The primary location of this position is on-site in Cullowhee, NC. This position is designated as being exempt from the State of North Carolina Human Resources Act (EHRA).
The Post Award Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for the post-award division of ORA, ensuring effective stewardship of sponsored funds and high-quality, service-orientated experience for principal investigators (PIs) and research staff. This role serves as the University’s primary authority on financial post-award administration and leads cross-functional collaboration to strengthen compliance, enhance financial oversight and advance a proactive solutions-oriented grants management culture. The role ensures compliance with federal, state, and institutional policies while driving process improvements in support of the University’s mission. The Post Award Manager will supervise the grant specialist position in the Office of Research Administration.
The essential duties of the Post Award Manager include:
Leadership and Collaboration
- Provide daily operational oversight and service excellence for the Post Award Division.
- Lead process improvement initiatives, policy development, and reporting enhancements.
- Serve as primary liaison to external sponsors and campus stakeholders on post award administrative issues.
- Represent the University in interactions with external sponsors and regulatory agencies on financial compliance and reporting.
- Maintain the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and prepare reports.
- Provide monthly and year-end reports to administration, including assisting with annual financial reporting and monitoring time and effort reports.
Award Setup and Execution
- Oversee the setup of new awards, including establishing new funds and project budgets.
- Review and interpret award financial terms and conditions. Monitor spending on all sponsored projects to ensure adherence to award terms and conditions, federal regulations, and University policies.
- Advise the Director ORA on amendments, budget modifications, and supplemental funding.
Financial Management
- Manage cost transfers, prior approval requests, additional compensation requests, academic release requests, and tracking of faculty/staff commitments on sponsored projects.
- Lead subrecipient risk assessment, FFATA reporting, monitoring and closeout activities in accordance with sponsor requirements and university policies.
Financial Operations and Reporting
- Oversee audit requests, reconciliation, internal controls, procurement compliance, billing, drawdowns, and accounts receivable for sponsored projects.
- Manage F&A cost recovery, distribute recovered F&A funds, and prepare F&A cost recovery reports
- Provide financial monitoring of sponsored projects and recommend corrective actions where needed.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Required for this Position
- Grants & Contracts Administration: Knowledge of federal, state, and university regulations governing grants and contracts, including working knowledge of Uniform Guidance.
- Financial & Compliance Knowledge: Understanding of governmental and institutional accounting processes associated with sponsored programs.
- Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate with faculty, staff, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
- Project Management & Organization: Proven ability to analyze and perform complex activities, manage competing priorities, and consistently meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
