Senior Grants Manager - General Medicine

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00

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.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Divisional Administrator and working closely with principal investigators (PIs), the Senior Grants Manager oversees the comprehensive pre- and post-award administration of a portfolio of sponsored research grants, contracts, clinical trials, and related research accounts. Responsibilities include proposal development and submission, award setup, financial monitoring and analysis, reporting, compliance, and closeout for federal, foundation, industry, and other funding sources.

The Senior Grants Manager serves as a primary resource for faculty and staff, providing independent analysis and guidance to support sound financial management and compliance with sponsor requirements and University policies. The position collaborates with central research administration offices and provides training, workflow guidance, and operational support to promote consistent grants management practices.

Responsibilities

Pre-Award Administration

• Coordinate the development, review, submission, and renewal of grant, contract, clinical trial, and subcontract proposals; establish timelines and monitor sponsor and internal deadlines.
• Work with PIs to develop proposal and study budgets, budget justifications, personnel effort commitments, and other administrative application materials.
• Review applications for completeness, accuracy, formatting, and compliance with sponsor requirements; complete required forms and coordinate institutional review and submission through RASCAL and sponsor systems.
• Obtain required documentation from collaborating departments, institutions, and subrecipients; coordinate budgets and administrative requirements for collaborative and multi-project submissions.
• Maintain current biosketches, other support disclosures, and proposal records; coordinate Just-in-Time submissions, progress reports, and noncompeting renewals.
• Coordinate with PIs and relevant offices to track required research approvals and documentation, including Institutional Review Board submissions, as applicable.

Award Setup and Post-Award Management

• Review award terms, approved budgets, project periods, reporting schedules, billing requirements, and cost-sharing commitments; coordinate account and subproject setup with Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) and Sponsored Projects Finance (SPF).
• Manage financial and administrative activities throughout the award lifecycle, including expenditure review, account reconciliation, budget revisions, cost corrections, and monitoring of sponsored and related discretionary research accounts.
• Prepare and distribute monthly financial reports, expenditure projections, and variance analyses; meet regularly with PIs to review balances, spending plans, staffing needs, and potential deficits or unspent funds.
• Monitor personnel effort, salary allocations, payroll distributions, and cost sharing; coordinate adjustments and support timely effort reporting and Sponsored Projects Attestation Statements.
• Coordinate subawards, consulting and service agreements, and material transfer agreements with relevant offices; monitor invoices, payments, renewals, and outstanding obligations.
• Coordinate requests for no-cost extensions, carryforward, rebudgeting, changes in scope, and other award modifications requiring institutional or sponsor approval.
• Track and coordinate financial, progress, annual, and final reports with PIs and central offices; process training grant appointments, changes, and terminations, as applicable.
• Manage award closeout, including final reconciliations, resolution of outstanding charges and commitments, payroll and effort documentation, account adjustments, and final reporting.

Compliance and Operational Leadership

• Advise faculty and staff on sponsor requirements and University policies governing expenditures, effort, equipment, and award administration; identify concerns and coordinate corrective action with relevant offices.
• Serve as a liaison to SPA, SPF, the Clinical Trials Office, Research Compliance, and other administrative offices; maintain organized, audit-ready proposal, award, financial, and compliance records.
• Train and mentor grants administration staff and provide guidance to faculty; coordinate priorities and cross-coverage, contribute to standard operating procedures, and improve grants management workflows.
• Maintain current knowledge of sponsor policies, research administration practices, and University financial systems.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience, plus at least four years of progressively responsible experience in grants administration or sponsored research financial management.
• Demonstrated experience with pre- and post-award administration, proposal budgets, financial reconciliation, expenditure forecasting, and sponsor reporting.
• Ability to interpret sponsor requirements and institutional policies, analyze complex financial information, and work effectively with financial and research administration systems.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and proficiency with Word, Outlook, and financial reporting tools.
• Excellent communication, analytical, organizational, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work independently, manage competing deadlines, and build effective relationships with faculty, staff, and administrators.
• Demonstrated accuracy, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and navigate challenging interpersonal situations with professionalism and diplomacy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing federal and private grants, contracts, and clinical trials in a large academic healthcare or university research environment.
• Familiarity with NIH systems and procedures, including ASSIST and eRA Commons, and Columbia University systems such as ARC and RASCAL.
• Experience training or mentoring research administration staff.

Other Requirements

• Successful completion of applicable compliance and systems training requirements

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.