Grants Operation Manager

Grants Operation Manager Food Allergy Science Initiative Cambridge, MA Job Details Full-time $85,000 - $115,000 a year 6 hours ago Benefits 401(k) 3% Match Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) Flexible spending account Paid time off Vision insurance 401(k) matching Life insurance Qualifications Teamwork Research proposal writing Interpersonal skills Expense management Managing budgets in a finance role Bachelor's degree Attention to detail Compliance reporting for grants Research administration Research budget management Cross-functional communication Internal financial reporting Financial compliance Full Job Description Position Description The Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI) is an organization with an urgent mission to accelerate the development of breakthrough discoveries to transform the lives of people with food allergies. Our research will improve how we diagnose, treat and prevent food allergies for millions of adults and children living with them. The organization was founded in 2016 at the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard and established as an independent 501(c)3 organization in 2021. Through FASI's relentless pursuit of knowledge, our researchers have yielded remarkable progress, establishing ourselves as a pioneering force in food allergy research and fostering a robust scientific program that boasts the collaboration of the nation's most brilliant researchers. FASI's work has attracted significant funding and prominent researchers from across the country, and we are currently working with a broad network of labs, scientists, and partners. This is an exciting opportunity to be one of the key members of a small, dynamic team working to support research that advances transformative evidence-based diagnostics, prevention, and treatments. FASI is seeking a Grants Operations Manager to lead day-to-day grants administration across a growing research portfolio. This role is primarily focused on full-cycle grants management, proposal coordination, post-award administration, reporting, subawards, budget tracking, and sponsor compliance support. The position also provides selected support for contracts and research vendor coordination in partnership with finance, scientific leadership, and outside counsel as needed. This is an excellent opportunity for a highly organized, proactive professional who can operate effectively in a small, mission-driven organization and build systems that support strong stewardship, compliance, and execution. The ideal candidate is strongest in grants operations and research administration, with the judgment to manage details while helping teams move work forward across multiple stakeholders. Primary Responsibilities Grants' management and portfolio operations

• Lead full-cycle grants administration for a portfolio of incoming and outgoing grants, including proposal coordination, award setup, reporting, amendments, and closeout.
• Maintain grants calendars, submission timelines, reporting schedules, and portfolio trackers to support proactive planning and execution.
• Develop, implement, and refine grants management systems, templates, standard operating procedures, and related tools.
• Serve as an internal resource on grant status, submission requirements, reporting obligations, and portfolio operations for leadership, finance, development, and scientific teams.
• Support cross-functional coordination to keep grant-related deliverables, approvals, and follow-up activities on track. Proposal development and submission
• Manage end-to-end preparation, review, and submission of grant proposals and related materials.
• Interpret sponsor guidelines, funding opportunity announcements, and submission requirements to help ensure complete and compliant applications.
• Develop, review, and revise proposal budgets, budget justifications, and administrative components in coordination with scientific leads and internal partners.
• Coordinate proposal components, track required materials, and support timely routing and submission through relevant sponsor systems.
• Review application materials for completeness, consistency, and alignment with sponsor instructions. Post-award administration and financial coordination
• Manage post-award administration for assigned grants, including award setup, internal kickoff, milestone tracking, reporting schedules, amendments, no-cost extensions, and closeout.
• Prepare and coordinate materials for financial and progress reports in partnership with finance, scientific leads, and other internal stakeholders.
• Monitor grant spending against approved budgets and support budget forecasting, re-budgeting, and expense tracking.
• Help identify budget variances, documentation gaps, or timeline risks and escalate issues appropriately.
• Develop and maintain grant tracking and budgeting tools that support leadership decision-making and resource planning. Compliance and sponsor requirements
• Support compliant administration of assigned grants by maintaining working knowledge of sponsor requirements, submission processes, reporting obligations, and award terms.
• Coordinate documentation and administrative processes related to federal and non-federal grants, including sponsor reporting, audit preparation, and award records.
• Conduct routine reviews of proposal and award materials for completeness, budget accuracy, allowability, and adherence to sponsor and organizational requirements.
• Partner closely with finance and external institutional contacts to support audit readiness, financial reconciliation, and resolution of grant-related administrative issues.
• Track relevant policy and procedural updates and communicate important changes to internal stakeholders. Contracts and research operations support
• Coordinate contracts, subawards, and selected CRO or vendor agreements tied to FASI grants and research activities.
• Maintain organized records of agreements, amendments, deliverables, invoicing milestones, and payment status.
• Partner with finance, scientific leadership, and outside counsel, as appropriate, on contract administration, business terms, and issue escalation.
• Support invoice review and payment coordination related to grants, vendors, and research partners. Meetings and cross-functional coordination
• Support planning and logistics for scientific meetings, advisory meetings, and other internal or external convenings as needed.
• Coordinate scheduling, agendas, materials, invitations, and follow-up for assigned meetings.
• Contribute to special projects and process improvements that strengthen FASI's grants and research operations. Qualifications Required
• Bachelor's degree and at least 5 years of relevant experience in grants administration, sponsored programs administration, research administration, nonprofit operations, finance, or a related field; or an advanced degree and at least 3 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing both pre-award and post-award grants administration.
• Experience preparing and submitting complex grant proposals and coordinating multiple proposal components and deadlines.
• Strong working knowledge of sponsored programs administration, grant budgeting, financial tracking, reporting, and compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting federally funded grants and working with sponsor guidelines, terms and conditions, and reporting expectations.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with close attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively across diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• High degree of professionalism, discretion, and ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
• Strong Excel skills and comfort working across grants, finance, and project management systems. Preferred
• Experience in biomedical research, life sciences, academic medicine, clinical research, or a science-focused nonprofit environment.
• Experience supporting multi-institutional collaborations, subawards, or center-level proposals.
• Experience with Smartsheet or similar project management and tracking tools.
• Experience coordinating scientific meetings, workshops, or symposium logistics.
• Exposure to contract administration, CRO or vendor coordination, or research-related agreement tracking.
• Familiarity with intellectual property-related provisions such as publication rights, data ownership, or related issues in research agreements.
• Experience researching funding opportunities or supporting grants pipeline development.
• Advanced degree in a relevant field such as life sciences, public health, nonprofit management, business, finance, or public administration.

Support and Working Relationships This role works closely with FASI leadership, finance, development, and scientific staff. The Grants Operations Manager will also partner with external institutions, funders, research collaborators, and outside counsel, as needed, to support grant administration, contract coordination, and issue resolution. Compliance, legal review, and specialized IP matters are handled in collaboration with internal and external partners rather than by this role alone. Compensation and Benefits The salary range for this position is $85,000-$115,000 . The actual base pay offered may vary based on job-related knowledge and skills, experience, business needs, geographic location, and internal equity. This is a full-time position. Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. FASI offers a competitive benefits package including employer sponsored healthcare, FSA, DCFSA, 401(k) with 3% employer match, paid time off, and professional development support. Additional Information This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by the individual assigned to this role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, or qualifications. Employment with FASI is at-will and may be terminated at any time, with or without cause or notice, subject to applicable law. To Apply To apply, please email a resume and cover letter to with "Grants Operations Manager" in the subject line. FASI is an equal opportunity employer. FASI provides equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Pay:

$85,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Flexible spending account Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

Hybrid remote in Cambridge, MA 02141