Job Description

About the University of Denver

Located where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, the University of Denver embodies the spirit of exploration and discovery that defines our region and our history. DU is a private institution built on exploration through research and collaboration among educators, students, and local and global communities. With nationally recognized academic programs, a history of widespread influence, a forward-looking vision for a 21st-century education, and a deep commitment to promoting inclusion, we open a world of opportunity to students and empower them to make a difference around the world. Through learning, scholarship and practice, students gain the experience, knowledge and courage they need to tackle big challenges in the real world and guide communities and organizations.

About the Morgridge College of Education (MCE) and the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW)

MCE is a leader in innovative and effective approaches for promoting learning, information literacy, healthy lifestyle, and civic participation throughout the lifespan. Transcending traditional ideas about education. schooling, and meaningful community engagement we embrace a new, comprehensive vision of learning as a lifelong activity that involves the whole person and can occur through a variety of methods, anywhere and at any time. We promote educational change and social equity in addition to providing leadership for the improvement of education, mental health, libraries, and information services and systems. The Morgridge College of Education’s vision is to train global leaders who employ innovative and effective approaches to advance learning throughout the lifespan, educational change, and social equity. Our programs prepare ethical, collaborative practitioners who can apply principles to promote learning and development with inclusive clients and communities. MCE has a research portfolio of approximately $8 million annually, across 25-40 active projects and 12-20 active Principal Investigators.

GSSW is a vibrant community of scholars and teachers committed to having an inclusive faculty and student body. The School’s curriculum, research, and community partnerships emphasize social and economic justice, along with an understanding of and respect for social, political, and cultural inclusivity both nationally and internationally. GSSW provides an intellectual, collegial, and supportive environment that fosters interdisciplinary and international educational opportunities. GSSW engages in collaborative projects locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. GSSW and the University of Denver are committed to enhancing the inclusivity of faculty and staff.

MCE and GSSW are in the process of merging into one unit. This position will primarily serve the MCE of the joint unit.

Reporting to the Director of Research Administration and a member of the Department of Research Administration, the Grant Administrator provides pre and post research award support and fiscal management primarily to the MCE faculty PIs and research-related Institutes and Centers. Grant Administrators collaborate directly with PIs on budget development and proposal submission in compliance with the policies of the DU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) and provide fiscal management and reporting of grant activity on funded projects. The Grant Administrator develops processes and trainings to support research administration, and advises PIs on university policies and processes related to research personnel, records, and financial transactions

The Administrator is experienced in managing federal, state, local, and private grants and awards and maintains a strong working knowledge of both internal policies and procedures as well as policies and procedures for common funding sources and federal grant submissions. This person must be able to work collaboratively with principal investigators and the Director on creation, analysis, and management of project budgets. Grant Administrators must be detail and customer service oriented and able to work across a variety of principal investigators and project types, research requirements for proposals, comply with policy and deadlines, and maintain strong working relationships within their team, in the GSSW and MCE Business Offices, and ORSP.

Essential Functions

Pre-Award

• Support faculty in the development and submission of grant proposals, including helping develop a timeline, budget preparation, completion of sponsor and institutional forms, and navigation of required submission systems. May include some subrecipient outreach and proposal project management.
• Advise faculty and unit leadership on sponsor guidelines, eligibility requirements, budget rules (including selecting appropriate rates), and university policies related to proposal submission, personnel effort, and budget considerations.
• Maintain current knowledge of and advises faculty, institute, and center leadership on federal and other external sponsor requirements to ensure proposals are compliant and ready for submission.
• Initiate and manage proposal records within the university’s electronic research administration system (InfoEd) and coordinate required institutional reviews and approvals prior to submission.
• Provide guidance, tools, and resources to strengthen proposal development and to support pursuit of external funding opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with the Associate Dean for Research, Director for Research Administration, the Business Office, and ORSP to ensure IDC, cost-share, course buyout, grant pay, space requirements or other impacts are understood and can be accommodated.

Post-Award

• Provide strategic oversight of post-award grant portfolios, ensuring both current-year execution and long-range financial sustainability across multiple projects, funding sources, departments, institutes, and centers.
• Lead long-range financial planning for sponsored projects, including multi-year forecasting, scenario modeling, and alignment of grant expenditures with project milestones, staffing plans, and institutional priorities.
• Provide strategic financial technical assistance and guidance to the ADR, project PIs, and teams across a complex portfolio. This might include: developing and managing budgets across a portfolio or within a project for tasks and sub-tasks; providing training on financial and grants management topics; identifying resources for hiring across more than one project; and creatively translating complex data into reports and presentations.
• Manage post-award grant budgets with PIs across the project lifecycle, including spending projections, expense monitoring, forecasting, identification of potential cost overruns or allowability issues, and supporting budget modifications.
• Process and oversee grant-related financial transactions, including entering hire requests, requesting purchase orders and contracts, reviewing P-Card activity, journal entries, and other required financial actions.
• Ensure compliance with university policies and sponsor regulations, including effort certification, payroll allocation, documentation standards, subrecipient and consultant agreements, incentives tracking, and record retention requirements.
• Coordinate and support subcontract and consultant monitoring in collaboration with central research offices and partners.
• Prepare and deliver required financial, progress, and final reports for Investigators, sponsors, regulatory bodies, and internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate and maintain a strong working relationship with research administration, business offices, and project staff to facilitate appropriate transactions, communication, and shared understanding of budget status and project needs.
• Develop and support improvements to financial monitoring, reporting, and grants administration processes.

Operations and Supplemental Support

• Assists the Business Team to process general ledger entries related to human resources, finance, and other transactions as needed or directed.
• Conduct training sessions and coordinates onboarding for new staff members with budgetary and HR responsibilities.
• Support research related personnel actions, including searches, hiring, payroll concerns and separations, working collaboratively with center and institute leaders and the Director on staffing plans.
• Provide and manage backup support for essential business functions in college departments during staff vacancies.
• Provide limited project management or complex administrative support for select projects, as needed.
• Other duties as assigned by the Dean and AD.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Direct prior experience with federal and state government agencies that administer sponsored research including budget preparation and monitoring, and grant administration
• Ability to develop, read, analyze, and interpret general business, financial documents, and budget reports.
• Ability to resolve routine problems using existing guidelines and processes
• Ability to make independent decisions and or/recommendations when necessary
• Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines
• Ability to research, investigate, analyze, reconcile and evaluate data.
• Ability to understand and effectively communicate complex financial reports and other information to individuals with varying levels of experience.
• Strong MS Office skills, including Excel
• Demonstrated commitment, knowledge and ability to effectively engage individuals from broadly inclusive communities

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 3 years research administration-related experience, including preparing proposal submissions, and providing post-award grants administration. Associates degree and work experience related to the position can be substituted on a year for year basis for the BA.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting
• 5-8 years grant related experience, including experience with NIH and other federal agencies and knowledge of 2 CFR 200
• 2 years’ experience working in a higher education research related role
• Experience monitoring sub-recipient expenses and activities
• Experience managing personnel activities

Working Environment

• Standard Office Environment
• Noise level is quiet to moderate
• This position is eligible for a hybrid work-place and some flexible scheduling

Physical Activities

• Ability to sit in front of a computer for an extended period.
• Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs. with assistance.

Work Schedule
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. This position is eligible for a hybrid work-place and some flexible scheduling

Application Deadline
For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) June 3, 2026.

Special Instructions
Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number:
The salary grade for the position is 10.

Salary Range:
The salary range for this position is $67,000-$77,000

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:
The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver

Please include the following documents with your application:
1. Resume
2. Cover Letter

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.