What are the responsibilities and job description for the Contracts and Grants Coordinator position at Inside Higher Ed?
Department
Arts and Sciences Deans Office-300100
Career Area
Accounting/Finance/Auditing
Posting Open Date
10/30/2025
Application Deadline
11/12/2025
Open Until Filled
No
Position Type
Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)
Working Title
Contracts and Grants Coordinator
Appointment Type
EHRA Non-Faculty
Position Number
20068072
Vacancy ID
NF0009366
Full Time/Part Time
Full-Time Permanent
Fte
1
Hours Per Week
40
Position Location:
North Carolina, US
Hiring Range
63,000-70,000
Proposed Start Date
12/01/2025
Be a Tar Heel!:
A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.
One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.
University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.
Primary Purpose Of Organizational Unit
The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest academic unit within the University and consists of about 71 units, including centers, programs, institutional support and 42 academic departments and interdisciplinary curricula, which offer both undergraduate bachelor’s degrees and graduate-level masters and PhD degrees. The College is divided into four academic divisions: Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education oversees all academic student support units, including but not limited to Academic Advising, Honors, and the Academic Success Center. The Senior Associate Dean for Research & Innovation drives strategic planning and provides guidance across the academic divisions and research programs, fostering new models of innovation, new initiatives and new collaborations. The Office of the Dean is responsible for all of the academic, academic student support, financial and administrative operations in the College of Arts & Sciences.
The College of Arts & Sciences Business Operations Office is housed in the Office of the Dean and supports the fiscal and human resources operations of the departments, curricula, and programs by consolidating their business operations into one center. The Business Operations Office enables transparency of operations and information, creating a more responsive organization that utilizes online systems and automation to streamline processes. It consistently applies policies, ensuring compliance to UNC, State, and Federal regulations and laws.
Within the Business Operations’ Accounting Department, grant and research administration support is provided for the non-Big 5 Departments (Biology, Chemistry, Math, English and Psychology). The Big 5 Departments have their own grant and research administration units, which are given autonomy from the Business Operations Office due to the specificity of field, the number and value amounts of grants and other third-party funding handled by their faculty.
For the smaller departments and centers, each may or may not have their own grant and research staff based upon the complexity and loss impact of the grants. These departments with their own field representatives will be handling their own research administration, however unlike the Big 5 Departments, any system financial transactions must be approved by Business Operations.
The Business Operations’ Accounting Division is ultimately accountable for any consequence of error with process and monies with the smaller departments and centers. Also, the group is recognized as the College’s principal grant and research administration experts, thereby providing a wide breadth of general and specific research funding information, UNC computer system, process, and policy counsel to ALL grant and research administrators (even Big 5 staff if they need assistance) throughout the College. At this time, the Accounting Division primarily provides post-award administration support. These services include faculty/staff consulting, sponsors/OSR coordination, purchasing, account reconciliation, and reporting.
Recently, trends reflect that more grant and research administration work is being transferred to the Accounting Division from the smaller departments and centers in order to keep operational costs down and retain a more efficient process and controls with less compliance liability. Overall grant and research administration work is expected to have exponential growth as a result of the Chancellor’s Research initiative.
Position Summary
This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.
The Contracts and Grants Coordinator is responsible for generally managing and providing direction, guidance, and leadership related to pre-award and post-award contract and grant activities within the College of Arts & Sciences. The selected candidate will play a critical role in meeting the proposal development and grants management needs of assigned units within the College while also serving as a divisional contact for faculty and staff regarding university and sponsor policies, processes, rules, and regulations.
This position is expected to perform high level tasks related to budgeting, proposal preparation, reporting, and overall grants management on a broad scale for many funding agencies – ranging from large, complex proposals and projects involving multiple faculty and departments at UNC and/or multiple collaborative universities (including subcontractors and/or consultants) to smaller, single-investigator awards or application submissions for student fellowships.
The Contracts And Grants Coordinator Will
Mid-career with Masters and 1-2 yrs experience; or Bachelors and 2-4 yrs experience
Required Qualifications, Competencies, And Experience
It is necessary for the candidate to demonstrate the following:
Not Applicable.
Arts and Sciences Deans Office-300100
Career Area
Accounting/Finance/Auditing
Posting Open Date
10/30/2025
Application Deadline
11/12/2025
Open Until Filled
No
Position Type
Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)
Working Title
Contracts and Grants Coordinator
Appointment Type
EHRA Non-Faculty
Position Number
20068072
Vacancy ID
NF0009366
Full Time/Part Time
Full-Time Permanent
Fte
1
Hours Per Week
40
Position Location:
North Carolina, US
Hiring Range
63,000-70,000
Proposed Start Date
12/01/2025
Be a Tar Heel!:
A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.
One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.
University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.
