Summary

Provides strategic and operational leadership for the Department of Pediatrics’ pre-award grant portfolio, including oversight of ESP2 grant submissions and management of the CRA Pre-Award team. Responsible for ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant preparation and submission of federal, state, and private grant applications. Leads a centralized pre-award function supporting pediatric research and serves as a key liaison among faculty, institutional leadership, and sponsors. Drives standardization, process improvement, and high-quality customer service in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment.  Role operates in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment requiring strict adherence to sponsor timelines. Critical to ensuring institutional compliance, funding success, and operational efficiency for pediatric research. Plays a key role in faculty satisfaction and grant success rates through high-quality service and expertise.  Contributes to continuous improvement initiatives and enterprise-wide standardization of pre-award processes. 

Position is eligible for hybrid work schedule after initial training period. 

Employees with CRA certification are eligible for certification pay.

Job Duties

Leadership & Team Management

• Directly manages the CRA Pre-Award team responsible for pediatric grant submissions.
• Provides hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, and professional development for team members.
• Establishes team priorities, workload distribution, and service level expectations aligned with departmental goals.
• Assigns complex grant applications and high-risk submissions to senior staff based on experience and expertise, while strategically allocating assignments to junior team members to support training, skill development, and professional growth objectives.
• Serves as escalation point for complex submissions, compliance issues, and sponsor requirements.
• Promotes a culture of accountability, customer service, and continuous improvement.

Pre-Award Oversight & ESP2 Grant Management

• Oversees end-to-end pre-award processes including preparation, review, and submission of grant applications.
• Provides leadership for ESP2 workflows and ensures compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements.
• Reviews and approves complex applications, validating financial and administrative accuracy in BRAIN and sponsor systems.
• Monitors submission timelines and ensures adherence to strict deadlines.

Budget Development & Application Support

• Oversees development of detailed grant budgets, including personnel effort, direct/indirect costs, and subawards.
• Reviews financial proposals for accuracy, compliance, and competitiveness.
• Provides guidance on application components such as biosketches and facilities documentation.
• Interprets sponsor guidelines and funding announcements for faculty and staff.

Training, Education & Knowledge Management

• Develops and delivers training programs on grant submission processes and systems.
• Creates SOPs, job aids, and standardized materials to support consistent operations.
• Serves as a subject matter expert for grant policies, systems, and sponsor requirements.
• Ensures team and stakeholders remain current on regulatory and sponsor changes.

Subawards & Research Collaboration

• Oversees preparation and coordination of subaward documentation.
• Ensures compliance for multi-site and collaborative proposals.
• Coordinates with institutional offices and external partners to support submission readiness.

Stakeholder Engagement & Institutional Liaison

• Serves as a primary liaison between faculty, CRA, Baylor College of Medicine, and sponsors.
• Provides consultation to investigators on submission strategy and sponsor expectations.

Process Improvement & Compliance

• Identifies and implements process improvements to enhance efficiency and standardization.
• Ensures adherence to institutional policies and regulatory requirements.
• Contributes to system enhancements and workflow optimization. 
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.  Certified Research Administrator certification through the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) may substitute for the degree requirement.
• Four years of relevant experience. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Four years of progressive research administration experience, including pre-award management and leadership. 
• Advanced expertise in pre-award grant administration and budget development.
• Knowledge of federal and non-federal grant mechanisms (e.g., NIH R01, U01, career awards).
• Experience with sponsor systems (ASSIST, Workspace, ProposalCentral).
• Strong leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.