Senior Grants and Contracts Manager, Duke Department of Biology

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Occupational Summary:

The Duke Department of Biology seeks a Senior Grants & Contracts Manager (SGCM) responsible for the day-to-day oversight and management of assigned portfolios for the Department of Biology’s pre-award, award, contracting, and closeout activities. This position oversees Biology’s sponsored research payroll activities, including faculty summer efforts, and manages six personnel dedicated to these tasks. Additionally, the SGCM manages all sponsored awards/grants for the Department of Biology and oversees three faculty members’ portfolios for the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology.

A successful candidate for this position will have strong analytical and financial management skills and an interest in supporting faculty research. The candidate must be comfortable working in a deadline-driven environment and able to manage and prioritize complex projects, sensitive deadlines, and high-skilled personnel.

Work Performed

Sponsored Project Management: 50%

• Manage daily activities of the grants and contracts administration. Develop goals and objectives for departmental research activities with the Administrative Director (AD) and departmental leadership.
• Supervise the team’s grants management, including reconciliation and analysis of monthly financial statements for Principal Investigators (PIs), monthly reporting, and submission of reports to departmental leadership.
• Maintain communication with the AD to promptly address any grant-related administrative or compliance issues.
• Ensure all proposal applications meet sponsor and university guidelines, budgetary compliance, and deadlines. Monitor awards and interpret sponsor-specific regulations.
• Serve as the subject matter expert and primary point of contact for research administration. Oversee pre-award and post-award activities, ensuring compliance with institutional, sponsor, and governmental guidelines.
• Develop and update SOPs, monitoring guidelines, and processes. Review and approve SPS records, JVs, re-budgets, closeouts, and WBSE requests.
• Serve as lifecycle grant manager for a designated portfolio.
• Participate in internal or external audits of department grants/contracts by providing information and documentation as requested.
• Oversee the department’s sponsored research financial internal controls, including Corporate Card operations, Concur reporting, Buy@Duke purchasing, Accounts Payable check requests, program setups, re-budgets, and cost transfers.
• Conduct the annual effort certification process for Biology faculty and staff.
• Review and/or approve sponsored research financial transactions, monthly program reconciliations, and assist in resolving discrepancies.
• Monitor and resolve outstanding Corporate Card transactions, Accounts Payable problem invoices, program overdrafts, and similar issues.
• Monitor cost accounting standards (CAS) and closeout activities for timely submissions to the University and Sponsors.
• Provide high-quality customer service to the research community, fostering an environment of accountability, compliance, and stewardship.
• Communicate and clarify policies, procedures, and workflows regarding departmental research financial operations.
• Monitor policy adherence for all financial activities within the portfolio by incorporating Duke and funding agency policies into financial planning and expenditure reviews.

Personnel and Supporting Management: 50%

• Provide leadership and support for award management activities, sponsor inquiries, effective problem-solving, and facilitate issue resolution within and across departments.
• Plan and schedule work for the group, ensuring proper distribution of assignments and adequate resources.
• Coordinate with the AD to identify personnel for new faculty/PIs’ onboarding.
• Administer personnel actions, including hiring, performance assessments, corrective actions, promotions, transfers, and vacation scheduling.
• Interface with faculty/PIs and departmental leadership to foster collaboration, communicate policy updates, and resolve concerns.
• Manage grants and contracts positions and support personnel for a large department with a complex portfolio of grants and contracts.
• Provide leadership and support for sponsored research Corporate Payroll processes, including faculty academic/summer effort distributions, course/research buyouts, monthly/biweekly time reporting, adherence to payroll schedules, and resolving process complications.
• Coordinate ongoing team members' professional development.
• Serve as the departmental approver for the AD when applicable.
• Manage the team’s backup matrix and serve as secondary backup when needed.
• Work closely with departmental leadership to identify resources and support the team.
• Act as a liaison with Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, the department, and the central university to obtain and disseminate information.
• Act as a resource for pre- and post-award activities; develop and conduct training for team members, troubleshoot problems, and craft recommendations for resolution.
• Analyze data to identify trends, measure performance, and support continuous process improvement and training needs. Evaluate the effectiveness of improvement strategies through sustained performance monitoring.
• Lead change management projects to streamline and transform team workflows and increase productivity.
• Develop and implement departmental training initiatives, utilizing university training resources as appropriate.
• Represent the AD within a specified delegation of authority, participating in meetings, workgroups, and committees. Provide feedback on Duke-wide initiatives by participating in training, workgroups, and other committees.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in a related field. Research or grants education and/or certification is preferred.
• Training: Successful completion of the Research Administration Academy (RAA), Advanced Grants Management (AGM), and Research Administration Institute (RAI) training is required. Employees hired into this classification without the expected credentials will work closely with their manager to schedule and complete all training (12 months to complete RAA and an additional 6 months to complete AGM). Successful completion of all expected training will be an annual performance goal until complete.
• Certification: Upon successful completion of expected training, the employee must maintain RAA, AGM, and RAI certification by completing continuing education requirements. Certified Research Administrator (CRA) certification is preferred.
• Experience: Five (5) years of relevant grants and contracts experience.
• Skills:
  • Leadership skills and experience leading change initiatives.
  • Strong analytical and innovative problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to coach and develop employees and build commitment through feedback and evaluations.
  • Demonstrated skills in data analysis and formulating conclusions.
  • Ability to learn and adapt to changing technologies related to grants and contracts management.
  • Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint).
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills.
  • Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects/tasks simultaneously.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of federal rules and regulations related to grant and contract activity and their application to Duke University policies and procedures.
  • Knowledge of responsible conduct of research, advanced compliance issues, cost-sharing, and effort allocation.
  • Experience with functions in SPS, R3, grants.duke, SES, iForms, eCRT, and other related systems.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

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Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by eachhiring department.