Primary Purpose Of Organizational Unit
The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest academic unit within the University and consists of about 71 units, including centers, programs, institutional support and 42 academic departments and interdisciplinary curricula, which offer both undergraduate bachelor’s degrees and graduate-level masters and PhD degrees. The College is divided into four academic divisions: Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education oversees all academic student support units, including but not limited to Academic Advising, Honors, and the Academic Success Center. The Senior Associate Dean for Research & Innovation drives strategic planning and provides guidance across the academic divisions and research programs, fostering new models of innovation, new initiatives and new collaborations. The Office of the Dean is responsible for all of the academic, academic student support, financial and administrative operations in the College of Arts & Sciences.
The College of Arts & Sciences Business Operations Office is housed in the Office of the Dean and supports the fiscal and human resources operations of the departments, curricula, and programs by consolidating their business operations into one center. The Business Operations Office enables transparency of operations and information, creating a more responsive organization that utilizes online systems and automation to streamline processes. It consistently applies policies, ensuring compliance to UNC, State, and Federal regulations and laws.
Within the Business Operations’ Accounting Department, grant and research administration support is provided for the non-Big 5 Departments (Biology, Chemistry, Math, English and Psychology). The Big 5 Departments have their own grant and research administration units, which are given autonomy from the Business Operations Office due to the specificity of field, the number and value amounts of grants and other third-party funding handled by their faculty.
For the smaller departments and centers, each may or may not have their own grant and research staff based upon the complexity and loss impact of the grants. These departments with their own field representatives will be handling their own research administration, however unlike the Big 5 Departments, any system financial transactions must be approved by Business Operations.
The Business Operations’ Accounting Division is ultimately accountable for any consequence of error with process and monies with the smaller departments and centers. Also, the group is recognized as the College’s principal grant and research administration experts, thereby providing a wide breadth of general and specific research funding information, UNC computer system, process, and policy counsel to ALL grant and research administrators (even Big 5 staff if they need assistance) throughout the College. At this time, the Accounting Division primarily provides post-award administration support. These services include faculty/staff consulting, sponsors/OSR coordination, purchasing, account reconciliation, and reporting.
Recently, trends reflect that more grant and research administration work is being transferred to the Accounting Division from the smaller departments and centers in order to keep operational costs down and retain a more efficient process and controls with less compliance liability. Overall grant and research administration work is expected to have exponential growth as a result of the Chancellor’s Research initiative.
Position Summary
This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.
The Contracts and Grants Coordinator is responsible for generally managing and providing direction, guidance, and leadership related to pre-award and post-award contract and grant activities within the College of Arts & Sciences. The selected candidate will play a critical role in meeting the proposal development and grants management needs of assigned units within the College while also serving as a divisional contact for faculty and staff regarding university and sponsor policies, processes, rules, and regulations.
This position is expected to perform high level tasks related to budgeting, proposal preparation, reporting, and overall grants management on a broad scale for many funding agencies – ranging from large, complex proposals and projects involving multiple faculty and departments at UNC and/or multiple collaborative universities (including subcontractors and/or consultants) to smaller, single-investigator awards or application submissions for student fellowships.
The Contracts And Grants Coordinator Will
- Take lead responsibility for planning and coordinating all contract and grant proposal submission
- Assist with proposal development, including the estimation of project costs and the preparation of project budgets
- Prepare and submit proposal packages in university and sponsor system
- Ensure compliance with sponsor terms and conditions
- Manage, monitor, track, and report on post-award activities
- Resolve post-award issues by working closely with departmental and university post-award staff
- Serve as the subject matter expert for pre-award and post-award business processes, and
- Support other high level administrative duties as required.
Mid-career with Masters and 1-2 yrs experience; or Bachelors and 2-4 yrs experience
Required Qualifications, Competencies, And Experience
It is necessary for the candidate to demonstrate the following:
- Knowledge and experience working with pre- and post-award financial management from a variety of sponsors.
- Extensive experience with calculating payroll and forecasting.
- Thorough understanding of how to interpret regulations and guidelines from a wide variety of funding agencies and use the funding mechanism required by those agencies.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access).
- Extensive experience creating spreadsheets and developing formulas in Excel.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Strong customer service skills.
- Strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills.
- Ability to perform work with a high degree of autonomy, accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness.
- Three or more years of experience with financial management of sponsored research (pre- and post-award).
- Previous experience with UNC-CH systems (e.g., CAYUSE, RAMSeS, ConnectCarolina, Infoporte)
- Experience with State, F&A, trust, and other fund types.
- Experience with financial and pre-/post-award management workflow tools.
- Experience managing funds and awards for multiple principal investigators across multiple units.
- Experience with shadow accounting.
- Experience with electronic personnel salary source management.
- Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA), and/or Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA) credentials.
- Experience managing or providing work direction to peers and clients/customers.
Not Applicable.
