Hiring range: $100,000 - $115,000
This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.
The Pre-Award Manager serves as the senior technical expert and operational leader of the Gillings School of Global Public Health's new centralized Pre-Award Research Administration Unit. The Gillings School is ranked #1 among public schools of public health for NIH funding, generating over $1 billion in sponsored research since 2016 across eight academic departments, multiple nationally recognized research centers, and work conducted in more than 40 countries. This position is responsible for providing strategic leadership, operational oversight, and advanced subject matter expertise for all pre-award research administration activities across the School. The Pre-Award Manager operates with significant independence in managing day-to-day pre-award operations, making operational and staffing decisions within established parameters, and representing the pre-award function to internal and external stakeholders without requiring case-by-case direction from the Associate Dean for Research.
This position supervises a team of Pre-Award Research Administrators who support faculty and research teams throughout the proposal development and submission lifecycle for sponsored research projects. This position manages the most complex, high-risk, and multi-institutional proposal submissions; serves as the primary escalation point for sponsor compliance and regulatory interpretation; and ensures consistency, accuracy, and compliance across all pre-award activities. The Pre-Award Manager reviews and approves complex proposal budgets, including cost sharing arrangements, subaward budgets, F&A calculations, and effort commitments.
Working closely with faculty investigators, department leadership, the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), and ServiceFirst leadership, the Pre-Award Manager oversees proposal planning, budget development, sponsor compliance review, quality control, and submission processes, ensuring adherence to federal, state, sponsor, university, and school requirements. This position leads continuous process improvement initiatives, establishes service standards, develops and monitors performance metrics, manages team portfolio assignments and coverage, and builds a culture of excellence in research administration that supports the Gillings School's growing and diverse sponsored research enterprise.