and post‑award workflows.
  • Identify bottlenecks and propose solutions to reduce cycle times for critical OFP services.
  • Design a triage model for high‑volume periods.
  • Conduct systems assessments and propose workflow redesigns.
  • Work closely with OFP leadership, pre‑award and post‑award teams; and build strong relationships across the organization to support adoption of new processes.
  • Enhance performance metrics and recommend adjustments to ensure continuous improvement.
  • Serve as a thought partner to OFP leadership on long‑term operational strategy.
• Training & Capacity-building:
  • Own the full OFP training suite, including design, documentation, delivery, and ongoing updates.
  • Design an OFP knowledge and resource hub.
  • Ensure training materials reflect current policies, systems, and best practices.
• Cross-Functional Project Management & Collaboration:
  • Lead special projects that span pre-award, post-award, compliance, and operational domains.
  • Manage OFP Impact Labs (departmental work groups focused on process innovation).
  • Design IRB tracking workflow.
  • Manage implementation of a new grants management system (Cayuse).
  • Build dashboards to capture OFP trend data.
  • Create a process to ensure all OFP templates, checklists, and SOPs are reviewed and updated on a regular cadence.
  • Develop comprehensive project plans that outline schedules, deliverables, risks, and resource allocation.
  • Communicate project goals, timelines, and outcomes clearly and effectively.
  • Define and track project KPIs, ensuring outcomes align with business unit goals.
• Pre-Award Support:
  • Provide pre‑award coverage during staff PTO or peak workload periods (i.e., budget development, proposal routing, gift agreement processing, RCO requests).
  • Maintain working knowledge of pre‑award policies, systems, and processes for non-government grants.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Health, or a related area.
• Experience working with government grants, including grant funding, compliance, and administration, is strongly preferred.
• Five (5) years of minimum experience leading complex projects from concept to implementation.
• Five (5) years minimum experience leading pre‑award and post‑award processes or other operational roles.
• Five (5) years of minimum experience developing training materials or leading staff development initiatives.
• Five (5) years of minimum experience developing, analyzing, and preparing presentations and reports on project outcomes.
• Five (5) years of minimum experience communicating with senior-level management.

Requirements

• Familiarity with pre‑award and post‑award processes.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects from concept to implementation.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Proven ability to learn new systems, processes, and subject matter quickly.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication.
• Demonstrated ability to coach teams, resolve issues, and foster a culture of collaboration and customer service.
• Project management certification (PMP, CAPM, or similar) is a plus.
• Proficiency with grants management systems (e.g., enterprise grants management tools, financial systems) is a plus.

Benefits

• The expected pay range is $105,000 - $120,000.
• Pay is commensurate with experience; geographic differentials to the pay range may apply.
• The American Heart Association invests in its people.
• Compensation: Competitive base salary with regular market reviews.
• Performance and Recognition: Rewards for achieving success through annual salary planning and incentive programs.
• Benefits: Wide array including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, along with a robust retirement program.
• Professional Development: Access to Employee Resource Groups (ERG) and mentoring programs.
• Work-Life Harmonization: Minimum of 16 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) for new employees, increasing with seniority.
• Tuition Assistance: Financial assistance for further education related to current duties or future positions.