The Grants & Evaluation Manager manages and supports the full grant lifecycle, including proposal development and submission, post-award administration, reporting, compliance, and closeout. The position has a particular focus on evaluation, serving as the primary liaison between internal teams and external evaluators.
The ideal candidate has experience with National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, strong general grant-management skills, and the ability to coordinate data collection, analyze program data, monitor performance, and support evidence-based program improvement.
Key Responsibilities
Grant Development and Submission
- Coordinate grant proposals from initial opportunity review through final submission, with an emphasis on NSF funding opportunities.
- Develop proposal schedules, checklists, and internal review processes.
- Coordinate contributions from principal investigators, program staff, finance teams, leadership, partners, and external evaluators.
- Support the preparation of proposal narratives, budgets, budget justifications, evaluation plans, data-management plans, biosketches, letters of support, and other required materials.
- Review applications for accuracy, completeness, consistency, and compliance with funder requirements.
- Support proposal submissions through Research.gov and other sponsor systems.
- Monitor funding opportunities and communicate relevant requirements and deadlines to internal stakeholders.
Post-Award Grant Management
- Manage assigned awards from project launch through closeout.
- Maintain grant files, reporting calendars, award documentation, and records of key requirements.
- Track project milestones, deliverables, performance measures, expenditures, reporting deadlines, and required approvals.
- Coordinate annual, interim, and final programmatic reports.
- Partner with finance and program teams to monitor grant budgets, spending, cost share, subawards, and financial commitments.
- Monitor activities for alignment with the approved scope of work, budget, award terms, sponsor requirements, and organizational policies.
- Coordinate requests for budget revisions, no-cost extensions, changes in key personnel, and other award modifications.
- Identify compliance concerns, reporting gaps, schedule risks, and performance issues and escalate them appropriately.
- Coordinate grant closeout, including final reporting, financial reconciliation, documentation, and records retention.
Evaluation and Performance Management
- Serve as the primary liaison between UIDP and external evaluators.
- Coordinate evaluation timelines, meetings, data requests, surveys, interviews, stakeholder participation, reports, and other deliverables.
- Help ensure evaluation activities align with grant objectives, proposal commitments, performance measures, and NSF reporting expectations.
- Support the development and maintenance of logic models, theories of change, evaluation questions, performance indicators, and data-collection plans.
- Coordinate the collection, organization, validation, and secure transfer of data to external evaluators.
- Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis to support program monitoring, reporting, and decision-making.
- Review evaluation reports for accuracy, clarity, completeness, and alignment with grant requirements.
- Track evaluation findings and coordinate with program teams on recommended actions and program improvements.
- Develop clear summaries, dashboards, presentations, and reports for technical and nontechnical audiences.
- Maintain organized records of evaluation activities, data sources, findings, decisions, and deliverables.
Other Duties as Assigned: This position may be responsible for a variety of additional tasks to support the effective operation of the organization. These may include general administrative functions, clerical support, document preparation, data entry, scheduling assistance, meeting coordination, filing, supply management, and other office-related activities. Responsibilities may evolve based on organizational needs, and flexibility and a collaborative approach are essential.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
You thrive in a dynamic grant environment and adapt easily as funding priorities, reporting requirements, and project needs evolve. You effectively balance proposal development, post-award administration, evaluation coordination, and data analysis while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines. Your commitment to continuous learning keeps you current with NSF requirements, grant-management systems, evaluation methods, and analytical tools.
You are proactive, organized, and comfortable working independently or collaboratively with principal investigators, program teams, finance staff, external evaluators, and funding partners. You anticipate risks, maintain complete grant records, and ensure that milestones, deliverables, and reporting requirements are completed on time.
Above all, you are passionate about strengthening grant-funded programs and using data and evaluation findings to drive improvement. Your grant expertise, analytical mindset, and attention to quality make you an essential contributor to the team and its mission.
Qualifications – required
Education & Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, research, evaluation, education, social science, data analytics, or a related field.
- At least five years of experience in grant administration, sponsored research, project management, program evaluation, or a related area.
Requirements:
- Demonstrated experience supporting or managing NSF grants and proposals.
- Strong knowledge of the grant lifecycle, including proposal submission, award administration, monitoring, compliance, reporting, and closeout.
- Experience coordinating with external evaluators, consultants, research partners, or vendors.
- Proficiency in quantitative and qualitative data-analysis techniques.
- Experience using Excel and one or more analytical or reporting tools.
- Strong project-management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple awards, deadlines, and stakeholders.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Strong attention to detail and the ability to review complex documents for accuracy, consistency, and compliance.
- Ability to communicate grant requirements and evaluation findings to technical and nontechnical audiences.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in a relevant field.
- Experience with NSF-funded STEM education, scientific research, workforce development, or institutional-capacity programs.
- Familiarity with NSF systems and processes, including Research.gov.
- Experience working with principal investigators, higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, research institutions, or government agencies.
- Knowledge of federal grant requirements, subaward administration, research compliance, data privacy, and data-management practices.
- Experience creating dashboards, performance reports, or automated reporting tools.
WHO WE ARE
UIDP (www.uidp.org) is a global nonprofit membership association that helps great innovation companies and world-class research universities develop new and better collaboration approaches. UIDP is a recognized convener of thought leaders and practitioners, identifying high-impact strategies so companies and universities (along with other interested parties) can improve the return on investment from their partnerships. UIDP’s operating model is predicated on being agile and producing high-quality products that meet the community's needs.
OUR TEAM
As the quality and impact of UIDP’s work continue to gain recognition, our team has experienced rapid growth over the past five years to keep up with the increasing demand. Despite this growth, we maintain the vibrant spirit and energy of a mission-driven start-up. We are united by a clear, ambitious vision while embracing the inherent ambiguity and urgency of a highly agile organization.
Exciting growth opportunities await! At UIDP, we believe in investing in our staff to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. Team members are encouraged to enhance their skill sets through professional development initiatives, and we actively promote from within, offering pathways for those seeking greater responsibilities. Join us and be a part of our dynamic journey!
LOCATION
Candidates must currently reside in South Carolina. This position is based in Columbia, SC, and follows UIDP’s hybrid work schedule, requiring staff to work in the office at least three days per week.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
This full-time, exempt position offers a competitive salary that reflects the value we place on our team members’ contributions. In addition to financial compensation, we provide a generous benefits package designed to support your overall well-being and work-life balance. This includes comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance to ensure you are covered.
We also offer a robust retirement plan to help you plan for your future, along with generous paid time off that encourages you to recharge and enjoy personal time. At UIDP, we are committed to fostering our employees' professional development by providing opportunities for training, workshops, and mentorship programs that support their professional growth.
TO APPLY: Please submit your cover letter and resume.
The job will be open until it is filled.
Pay: From $72,500.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Are you a resident of SC and willing to work in our Downtown Columbia office at least 3 days per week?
Education:
Experience:
- grant admin, sponsored research, program mgmt, or related: 5 years (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Columbia, SC 29201
