The College of Science & Engineering (CSE) Pre-Award team operates as a cluster-based shared service supporting multiple cohort departments across the College of Science & Engineering. The team partners with faculty, departmental research administration staff, accounting teams, Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA), and external collaborators to coordinate and support proposal development for federal, state, foundation, industry, and other external sponsors.

The CSE Pre-Award team focuses on core pre-award functions including:
• proposal intake and triage,
• proposal coordination,
• non-technical proposal development,
• sponsor and compliance guidance,
• submission management,
• and operational support for complex and strategically significant funding opportunities.

CSE Pre-Award staff are assigned portfolio responsibilities across designated cohort departments and participate in cross-cohort support and coverage to maintain continuity of service during workload spikes, leave coverage, and staffing transitions. The team uses a centralized Airtable-based intake and proposal tracking system to support this work.
The CSE Pre-Award team is designed to preserve departmental relationships and faculty autonomy while expanding shared operational capacity, standardizing core workflows, improving proposal coordination, and strengthening support for high-value and high-complexity funding opportunities.

Location: Twin Cities Campus, University of Minnesota

Work Environment: Hybrid

Work Schedule:

• Monday-Friday, totaling 40 hours per week, with exact schedule to be determined with the supervisor.
• Minimum of 3 days per week in the office, with exact schedule to be determined with the supervisor.
• Up to 2 days per week remote, consistent with department and University policies and staffing needs

Visa Language: Please note, this position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer a STEM OPT training program.

Primary Responsibilities:

Grant Proposal Preparation and Submission (70%)
Manage and oversee proposal activities across assigned cohort departments by providing guidance, interpretation, and administrative coordination during pre-award processes for federal, state, foundation, corporate, and internal funding opportunities.

Responsibilities include:
• Review sponsor guidelines, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance and provide administrative guidance to Principal Investigators (PIs) and departmental research administration staff; use knowledge of sponsor requirements and University policy to identify proposal compliance concerns, documentation gaps, and administrative risks during the submission process; prepare summaries of requirements and timelines for submission for PIs and departmental staff.
• Prepare and/or review proposal budgets in collaboration with departmental accounting staff; understand and communicate sponsor and University requirements and/or restrictions regarding budget limitations, effort commitments, cost sharing, indirect cost rates, etc.
• Complete administrative portions of the proposal; review proposal components for compliance with sponsor and University requirements
• Prepare and route Funding Proposals (FPs) in MN-GEMS (Minnesota Grants Electronic Management System)
• Coordinate standard subaward proposal documentation and routing activities with collaborating institutions and SPA.
• Prepare, submit, and track proposals using sponsor electronic submission systems including:
• Grants.gov Workspace,
• Research.gov,
• ASSIST,
• eRA Commons,
• ProposalCentral,
• eBRAP,
• and related sponsor systems.
• Serve as the primary liaison with SPA for routine proposal routing, submission coordination, and standard administrative communication activities.
• Advise PIs on standard pre-award compliance issues, including conflicts of interest, foreign involvement, sponsors' public access policies, other support documentation, documentation of involvement of human subjects or vertebrate animals, etc.
• Escalate complex compliance issues, subaward concerns, institutional exceptions, and advanced sponsor interpretation questions to senior pre-award staff and leadership as appropriate. Track proposal status and maintain communication with faculty, departmental staff, SPA, and collaborating institutions throughout the proposal lifecycle.
• Manage other tasks that are in-scope for the pre-award team, including post-submission materials, Just in Time (JIT) information, and other sponsor requests for additional administrative documentation; assist PIs with interim and final progress reports for select awards

Pre-Award Process Management (30%)
Serve as a front-line operational resource for intake, triage, and workflow coordination activities across assigned cohort departments. Responsibilities include:
• Review incoming proposal requests and intake submissions to:
• identify proposal complexity,
• assess timeline feasibility,
• determine required documentation,
• and escalate complex or high-risk proposals as appropriate.
• Coordinate intake workflows and maintain proposal activity within the Airtable-based intake and tracking system; maintain accurate entries within the Airtable system, including deadlines, proposal status, and workflow updates
• Maintain organized proposal and compliance documentation within established CSE Pre-Award team systems and shared resources.
• Review award notices and sponsor documentation against proposal materials to support departmental accounting staff with award setup and interpretation of standard award terms and conditions.
• Participate in cross-cohort proposal coverage and workload balancing activities to contribute to operational goals and service metrics including:
• timely proposal coordination,
• reduction in SPA returns/errors,
• accurate intake and workflow tracking,
• proposal deadline adherence,
• and consistent service delivery across cohort departments.
• Regularly review updated sponsor regulations, University procedures, and policy guidance to ensure accurate proposal coordination and compliance support.
• Participate in regular CSE Pre-Award staff meetings regarding current issues, policy updates, workload, processes, future tool development, etc.
• In collaboration with the Pre-Award team, compile and maintain templates and administrative resources for common proposal components including biosketches, current and pending support documents, facilities documents, and sponsor-required administrative forms.
• Engage in pre-award process refinement; provide input on templates, job aids, and guidance; propose and evaluate solutions to resolve recurring problems
• Continue professional development by attending relevant courses, workshops, seminars, and other training opportunities
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Required Qualifications :
• Bachelor's degree AND four (4) years performing administrative, budgetary and/or grant proposal or management experience OR a combination of education and relevant administrative, budgetary and grants proposal or management experience totaling eight (8) years.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience working in higher education
• Experience working with faculty on proposal submissions from a variety of funding sources, especially federal sponsors. Relevant sponsors may include: National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Energy (DoE), and/or Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• Experience with budget development.
• Experience with relevant electronic systems such as Grants.gov, Research.gov, ProposalCentral, UMN's MN-GEMS, UMN's PeopleSoft and reporting functions, & other eResearch support systems.
• High level of attention to detail and ability to handle multiple tasks with overlapping deadlines; can re-prioritize tasks as needed.
• Experience delivering high-level customer service, including proactive communication and ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues.

About the Department

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) is ranked among the top engineering and science academic programs in the country. The college includes 12 academic departments offering a wide range of degree programs at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels. For more information about the College of Science and Engineering Office of the Dean, visit https://cse.umn.edu/.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $39.43 - $45.20 per hour; depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment

Position Type: Civil-Service & Non-Faculty Labor Represented Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

While our salary ranges provide a framework, it is important to note that most of the
time, the initial pay may not reach the maximum of the range. This approach ensures
that compensation reflects the value and unique contributions of each candidate while
maintaining equity within our organization. As part of our commitment to fair and
equitable compensation, please be aware that the salary offered to incoming candidates
will be based on their individual credentials and experience.

How To Apply

Required Materials: Both a resume AND cover letter are requirements to be considered.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail [email protected].