Grants Manager

Grants Manager

Nashville, Tennessee - hybrid schedule anticipated (1 day in office)

12 Months of Contract

Key Responsibilities

The Grant Manager supports by leading grant application development, coordinating award startup activities, monitoring budgets and expenditures, and ensuring required programmatic and financial reporting is completed accurately and on time.

This position serves as a key coordination point between program leadership, fiscal partners, contracts, procurement, and federal funders to keep grant activities compliant, well documented, and on schedule.

Lead and coordinate grant applications from review through submission

Purpose: Ensure applications are developed, internally approved, and submitted by the federal deadline with minimal revision cycles.

• Review NOFO, NOA, and FOA requirements, including evaluation criteria, attachments, formatting rules, and submission methods.
• Create and maintain application timelines, checklists, SharePoint folder structure, and version control.
• Schedule and facilitate application kickoff meetings with program leadership and contributors.
• Track action items, follow up on missing components, and manage draft-to-final progression.
• Coordinate budget development, budget justification, and alignment with allowable costs.
• Compile narrative sections, required attachments, and certifications; perform final quality checks for completeness, formatting, naming conventions, and consistency.
• Review/enter application information into the appropriate submission platform, coordinate submission logistics.

Post-award startup and implementation

Purpose: Translate award terms into an actionable startup plan so programs can begin spending quickly and compliantly while identifying constraints, unallowable costs, and required post-award actions.

Review award terms and conditions and document key requirements such as budget period, reporting cadence, restrictions, match, carryover, and prior approvals.

Meet with program leadership to discuss NOA terms and startup needs.

Communicate budget structure, cost restrictions, and reporting expectations to program staff.

Prepare and submit expansion requests when new funding requires formal or informal permission to accept or implement.

Track post-award decisions and maintain documentation for audit readiness.

Ensure internal partners have the information needed to initiate compliant actions, including contracts, procurements, travel, staffing changes, and approvals.

Maintain budget integrity and financial readiness

Purpose: Keep expenditures aligned to approved budgets and allowable cost rules, reduce discrepancies, strengthen audit readiness, and support accurate forecasting and decision-making.

Build and maintain monthly expenditure reports and budget projections.

Analyze staffing patterns to support accurate personnel cost forecasting.

Identify discrepancies early and coordinate corrections through the appropriate process, including journal vouchers when needed.

Track correction status to completion and document the resolution.

Review order forms for programmatic and laboratory supplies, equipment, or invoice approval as assigned.

Pull reports, compile existing budgets, and locate current scopes, budgets, and contract documentation.

Lead reporting and grant closeout

Purpose: Ensure programs meet reporting requirements, provide accurate metrics to funding agencies, and complete timely, audit-ready grant closeouts.

Own the reporting calendar, including due dates, internal deadlines, dependencies, and follow-up items.

Compile performance metrics, such as quarterly reports, with program in the appropriate platform.

Compile financial metrics, including spending, variances, and projections, with fiscal partners.

Submit reports through the required portal or system and retain confirmation documentation and final versions.

Manage funder follow-up questions, revisions, and corrective actions.

Confirm final expenditures, invoices, contract closeouts, and outstanding obligations.

Submit closeout packages by deadline and archive complete audit-ready closeout files, including lessons learned and carryover or no-cost extension needs.

Lead stakeholder communications and fiscal governance

Purpose: Provide consistent, accurate, and timely communication to partners and leadership while ensuring fiscal governance requirements are met through structured meetings and rapid response to requests.

Attend federal agency check-in meetings and provide status updates, risks, accomplishments, and upcoming milestones.

Lead monthly expenditure report meetings covering spenddown, staffing costs, contract expenditures, projections, and risks.

Prepare meeting materials, document action items and deadlines, and follow up to completion.

Maintain strong communication with program leadership and business functions, including contracts, fiscal, compliance, and procurement.

Proactively escalate risks that could affect allowability, deadlines, spending pace, or program deliverables.

Provide general administrative support, including drafting letters and routing signature requests.

Respond to fiscal, legislative, and oversight requests by compiling accurate, supportable data and maintaining an audit trail.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with grant application development, grant management, budgeting, accounting, or contract management.

Experience interpreting federal funding requirements, grant awards, reporting instructions, or fiscal guidance.

Strong Excel skills, including the ability to maintain expenditure reports, analyze variances, and support projections.

Experience coordinating work across program, fiscal, procurement, and leadership stakeholders.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly with internal teams, external partners, and leadership.

Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.

Ability to manage multiple priorities, track deadlines, follow up consistently, and maintain accurate records.

Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and complete assignments with minimal revision.