Manager, Pre-Award Operations

Hourly Pay Range:

$43.38 - $67.24 - The hourly pay rate offered is determined by a candidate's expertise and years of experience, among other factors.

Position Highlights:

• Position: Manager, Pre Award Operations
• Location: Evanston, IL
• Full Time/Part Time: Full Time
• Hours: Monday-Friday, [hours and flexible work schedules]

A Brief Overview:
The Manager, Pre Award Operations leads the daily operations of the pre-award function within the Office for Sponsored Programs, supporting investigators across the Endeavor Health Research Institute in the development, review, and submission of proposals to federal agencies, state agencies, foundations, and industry sponsors. This position will be involved in contract negotiations, subrecipient monitoring and perform general awards management. The Manager supervises pre-award staff, serves as an authorized reviewer for proposals and budgets prior to institutional endorsement, and partners with the Director, Office for Sponsored Programs on policy development, process improvement, training, and metrics. The Manager ensures that all submissions comply with sponsor guidelines, federal regulations including 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), and Endeavor Health policies.

What you will do:

• Supervises the day-to-day work of Pre-Award Specialists, including hiring, onboarding, training, workload distribution, coaching, and performance evaluation.
• Establishes and monitors service standards, submission timelines, and quality benchmarks for the pre-award team, and reports metrics to the Director, Office for Sponsored Programs.
• Develops, documents, and continuously improves standard operating procedures for proposal intake, review, routing, and submission.
  Submits proposals on behalf of the institution
• Coordinates award activities and communications with sponsors, i.e., no cost extensions, carryforward requests, etc.
• Serves as the escalation point for complex, time-sensitive, or high-value submissions and for investigator service concerns.
• Reviews and approves proposal budgets, budget justifications, and administrative components for accuracy, allowability, and compliance with sponsor guidelines and institutional policy prior to submission.
• Provides direct pre-award support for a portfolio of complex submissions, including multi-project applications, career development awards, subaward arrangements, and industry-sponsored agreements.
• Advises investigators and department administrators on funding opportunity requirements, application components, budget development, F&A application, cost sharing, and sponsor policy.
• Coordinates institutional endorsement and submission through sponsor systems including Grants.gov, eRA Commons, ASSIST, NSF Research.gov, and proposal development modules of the electronic research administration system.
• Reviews notices of award and coordinates with the post-award team on award setup, at-risk account requests, and just-in-time submissions.
• Monitors changes in federal regulations, agency policy, and sponsor guidelines, and communicates implications to staff, investigators, and leadership.
• Partners with research compliance, legal, contracting, and finance colleagues on issues including subrecipient commitment review, conflict of interest disclosure, export control screening referral, and other pre-submission requirements.
• Develops and delivers training for investigators, research staff, and department administrators on pre-award processes and sponsor requirements.
• Supports internal and external audits, sponsor site visits, and data requests related to the pre-
  award function.
• Performs other related duties as assigned. This description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities and duties performed.

What you will need:

• Education: Bachelors Degree Business Administration/Management Required Or Bachelors Degree Public Administration Required Or Bachelors Degree Health Administration Required Or Bachelors Degree Science Required
• Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in sponsored programs or research administration, with substantial pre-award experience
• Skills: Demonstrated experience preparing and reviewing proposals and budgets for federal sponsors, including NIH
  • Demonstrated supervisory experience or documented team leadership experience in a research
    administration setting
  • Working knowledge of 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), NIH Grants Policy Statement, and standard federal application systems (Grants.gov, eRA Commons, ASSIST
  • Experience in an academic medical center, hospital-based research institute, or comparable clinical research environment.
  • Experience with electronic research administration systems (for example, Cayuse, InfoEd, Huron Research Suite) and enterprise financial systems.
  • Experience developing standard operating procedures, service metrics, and training programs

Benefits (For full time or part time positions):

• Eligibility for our Annual Incentive Plan, which offers the potential to earn a certain percentage amount of your base salary based on organizational performance. (For AIP eligible positions)
• Premium pay such as shift, on call, holiday and more based on an employee’s job (For eligible positions)
• Incentive pay for select positions
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance
• Career Pathways to Promote Professional Growth and Development
• Various Medical, Dental, Pet and Vision options
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Free Parking
• Wellness Program Savings Plan
• Health Savings Account Options
• Retirement Options with Company Match
• Paid Time Off and Holiday Pay
• Community Involvement Opportunities

Endeavor Health is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system committed to providing access to quality, vibrant, community-connected care, serving an area of more than 4.2 million residents across six northeast Illinois counties. Our more than 25,000 team members and more than 6,000 physicians aim to deliver transformative patient experiences and expert care close to home across more than 300 ambulatory locations and eight acute care hospitals – Edward (Naperville), Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenbrook (Glenview), Highland Park, Northwest Community (Arlington Heights) Skokie and Swedish (Chicago) – all recognized as Magnet hospitals for nursing excellence. For more information, visit www.endeavorhealth.org.  

When you work for Endeavor Health, you will be part of an organization that encourages its employees to achieve career goals and maximize their professional potential.

Please explore our website (www.endeavorhealth.org) to better understand how Endeavor Health delivers on its mission to “help everyone in our communities be their best”. 

Endeavor Health is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. Please refer to the main career page for more information.

At Endeavor Health, we are united by a shared commitment to working together to create a culture of connection and belonging—each of us bringing different skills and experiences as we deliver safe, seamless, and personal care. Every person, every time. We are committed to fostering an environment where all team members can be their best, learn, and pursue excellence together.

EOE: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/ Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets, VEVRRA Federal Contractor.