Contracts and Grants Manager

Overview

Position Summary

The Contracts and Grants Manager provides comprehensive lifecycle management of ERI's sponsored project portfolio, from proposal development through award closeout. The position serves as ERI's principal administrator for pre-award services, award negotiation and acceptance, subaward issuance and monitoring, and financial and non-financial post-award administration, including award setup, invoicing, financial reporting, and audit support. The Manager is a key institutional resource for principal investigators, study teams, sponsors, and institutional partners, and is responsible for ensuring that all sponsored activity is administered in accordance with federal regulations, sponsor terms and conditions, and ERI policy.

This position operates in a complex multi-institutional environment and requires sound independent judgment, fluency in federal research administration regulations, and the ability to negotiate directly with federal, industry, academic, and nonprofit sponsors.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Pre-Award Administration (30%)

• Serve as the institutional point of contact for proposal development and submission; review funding opportunity announcements and advise principal investigators on sponsor requirements, eligibility, and submission logistics.
• Prepare, review, and finalize proposal budgets and budget justifications, ensuring compliance with sponsor guidelines, the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), and ERI's negotiated F&A rate agreement; ensure correct application of fringe benefit rates, escalation factors, and cost-sharing commitments.
• Coordinate institutional endorsement and Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) submission of proposals through sponsor systems (Grants.gov, eRA Commons/ASSIST, Workspace, Research.gov, ProposalCentral, and sponsor-specific portals).
• Maintain institutional registrations and profiles (SAM.gov, UEI, eRA Commons, Grants.gov, NSF Research.gov), monitoring expiration dates and ensuring uninterrupted eligibility to receive federal awards.
• Review and negotiate pre-award agreements including confidential disclosure agreements, letters of intent, and letters of support; coordinate subrecipient commitment documentation (statements of work, budgets, letters of intent) for proposals involving subawards.
• Advise investigators on budget development for clinical trials, including coordination with coverage analysis and per-patient budget structures.

Award Negotiation, Acceptance, and Setup (25%)

• Review, analyze, and negotiate terms and conditions of incoming awards and agreements, including federal grants and cooperative agreements, industry-sponsored clinical trial agreements (CTAs), subawards and subcontracts under federal primes (including FAR-based flowdowns), material transfer agreements, data use agreements, and confidentiality agreements.
• Identify and escalate problematic terms—publication restrictions, intellectual property provisions, indemnification and subject-injury language, termination provisions, governing law, and payment terms—and negotiate resolution consistent with ERI's risk tolerance and nonprofit status.
• Analyze FAR and agency-supplement flowdown clauses in federal subcontracts for applicability and acceptability; assess Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) applicability and exemptions.
• Coordinate institutional signature and full execution of agreements; maintain the official award file, including all amendments, modifications, and correspondence.
• Prepare award setup documentation, including the fund/account establishment package, budget load, billing terms, reporting calendar, and any special terms requiring monitoring (prior approval requirements, restricted cost categories, carryforward limitations).

Subaward Issuance and Monitoring (10%)

• Draft, negotiate, and issue outgoing subawards using FDP templates where appropriate; conduct and document subrecipient risk assessments in accordance with 2 CFR §200.332.
• Perform pre-issuance subrecipient review (SAM.gov or equivalent
• exclusion checks, single audit status, financial capacity) and impose special conditions on higher-risk subrecipients as warranted.
• Monitor subrecipient performance and compliance throughout the period of performance, including review of invoices against approved budgets and technical progress, collection of annual audit certifications, and closeout of subawards.

