Grants Administrator I

The mission of the Allen Institute is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance our knowledge to improve human health. Using an open science, multi-scale, team-oriented approach, the Allen Institute focuses on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating new ideas to make a broad, transformational impact on science.

As part of the Finance Team, the Grants Administrator I reports to the Associate Director, Office of Sponsored Research (OSR). This position supports all functional and technical aspects of grant management for pre- and post-award grant activities.

At the Allen Institute, we believe that science is for everyone—and should be open to everyone. We are dedicated to combating biases and reducing barriers to STEM careers more broadly. We also believe that science is better when it includes different perspectives and voices. We strive to make the Allen Institute a place where everyone feels like they belong and are empowered to do their best work in a supportive environment.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for our open positions

Essential Functions

• Prepares and submits standard, less complex grant and contract proposals
• Drafts standard subaward agreements and amendments
• Works with Grants Administrators and investigators to manage the lifecycle of research administration, including: submission of grant and contract proposals, subaward management, effort tracking, and reporting oversight
• Develop and maintain systems for recording and tracking grant proposals and post-award metrics
• Establish and maintain data integrity across grant management tracking and fiscal systems
• Ensure records are auditable and are transitioned properly throughout the pre- and post-award process
• Assist with the development of training materials and workshops to educate internal teams on successful award development and administration
• Owns vendor management screening via Visual Compliance
• Screens sub awardees and Institute vendors; escalates any findings to the Associate Director, OSR
• Responsible for internal grant website, including developing reference guides and ensuring policies and procedures are updated to align with changes in federal agency and Institute policies or guidelines
• Engage in continuous improvement initiatives at the personal, team, and Institute levels
• Routinely interact with individuals at all levels within the organization, including: Investigators, program managers and Institute leadership
• Remain active in professional development societies (such as SRA & NCURA) to ensure skillset is maintained and learned knowledge is shared with internal stakeholders

Pre-Award Responsibilities

• Grant application kick-off meetings: prepare PowerPoint slides, timelines for proposal development, task lists to assist teams with managing deliverables
• Run grant kick-off meetings and maintain communication with internal and external stakeholders to ensure deadlines are met
• Liaise with external institutions to collect subaward or contract materials, and serve as the primary contact for questions from external parties for proposal development
• Complete and track all application forms and internal checklists and route for appropriate review and signatures
• Prepare ancillary proposal materials (e.g., facilities, biographical sketches, budget templates, other support), in coordination with Grants Administrators
• Upload all application components for each grant submission to sponsor systems ensuring that the proposal is formatted in accordance with granting agency requirements; Independently problem-solve system errors and escalate to managers as needed

Post-Award Responsibilities

• Owns initial and annual sub awardee screening process prior to issuing new awards and renewals
• Process subrecipient monitoring forms, interacting with subrecipient institutions to collect data, and preparing summaries of findings for management
• Own subrecipient reporting in SAM.gov
• Monitor Key Personnel effort commitments and work with investigators and Research Funding staff to ensure commitments align with sponsor regulations
• Maintain updated Other Support documents for all Key Personnel at the Institute with active awards
• Set up post-award files to ensure a complete record is transitioned from the pre-award process
• Calendar all reporting requirements and send reminders to internal and external stakeholders
• Prepare non-technical components of grant and contract progress reports
• Ensure that budgeting, policies, procedures, and agency requirements are met
• Manage the award close-out process. Including: collecting materials from internal and external stakeholders, obtaining invention reports from the Legal team, and uploading documents to sponsor system
• Schedule and maintain all grant status meetings and track deliverables
• Identify issues and escalate to grants administrators, investigators, and the Associate Director, Office of Sponsored Research, as appropriate
• Other duties as assigned

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of degree and experience
• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Office, including experience managing SharePoint sites
• Intermediate experience with Smartsheet

Preferred Education and Experience

• A minimum of 3+ years grant experience; NIH preferred
• Familiarity with Uniform Guidance as it applies to not-for profit institutions
• Must have excellent organizational and time management skills with an aptitude to prioritize tasks to meet conflicting deadlines; works well under pressure and reprioritizes workload with conflicting deadlines while maintaining a pleasant composure
• Results-oriented work products executed with a high degree of precision and accuracy producing final work products
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to communicate effectively internally and externally, both orally and in writing
• Ability to work independently and within teams
• Ability to problem solve in a collaborative manner
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills and ability to remain calm under pressure
• Proactive attention to expanding relevant knowledge base
• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Office, including experience managing SharePoint sites
• Intermediate experience with Smartsheet

Physical Demands

• Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment
• Standing and sitting for extended periods of time

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• This is a full-time position
• This role is currently able to work both remotely and onsite in a hybrid work environment. We are a Washington State employer, and the primary work location for all Allen Institute employees is 615 Westlake Ave N.; any remote work must be performed in Washington State.

Annualized Salary Range

• $71,100 - $87,100*

*Final salary depends on the required education for the role, experience, level of skills relevant to the role, and work location, where applicable.

Benefits

Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outlined in the Allen Institute’s Benefits Guide. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institute’s 401k plan. Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institute’s Benefits Guide. Details on the Allen Institute’s benefits offering are located at the following link: https://alleninstitute.org/careers/benefits.

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities