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:

– Senior Manager

Base Description:

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

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates advanced skills in critical functions related to unit's success. Demonstrates advanced knowledge of emerging technologies and processes. Monitors completed work of others to ensure effectiveness and adherence to requirements. Sets clear expectations and holds team accountable. Establishes a shared team/unit vision. Demonstrates ability to evaluate and enhance team/unit practices that promote a strong commitment to inclusionary practices. Coaches others using appropriate strategies. Demonstrates diplomacy. Demonstrates ability to serve as liaison between senior-level management and staff. Resolves complex, controversial, or unprecedented issues and problems.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Oversees large team or teams of individual contributors and/or supervisors/managers
– Leads a department or functional area

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Monitors and tracks large budgets
– Plans, forecasts, and/or develops budgets
– May approve budgets for specific area
– Typically has final signature authority for specific area

Problem Solving:

– Encounters highly varied and complex problems that impacts the team and possibly the unit
– Develops creative and/or novel approaches to resolve problems that are difficult in nature
– Independently resolves complex and/or unprecedented issues and problems

Independence of Action:

– Work results are not clearly defined
– Generally sets own goals and determines how to accomplish results with few or no guidelines to follow
– Monitors completed work of others to ensure soundness of approach, effectiveness of meeting requirements, the feasibility of recommendations and adherences to requirements
– Delegates more advanced tasks to others

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– Collaborates closely with team members and various areas across the University
– Fosters collaboration between units and engages others' coordinated efforts to reach desired outcomes with broad scope

• Comp Grade – 14
• Minimum – $97,100.00
• MidPoint – $121,400.00
• Maximum – $145,700.00