Post-Award Administration (20%)

• Manage prior approval requests (no-cost extensions, carryover, re-budgeting, changes in scope or key personnel) and prepare sponsor correspondence.
• Perform financial post-award administration, including expenditure monitoring and projections, award invoicing and accounts receivable follow-up, federal drawdowns and cash management, and cost transfers.
• Monitor award terms and reporting deadlines; coordinate timely submission of progress reports (RPPRs and sponsor equivalents), and prepare and submit financial reports and invoices.
• Administer effort reporting and payroll certification processes in coordination with HR; advise on allowability, allocability, and reasonableness determinations for proposed charges, cost transfers, and salary distributions.
• Administer award modifications, amendments, and continuations; manage relinquishments and transfers of awards.
• Lead award closeout: final technical, financial; subaward closeouts; and records retention in accordance with 2 CFR §200.334.

Compliance, Policy, and Institutional Support (15%)

• Coordinate with the Research Oversight Board (ROB)
• Ensure sponsored activity complies with the Uniform Guidance, FAR (where applicable), sponsor policy (including the NIH Grants Policy Statement), and ERI's Financial Policy Manual and administrative directives; identify gaps and recommend policy or procedural improvements.
• Support the annual Single Audit and sponsor-initiated audits, site visits, and desk reviews; prepare requested documentation and draft responses to findings in coordination with the Executive Director.
• Coordinate with the IRB office to align award activation with human subjects approvals; verify congruence between funded scope and approved protocols.
• Maintain the sponsored projects database/tracking system of record; produce portfolio reports, pipeline summaries, and metrics for the Executive Director and Board of Trustees.
• Serve as a training resource for investigators and study staff on proposal preparation, award management, and compliance topics; contribute to development of standard operating procedures, templates, and toolkits.
• Support institutional negotiations and relationships with LA County DHS, UCLA (including subawards and reliance arrangements), and other academic and industry partners.

Other Duties

• Perform other duties as assigned consistent with the scope and level of the position. This description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities; ERI reserves the right to modify duties as organizational needs evolve.

Supervisory Responsibility

May supervise contracts and grants staff (e.g., Contracts and Grants Specialist, Sponsored Programs Coordinator) as the sponsored programs function grows. Provides functional guidance to study coordinators and departmental administrative staff on sponsored project matters.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in business administration, public administration, finance, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be considered.

Experience: Seven (7) or more years of progressively responsible experience in research administration, including demonstrated experience with both pre-award and post-award functions and direct negotiation of sponsored agreements. Experience administering federal awards subject to the Uniform Guidance is required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Working knowledge of 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance), the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and federal proposal submission systems.
• Demonstrated ability to review, redline, and negotiate agreement terms with sponsors and subrecipients.
• Experience negotiating industry-sponsored clinical trial budgets, agreements and familiarity with coverage analysis and clinical research billing compliance.
• Ability to interpret and apply complex regulations and sponsor terms to specific factual situations, and to communicate requirements clearly to non-specialist audiences.
• High degree of accuracy, organization, and follow-through in managing concurrent deadlines across a diverse portfolio.
• Discretion in handling confidential and proprietary information.
• Proficiency skills in data management, use of clinical trial management or financial systems, and proficiency with spreadsheets and reporting tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant field (business administration, public administration, research administration).
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA) credential.
• Experience in an academic medical center, hospital-affiliated research institute, or medical school–affiliated nonprofit.
• Familiarity with FAR-based subcontracts, CAS, and federal contract flowdowns.
• Experience with subrecipient monitoring under 2 CFR §200.332 and Single Audit support.
• Experience in a small or mid-sized nonprofit research organization where broad functional ownership is required.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• Standard office environment located on a hospital campus; prolonged periods of computer-based work.
• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds occasionally (files, materials).
• Occasional local travel to partner institutions (UCLA, LA County facilities) and occasional attendance at professional conferences.
• Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions, in accordance with the ADA and California FEHA.

At-Will Employment

Employment with ERI is at-will. This means that either ERI or the employee may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, and with or without advance notice, subject to applicable law. Nothing in this position description, any offer letter, or any ERI policy or practice constitutes a contract of employment for a definite term or alters the at-will nature of employment.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Olive View–UCLA Education & Research Institute is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.