CSE Preaward Manager

Title: CSE Preaward Manager
Job code: 7224PE
Employee Group:Civil Service, Exempt
Full/Part Time (FTE): 100% 1.0 FTE
Regular/Temporary: Regular

About the Job:
The College of Science & Engineering (CSE) Pre-Award Team operates as a shared service supporting proposal development across CSE departments, centers, and institutes. The Grants & Contracts Professional 4 Supervisor provides day-to-day operational leadership for this team while serving as the senior individual contributor on the college's most complex proposals. This is a working-supervisor role: roughly 40% of effort is dedicated to leading and developing the team, and 60% to directly managing high-complexity, high-stakes submissions.

The position partners with faculty, departmental research administration and accounting staff, Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA), and external collaborators. It operates within a tiered service model that aligns support intensity with proposal complexity, and a department-led budget model in which the cluster provides budget validation, sponsor interpretation, compliance review, and advanced support for the most demanding opportunities. Success in the role requires strong supervisory judgment, deep federal and University research administration expertise, the ability to coordinate many stakeholders under tight deadlines, and the operational discipline to keep a shared service running smoothly through workload spikes, leaves, and staffing transitions.

Location and Work environment: This position is based at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN). The role is hybrid, with an expectation of approximately 2-3 days per week on campus and the remainder of the schedule worked remotely. On-campus presence may increase during peak proposal periods, major deadlines, and key coordination meetings. Hybrid arrangements are subject to the University's Work. With Flexibility. policy and ongoing operational needs.

On-campus presence may increase during peak proposal periods, major deadlines, and key coordination meetings. Hybrid arrangements are subject to the University's Work With Flexibility policy and ongoing operational needs.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time (100% time, 1.0 FTE), 12-month, exempt Civil Service position. Standard hours are Monday through Friday during regular University business hours. As an exempt Civil Service role, the position is not eligible for overtime; occasional extended or evening hours may be required to meet proposal submission deadlines.

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.

55% - Operational Leadership and Supervision

• Lead and supervise the Pre-Award Team
  • Provide day-to-day operational leadership for the Pre-Award Team, supervising Grants & Contracts Professionals and associated staff.
  • Supervise and mentor staff through onboarding, cross-training, coaching, and professional development.
  • Manage workload balancing, portfolio assignments, and cross-coverage rotations to maintain service continuity during workload spikes, leave, and staffing transitions.
• Direct service operations and escalation
  • Serve as the final decision authority for tier assignment, capacity exceptions, proposal prioritization, and escalation routing.
  • Serve as the primary escalation point for SPA coordination, institutional exceptions, complex compliance concerns, high-risk sponsor requirements, and cross-department operational conflicts.
  • Oversee and continuously refine the team's service model, intake and tracking workflows, operational procedures, and proposal coordination practices.
• Partner with departments and represent the team
  • Partner with departmental research administration and accounting teams to coordinate budget ownership, validation responsibilities, routing, and escalation procedures.
  • Represent the Pre-Award Team in governance meetings, SPA working groups, and relevant University research administration committees.
  • Maintain operational reporting and service metrics for CSE leadership.
• Plan for growth and sustainability
  • Develop onboarding and capacity plans for future cohorts and support long-term sustainability and operational transition planning.

45% - Complex Proposal Leadership (Individual Contributor)

• Lead complex proposal development
  • Independently lead and coordinate highly complex proposal submissions, including center-scale, multi-investigator, multi-institutional, interdisciplinary, and strategically significant opportunities.
  • Develop proposal timelines and milestone tracking, and enforce deadlines across all contributors.
  • Coordinate non-technical proposal development and provide advanced sponsor interpretation and institutional guidance.
  • Coordinate proposal activities across faculty, departments, SPA, collaborators, and external partners, serving as the centralized communication hub.
• Manage budgets, subawards, and compliance
  • Support complex budget development, validation, and consolidation in partnership with departmental accounting and research administration staff.
  • Manage subaward coordination and multi-institution proposal relationships.
  • Review sponsor and institutional requirements related to Uniform Guidance, direct and indirect cost principles, cost sharing, data management, compliance, and proposal risk.
  • Serve as the primary SPA escalation lead for complex proposals and institutional exception management.
• Advance standards and expertise
  • Support continuous improvement of proposal workflows, intake standards, templates, and service coordination.
  • Maintain current expertise in sponsor regulations, University policies, and evolving research administration practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and at least five years of professional-level finance or grants administration experience, including supervisory experience; OR an equivalent combination of related education and work experience totaling nine years.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal and University regulations governing sponsored research.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading or coordinating complex, multi-investigator, or multi-institutional federal proposals (e.g., NIH P/U/T series, NSF Centers/ERCs, DOE or DOD center- or consortium-scale awards).
• Demonstrated ability to plan, organize, and direct projects or programs.
• Demonstrated problem identification and creative, proactive problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service, work proactively, and coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously under deadline pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to work and lead collaboratively in a team environment.
• Demonstrated critical thinking, decision-making, communication, and presentation skills.

The College of Science & Engineering is one of the University of Minnesota's largest and most research-intensive colleges, home to a broad portfolio of departments, centers, and institutes that compete for complex, high-impact federal, state, foundation, and industry funding. The CSE Pre-Award Team is a shared service established to standardize pre-award processes, tools, and templates; streamline proposal administration; and expand capacity for complex, high-value proposals-while preserving the local relationships and disciplinary expertise that departments value.

The team operates as a partnership with departments rather than a replacement for them, supplementing departmental knowledge with surge capacity, agency-specific expertise, and advanced support for the most demanding submissions. This position is central to that mission: it sets the operational tone for the service, develops the staff who deliver it, and personally carries the proposals where the stakes-and the institutional risk-are highest.

Pay Range: $78,145.60 - $120,000 per year; 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.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

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.

Required application materials: Resume and Cover Letter

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

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The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by Forbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employer for Women (2023), and Best Employer by State (2022-2026). In 2026, we also received Culture Excellence & Industry Awards recognition for employee appreciation and work-life flexibility.