Grants Support Officer

The University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) Grants Support Officer (GSO) works as a member of the UNM-LA Academic Affairs Office to provide comprehensive pre-award support for externally funded grants and contracts that advance the institution's academic, workforce, community, and operational priorities. Reporting to the Dean of Instruction, the Grants Support Officer collaborates closely with faculty, staff, administrators, campus leadership, and external partners across a diverse range of programs and initiatives. The position supports the identification of funding opportunities, development of competitive proposals, and coordination of the planning, organization, and submission of grant applications to federal, state, foundation, corporate, and other funding sponsors.

The GSO serves as UNM-LA's primary pre-award grants professional, supporting investigators through the various stages of proposal development, submission, and use of funds. Responsibilities include assisting with project planning, facilitating cross-departmental and interdisciplinary collaboration, developing proposal timelines, interpreting sponsor guidelines, preparing and reviewing proposal narratives and supporting documentation, coordinating budget development, and ensuring proposals comply with sponsor requirements and University policies. The GSO will also provide post-award support, coordination, and guidance to the Dean of Instruction and Business Operations Director, working collaboratively to support grant reporting, compliance, and the appropriate distribution and use of awarded funds. The position provides guidance to the general campus regarding funding agency regulations, proposal preparation, cost-sharing requirements, institutional approvals, and submission procedures. The position also serves as a key liaison among project leads, campus departments, external partners, sponsoring agencies, and the University of New Mexico Office of Sponsored Projects throughout the proposal development and submission process.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Identify and communicate grant funding opportunities from federal, state, regional, local, private, corporate, foundation, and other funding sources to faculty, staff, administrators, and other campus stakeholders.
• Provide guidance to campus stakeholders regarding sponsor requirements, including funding priorities, deadlines, regulations, application requirements, allowable costs, and required proposal components.
• Collaborate with the Dean of Instruction and Business Operations Director regarding post-award reporting and distribution/use of funds.
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, administrators, and other project stakeholders in the development of grant proposals, including project planning, proposal narratives, supporting documentation, graphics, statistical summaries, and collecting other required materials.
• Develop grant proposals and other required proposal components in addition to the main project narratives
• Develop complex budgets and budget narratives (justifications) in collaboration with the investigator(s)
• Oversee the grant preparation process, timeline management, proposal and material development and coordination with other individuals working on the grant proposal
• Monitor changes in federal and state regulations and funding agency policies, guidelines, and requirements; evaluate their impact on proposal development and submission processes and communicate relevant updates to faculty, investigators, and campus administrators
• Work with various departments and offices to compile and update UNM-LA data and information and create narratives, develop graphics, and other "ready-to-go" information to be used in grant proposals, reports, and presentations
• Develop and maintain a library of reference documentation, including funding agency requirements and forms, abstracts and reference literature, and other pertinent material
• Develop and maintain an updated database of all grant proposals and awards and related documents (statistics, institutional information, student data, etc.)
• Develop up-to-date institutional information and data in multiple formats that can be easily adapted to fit into specific sponsor requests and requirements
• Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned

See the Position Description for additional information.

• Employees who provide services or work in patient care or clinical areas are required to be in compliance with the University's influenza vaccination requirement.

Bachelor's degree; at least 5 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.

• Demonstrated experience coordinating grant funded opportunities and complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and fixed deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to independently research, analyze, and synthesize information from multiple sources to support decision-making and strategic planning.
• Experience managing large-scale initiatives or projects that require detailed planning, timeline development, progress tracking, and successful completion of deliverables.
• Demonstrated organizational skills with a record of managing multiple concurrent assignments while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience in university sponsored programs, research development, or grant administration offices.
• Familiarity with federal grant regulations and agency guidelines for proposal submission and sponsored research, knowledge of federal, state, and/or community funding sources and mechanisms (grants.gov, research.gov, and others).
• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with individuals from diverse professional, academic, technical, and administrative backgrounds to achieve shared objectives.
• Demonstrated initiative and commitment to achieving results, including identifying opportunities for process improvement and implementing effective solutions.
• Strong written communication skills, including experience preparing, editing, reviewing, or coordinating complex documents, reports, proposals, or other professional materials.
• Experience developing and maintaining databases, tracking systems, records management systems, or other tools used to organize and monitor projects and outcomes.
• Demonstrated analytical skills, including experience compiling data, developing summaries and reports, and presenting information in a clear and meaningful manner.
• Experience supporting grant development, research administration, sponsored programs, proposal development, or other resource-development activities.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work with a strong sense of urgency while managing multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.

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Positions posted with a Staff Type of Regular or Term are eligible for the Veteran Preference Program. See the Veteran Preference Program webpage for additional details.

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

The University of New Mexico requires all regular staff positions successfully pass a pre-employment background check. This may include, but is not limited to, a criminal history background check, New Mexico Department of Health fingerprint screening, New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department fingerprint screening, verification of education credentials, and/or verification of prior employment. For more information about background checks, visit https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3280.html. Refer to https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3200.html for a definition of Regular Staff.