Grants and Contract Manager, Office of Research & Sponsored Programs

External Applicants:

Please ensure all required documents are ready to upload before beginning your application, including your resume, cover letter, and any additional materials specified in the job description.

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• Navigate to the "My Experience" application page.

• Locate the "Resume/CV" document upload section at the bottom of the page.

• Use the "Select Files" button to upload your cover letter, resume, and any other required supporting documents. You can select multiple files.

Important Note: The "My Experience" page is the only opportunity to attach your cover letter, resume, and supporting documents. You will not be able to modify your application or add attachments after submission.

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A cover letter is required for all positions; optional for facilities, campus services, and hospitality roles unless otherwise specified.

Job Description Summary

Job Description

Essential Functions:

• Facilitates proposal writers as they identify future grant opportunities. Aids in interpretation of guidelines and regulatory requirements. Works with faculty members to prepare proposal budgets, navigate requirements, and complete other administrative sections of applications. Initiates or reviews proposal records in Cayuse.
• Manages faculty grant, discretionary, and start-up funds. Maintains and reconciles detailed budgets; advises and/or determines allowability of expenditures and compliance with budget guidelines; informs management of irregularities and proceeds with corrective action.
• Prepares regular financial reports for research funds. Using Workday, organizes and/or prepares financial summary reports; analyzes, summarizes, and interprets financial information, and recommends course of action. Conducts forecasting and budget planning for year-end projections.
• Oversees the system for receipt, processing and approval of invoices and expenditure requests through the department to Financial Services, including University P-Card purchases when startup funds, grants, or discretionary funds are used.
• Oversees and advises on the preparation of monthly journal entries for reallocating or correcting expenses and maintains complete documentation.
• Coordinates award closeout activities with ORSP Central and Financial Services, enabling timely final financial reporting, resolution of account overdrafts, and proper disposition of remaining balances.
• Coordinates graduate student appointments and pay with the Graduate School Office. Maintains awareness of graduate stipend levels and other fees.
• Understands process and implements appropriate action for faculty summer salary payments, course buyouts, and costing allocations.
• Reviews effort certification reports.
• Serves as primary liaison between assigned departments and key institutional offices and staff, including ORSP central, Post-Award Grants Administration, Accounts Payable, Procurement Department, Human Resources, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and Financial Aid (with respect to student employment), on behalf of both the department and individual faculty members.
• Understands and complies with University accounting policies and procedures. Provides guidance to principal investigators regarding grant-related University policies and procedures and promotes compliance with applicable requirements.
• Assists in compiling reports regarding study operations and progress for internal and external stakeholders, including faculty/staff, ORSP, Institutional Review Board, and/or study sponsors.
• Carries out additional responsibilities as needed to support institutional research objectives.

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or related field plus three years of progressive accounting/management experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of office and administrative practices and principles.
• Knowledge and skill in accounting and budget preparation/management.
• Knowledge and skill in financial reporting, comparisons, and/or projections.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, and Google Workspace.
• Knowledge of grant proposal submission and post-award maintenance processes.
• Well-developed planning, administrative, and project management skills; ability to establish goals, prioritize tasks, and mobilize resources in a time-critical environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills; excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, including proficiency in business and scientific writing. Ability to develop and nurture relationships with individuals/organizations having diverse professional expertise.
• Ability to proactively respond to grant budgeting issues and needs.
• Ability to solve problems and make decisions.
• Ability to analyze and interpret policy and procedural questions.
• Ability to handle multi-tasking, professional relationships under stressful conditions, and sensitive information in a confidential manner.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Experience with electronic proposal submission and processing.
• Experience using Cayuse 424 and SP.
• Experience using Workday.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA).

Accountabilities:

• Responsible for own work.
• Budgetary responsibilities.

Physical Requirements:

• Sedentary work primarily involves sitting/standing; communicating with others to exchange information; repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands, and/or fingers; and assessing the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned.

Environmental Conditions:

• No environmental conditions

This position is not eligible for sponsorship of non-immigrant or immigrant visa status through Wake Forest University. All eligible applicants are encouraged to apply.

Additional Job Description

Time Type Requirement

Note to Applicant:

This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.

In order to provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations and drug screens for all final staff candidates being considered for employment.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates to apply without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and military or veteran status.

Accommodations for Applicants

If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact AskHR@wfu.edu or (336) 758-4700.

About Us

About WFU:

Wake Forest University, formed in 1834, has experienced decades of growth and innovation. WFU is a distinctive university that combines a liberal arts core with graduate and professional schools and innovative research programs. The University embraces the teacher-scholar ideal, which prizes the personal interaction between students and faculty. It is a place where exceptional teaching, fundamental research and discovery, and the engagement of faculty and students in the classroom and the laboratory are paramount.

Wake Forest University is a community that seeks the enlightenment and freedom which come through diligent study and learning. Its higher goal, however, is to give life to the University motto "Pro Humanitate," as members translate a passion for knowledge into compassionate service. The community shares a tradition that embraces freedom and integrity and acknowledges the worth of the individual. The heritage, established by the school's founders and nurtured by succeeding generations, promotes a democratic spirit arising from open-mindedness and discourse. Wake Forest fosters compassion and caring for others. Its collective strength and character are derived from the values and distinctive experiences of each individual; therefore, it affirms the richness of human intellect and culture and its contribution to knowledge, faith, reason, and dialogue. Furthermore, it strives toward a society in which good will, respect, and equality prevail. To that end, Wake Forest University rejects hatred and bigotry in any form and promotes justice, honor, and mutual trust.​

The University is comprised of: the undergraduate college, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Divinity, School of Law, and School of Medicine (located on the Bowman Gray campus with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) and today enrolls about 4,846 undergraduates and 2,823 students in graduate programs at its principal location, the Reynolda campus. Students at Wake Forest University enjoy a great deal of access to and interaction with world-class faculty both in and out of the classroom setting with a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Wake Forest employs approximately 2,772 full and part-time faculty and staff.

Wake Forest is a collegiate university offering a vibrant, intellectual community with a rich cultural life, an impressive array of facilities, and a strong athletics program competing in the fifteen-team Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Since its founding, the university has adopted the motto “pro humanitate,” which is exemplified by a deep institutional commitment to public service and engagement with the world. Wake Forest has a strong commitment to holistic, eight-dimensional well-being for students, faculty and staff as evidenced in the Thrive initiative.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Wake Forest is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a beautiful, mid-sized city centrally located in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina. Winston-Salem is a family-friendly city with high quality schools, numerous outdoor recreational activities and events, and is known for its vibrant and thriving arts scene.

Winston-Salem residents enjoy close proximity to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains (1.5 hours) and Atlantic beaches (4 hours), a moderate climate with four distinct seasons, a very reasonable cost of living, and an eclectic variety of restaurants, wine bars, and breweries for dining with friends and family. Winston-Salem offers many of the amenities of a large city but with the sense of community and quality of life of a smaller town.