Penn State Job Catalog

Additional levels that exist for this job profile can be seen below.

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Grants and Contracts Administration

The Grants and Contracts Manager leads research administration activities within a unit; establishes and measures performance standards; allocates resources in order to achieve service objectives; manages workflows and communicates goals to employees throughout the organization; ensures unit operations, policies, and procedures align with strategic plans; and provides expertise related to research portfolio growth, complex agreement negotiations, or multi-disciplinary award administration.

• Direct research administration activities within a college, research unit, or research division; or lead a team within a central research administration office
• Develop processes and procedures for pre- and post- award activities including proposal and award processing/closing, negotiations, project implementation, identifying funding opportunities, and consulting with faculty and research teams; recommend and implement process improvements
• Manage a team of research administration staff including hiring, assigning work, managing workflow volume and deadlines, ensuring quality of service, and creating development opportunities
• Oversee University wide research administration programs related to research compliance
• Provide expertise with complex, multi-disciplinary proposals and negotiating complex agreements; develop training tools and resources
• Identify and collaborate with faculty to resolve issues including compliance, project deliverables, fiscal management, and reporting
• Foster relationships with stakeholders including colleges within the University research community, partnering central units, external sponsors, and regulatory organizations
• Exercise signature authority to submit, negotiate, approve, and revise agreements, documents, and proposals on behalf of the University
• Contribute to the unit’s research strategy including reporting methods, performance indicators, operational efficiencies, compliance practices, and research portfolio growth; represent the interests of the research administration unit throughout the University; collaborate with research directors, executives, and academic administrators to develop strategic plans
• Responsible for maintaining compliance with internal policies and external regulatory institutions including government organizations, interpret and apply policy changes to unit operations; educate staff, investigators, faculty, larger research community, and administrators on business practice changes

Level:

– Principal Manager

Base Description:

– Manages direct reports where primary duty is the management of a working unit.

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates awareness of broad issues and management trends. Applies exemplary management principles. Evaluates impact of policy and adjusts accordingly. Ensures appropriate skills are developed and maintained within team/unit. Realigns staff responsibilities to meet desired changes. Provides administrative and policy direction. Develops and articulates broad goals. Fosters collaboration between units. Engages in written and verbal communications that reach a university-wide and/or broad external audience. Develops and implements solutions to highly complex and often controversial problems.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Oversees teams of other supervisors/managers
– Leads a business unit

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Plans, forecasts, develops, and/or approves budgets
– Typically has final signature authority for business unit

Problem Solving:

– Encounters highly varied and complex problems that may have a significant impact on multiple units and/or the University
– Regularly develops creative and/or novel approaches to resolve the most difficult problems
– Creates an environment that encourages imaginative solutions to problems

Independence of Action:

– Work results are not clearly defined and may be frequently changing
– Sets own goals and determines how to accomplish results with few or no guidelines to follow
– Oversees completed work of others and is accountable for unit results
– Delegates advanced tasks to others and provides guidance to team members

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– May represent the University externally
– Collaborates closely with team members and other leaders across the University
– Communicates a compelling vision that inspires and motivates others

• Comp Grade – 15
• Minimum – $109,300.00
• MidPoint – $136,600.00
• Maximum – $164,000.00