Grants Specialist

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is hiring two (2) experienced full-time Grant Specialists. This position works at the nexus of science and finance at the Center by providing pre-award and post-award grant support to several scientific Principal Investigators (PIs). It is vital to the success of the Center’s scientific community.

The Grant Specialist role is a service-oriented position that requires the ability to multi-task, meet deadlines, and juggle competing priorities while maintaining positive and collaborative relationships. The successful candidate will build a partnership with their PIs to manage a financial portfolio made up of multiple projects from a variety of funding sources.

For more information about Danforth Center and our work, visit our Danforth webpage.

Responsibilities:

• Pre-Award (35%)

  • Review grant RFPs/FOAs and create checklists for proposal submission

  • Communicate internal proposal deadlines to the proposal team, including subaward organizations, and manage the proposal process to ensure deadlines are met

  • Update personnel documents (Biographical Sketch, Current & Pending Other Support, Collaborators & Affiliations) and review with the PI

  • Provide appropriate proposal document templates to the PI and assist with updating them to meet solicitation requirements

  • Review proposal documents against formatting and content requirements and coordinate updates with the PI

  • Work with the PI to create the proposal budget and write the budget justification; ensure the budget meets solicitation requirements

  • Input proposal record into InfoEd for internal review by Finance and scientific leadership

  • Communicate with internal and external co-PIs throughout the proposal process to ensure subaward documents are obtained for both internal review and proposal submission

• Post-Award (60%)

  • Track funding sources (grants, subawards, start-up, industry) and assist PI or Core Facility Director with managing their portfolio by creating monthly budget and projection reports; provide guidance during decision-making

  • Process invoices for payment, including subaward invoices

  • Review subaward agreements and track subaward expenditures/reporting; work with appropriate subaward contact to resolve issues

  • Identify, prepare, and submit expenditures requiring cost transfer, budget adjustments, and salary allocation changes

  • Assist the PI with annual/progress reports

  • Perform project close-out activities in concert with Finance

  • Assist with capital equipment orders by coordinating with Finance, ensuring necessary internal codes are created, equipment ordered, and Finance is notified to begin capitalization

  • Communicate and coordinate with the Finance Department on items/issues that arise during project execution to ensure internal policies and federal/sponsor guidelines are met

Overall (5%)

• Suggest process improvements with management and share with the team

• Support systems implementations by participating in requirements gathering meetings and performing testing

• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Pre- and post-award grants management/research administration experience with exposure to various federal agencies (NSF, DOE, USDA, NIH)

• Demonstrated budgeting, financial, analytical, critical thinking, project management, and problem-solving skills.

• The ability to meet deadlines and build positive relationships with internal and external collaborators

• Experience with grant management lifecycle, grant submissions, grant budgeting, writing budget justifications, and project financial management (tracking performance to budget, identifying necessary adjustments, etc.)

• Solid proficiency in Excel (understanding/creating complex formulas, VLOOKUP, pivot tables, utilizing complex workbooks, etc.). Proficiency with Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint

• Ability to organize, multitask, manage time efficiently, prioritize responsibilities appropriately, be proactive, and work both independently and collaboratively while demonstrating professionalism and respect.

• Strict attention to detail.

• Knowledge of the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards, especially cost allowability is preferred.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining collaborative and professional relationships.

• Possess a service-oriented mindset, be eager to share knowledge, and be willing to identify and lead process improvement initiatives.

• Actively contributes to a positive work environment.

• Experience with Research.gov, Grants.gov, and InfoEd is desirable.

• Live the Danforth Center values: Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Innovation, Integrity & Respect, Environmental Sustainability, and Stewardship.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree

• 3-5 years’ experience of pre- and post-award grants management/research administration experience or relevant experience

Submission:

• Cover letter clearly describing research interest and career goals

• CV

• Contact information for three (3) professional references

About the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center:

Founded in 1998, The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is an independent, non-profit organization with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Our focus is scientific research at the nexus of food, energy and the environment to improve the productivity and sustainability of agriculture. We assemble interactive teams of scientists and develop unique platforms to discover underlying principles about how plants work. We then convert that knowledge into useful crops and products, and partner with organizations that are best positioned to solve problems where they exist around the world. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is proudly an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions at the Danforth Center are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. It is our policy that the Danforth Center does not discriminate in employment opportunities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin and status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities. As a federal contractor, the Danforth Center is required to comply with the 2021 Executive Order mandating full vaccination status of employees by December 8, 2021 unless the employee is legally entitled to an accommodation due to physical disability or sincerely held religious belief. If you need a reasonable accommodation to access the information provided on this web site, please contact Human Resources, at 314-587-1033 for further assistance.