Program Manager

The program manager for financial grants administration is responsible for the comprehensive administration, coordination, and financial oversight of externally and internally funded grants and sponsored programs in the school of medicine. The Program Manager supports faculty, principal investigators (PIs), program directors, and institutional leadership throughout the grant lifecycle, including proposal development, budget preparation, award setup, financial monitoring, compliance, reporting, and closeout.

The position serves as a key liaison among principal investigators, academic and clinical departments, Finance, Research Administration, Sponsored Programs, Human Resources, Procurement, and external funding agencies. The Program Manager ensures that grant activities are conducted in accordance with sponsor requirements, institutional policies, approved budgets, and applicable federal regulations.

Essential Functions (Principal Duties and Job Responsibilities):

• Manage a portfolio of federal, state, foundation, corporate, and other sponsored awards from pre-award through closeout.
• Coordinate administrative activities associated with grant-funded programs and projects.
• Maintain detailed grant calendars, deliverables, reporting schedules, milestones, and compliance requirements.
• Serve as the primary administrative resource for faculty, principal investigators, program directors, and departmental leadership regarding grant management.
• Coordinate activities across multiple departments and institutional units to support successful program implementation.
• Monitor program performance and assist leadership in identifying operational or financial risks that could affect grant objectives.
• Assist faculty and program leadership with identifying and reviewing funding opportunities.
• Review funding announcements and summarize sponsor requirements, deadlines, eligibility criteria, and submission requirements.
• Coordinate development and submission of grant applications.
• Develop and review grant budgets, budget justifications, staffing plans, and supporting documentation.
• Verify appropriate application of salary, fringe benefits, indirect costs, participant support, subawards, consultants, equipment, travel, and other expenses.
• Coordinate institutional approvals and ensure applications are submitted by required deadlines.
• Establish systems to monitor grant expenditures against approved budgets.
• Prepare monthly financial reports, budget-to-actual analyses, projections, and spending forecasts.
• Review grant expenses for allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and consistency with approved award terms.
• Monitor personnel expenses, salary allocations, effort commitments, purchasing, travel, consultants, subawards, and other grant expenditures.
• Identify budget variances, potential deficits, unspent balances, and financial risks and recommend corrective actions.
• Coordinate budget revisions, rebudgeting requests, carryforward requests, and no-cost extensions.
• Work closely with Finance to reconcile grant accounts and resolve discrepancies.
• Assist PIs and leadership with developing financial strategies to ensure funds are appropriately utilized during the award period.
• Monitor grant end dates and proactively develop closeout plans to minimize unallowable expenses and excessive unspent balances.
• Assist with preparation of costing allocations and payroll accounting adjustments in workday
• Ensure grant activities comply with institutional policies, sponsor requirements, and applicable federal regulations.
• Support compliance with Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) and other applicable requirements.
• Monitor effort commitments and assist with effort certification processes.
• Coordinate with appropriate offices regarding IRB, IACUC, conflict-of-interest, research compliance, and other regulatory requirements when applicable.
• Maintain documentation necessary to support internal reviews, external audits, and sponsor monitoring.
• Assist with development and implementation of corrective action plans when compliance concerns are identified.
• Maintain accurate records for all assigned grants, including award documents, budgets, amendments, contracts, reports, and correspondence.
• Develop grant dashboards and tracking tools to monitor financial performance, deadlines, deliverables, and key performance indicators.
• Prepare routine and ad hoc reports for PIs, department chairs, deans, executive leadership, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate financial and programmatic reporting requirements with appropriate institutional offices.
• Monitor reporting deadlines and ensure required reports are submitted accurately and timely.
• Maintain grant files in accordance with institutional record-retention requirements.
• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Preferred:

• Demonstrated effectiveness to advancing a culture and climate of diversity, equity, belonging and anti-oppression.
• Demonstrated effectiveness as a leader of faculty and staff.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to write policies and procedures.
• This position will require strong leadership and organizational skills, as well as a deep understanding of academic policies and procedures.

Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting, public administration, healthcare administration, research administration, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in grants administration, research administration, financial management, program management, or a related area.
• Demonstrated experience with budget development, financial monitoring, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Knowledge of grant administration principles and sponsored-project management.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other financial or administrative systems.
• Experience analyzing data
• Experience managing federally funded grants (HRSA, NIH, Department of Education, CDC, etc.).
• Experience in higher education, healthcare, workforce development, or student success programs.

Education and Experience Preferred:

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, Education, Business Administration, or related field.
• Five or more years of grants management experience within higher education, an academic medical center, medical school, healthcare organization, or research institution. Knowledge of health professions education and workforce diversity initiatives.
• Experience managing federal awards from agencies such as NIH, HRSA, CDC, Department of Education, or other federal sponsors.
• Experience with institutional financial, research administration, or grant management systems.
• Experience with grant writing and grant reporting.

Licensure, Certification or Registration Preferred:

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA), or other relevant professional certification preferred.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Meharry Medical College complies with Title IX and is an affirmative action employer. Candidates will be considered for employment without discrimination for an non-merit reason such as race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, handicap or veteran status.