Division: Pediatrics

Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Location: Hybrid within Greater Houston, TX

Salary Range: $88,583 - $104,000

FLSA Status: Exempt

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Summary

Provides strategic and operational leadership for the Department of Pediatrics' pre-award grant portfolio, including oversight of ESP2 grant submissions and management of the CRA Pre-Award team. Responsible for ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant preparation and submission of federal, state, and private grant applications. Leads a centralized pre-award function supporting pediatric research and serves as a key liaison among faculty, institutional leadership, and sponsors. Drives standardization, process improvement, and high-quality customer service in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment. Role operates in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment requiring strict adherence to sponsor timelines. Critical to ensuring institutional compliance, funding success, and operational efficiency for pediatric research. Plays a key role in faculty satisfaction and grant success rates through high-quality service and expertise. Contributes to continuous improvement initiatives and enterprise-wide standardization of pre-award processes.

Position is eligible for hybrid work schedule after initial training period.

Employees with CRA certification are eligible for certification pay.

Job Duties

Leadership & Team Management

• Directly manages the CRA Pre-Award team responsible for pediatric grant submissions.
• Provides hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, and professional development for team members.
• Establishes team priorities, workload distribution, and service level expectations aligned with departmental goals.
• Assigns complex grant applications and high-risk submissions to senior staff based on experience and expertise, while strategically allocating assignments to junior team members to support training, skill development, and professional growth objectives.
• Serves as escalation point for complex submissions, compliance issues, and sponsor requirements.
• Promotes a culture of accountability, customer service, and continuous improvement.

Pre-Award Oversight & ESP2 Grant Management

• Oversees end-to-end pre-award processes including preparation, review, and submission of grant applications.
• Provides leadership for ESP2 workflows and ensures compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements.
• Reviews and approves complex applications, validating financial and administrative accuracy in BRAIN and sponsor systems.
• Monitors submission timelines and ensures adherence to strict deadlines.

Budget Development & Application Support

• Oversees development of detailed grant budgets, including personnel effort, direct/indirect costs, and subawards.
• Reviews financial proposals for accuracy, compliance, and competitiveness.
• Provides guidance on application components such as biosketches and facilities documentation.
• Interprets sponsor guidelines and funding announcements for faculty and staff.

Training, Education & Knowledge Management

• Develops and delivers training programs on grant submission processes and systems.
• Creates SOPs, job aids, and standardized materials to support consistent operations.
• Serves as a subject matter expert for grant policies, systems, and sponsor requirements.
• Ensures team and stakeholders remain current on regulatory and sponsor changes.

Subawards & Research Collaboration

• Oversees preparation and coordination of subaward documentation.
• Ensures compliance for multi-site and collaborative proposals.
• Coordinates with institutional offices and external partners to support submission readiness.

Stakeholder Engagement & Institutional Liaison

• Serves as a primary liaison between faculty, CRA, Baylor College of Medicine, and sponsors.
• Provides consultation to investigators on submission strategy and sponsor expectations.

Process Improvement & Compliance

• Identifies and implements process improvements to enhance efficiency and standardization.
• Ensures adherence to institutional policies and regulatory requirements.
• Contributes to system enhancements and workflow optimization.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree. Certified Research Administrator certification through the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) may substitute for the degree requirement.
• Four years of relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four years of progressive research administration experience, including pre-award management and leadership.
• Advanced expertise in pre-award grant administration and budget development.
• Knowledge of federal and non-federal grant mechanisms (e.g., NIH R01, U01, career awards).
• Experience with sponsor systems (ASSIST, Workspace, ProposalCentral).
• Strong leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Work Authorization Requirement:

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application and throughout the duration of employment.

Requisition ID: 25761