Colorado State University

Description of Work Unit

Colorado State University is a land-grant institution committed to a 150-year-old mission of access to higher education for the citizens of Colorado and to excellence in teaching, research, and outreach. The campus is located in the city of Fort Collins, the county seat of Larimer County. Fort Collins is a progressive community of approximately 171,000 situated 65 miles north of Denver on Interstate 25. Located at an elevation of 5,000 feet, Fort Collins has a clear, dry climate and generally pleasant temperature throughout the year.

The Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering (WSCOE) at Colorado State University (CSU) consists of about 3,000 students enrolled in BS, MS, and PhD programs, 145 tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, and over 400 support staff and research scientists.

The Office of the Dean provides administrative support for faculty, staff, and students in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering. The Office of the Dean serves as the main administrative office for the rest of the University. The office administers all financial, development, research administration, industry outreach activities, communications, facilities, human resources, and travel functions conducted within the college.

The Engineering Research Business Office (RBO) provides coordination and direct support for the management of federal, state, and commercial grants and contracts for research groups within the college. The RBO supports management decisions at all college levels with accurate and timely data accounting for compliance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

Position Summary

The Proposal Research Project Manager (Preaward) supports college faculty and researchers by coordinating competitive grant and contract applications for federal, state, local, foundation, and commercial funding. This role ensures the accurate and timely preparation of budget and proposals in compliance with relevant regulations and sponsor requirements. The RPM serves as a trusted resource for extramural funding, staying current on university to federal regulations, funding agency guidelines, as well as application processes and submission portals. The ideal candidate will possess excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, strong writing ability, and the capacity to learn quickly. Strong interpersonal skills are essential, as the RPM will build collaborative relationships with stakeholders in central university offices, including the Office of Sponsored Programs, as well as with college and department leaders, faculty, research staff, administrators, and team members. The RPM must be a proactive self-starter, skilled in problem-solving, managing competing priorities, while demonstrating a strong work ethic and commitment to delivering high-quality results.

The RPM also oversees the day-to-day budget management of complex portfolios of scientific research projects. Collaborating closely with faculty and senior research scientists, the RPM ensures accurate and timely financial data to support management decisions and compliance with local, state, federal, and sponsor requirements. The successful RPM will coordinate expenditure planning, forecast budgets, and recommend solutions for funding shortfalls, purchasing issues, or travel complications. While not typically responsible for executing financial transactions, the RPM reviews and approves or declines project-related expenditures in consultation with the project’s principal investigator (PI) as needed.

This position does not participate in the scientific research of any project.

The individual selected for the position will be classified into one of the following levels based on education and experience:

RPM Level 1: $60,000 – $69,200 per year

• Bachelor’s Degree. Or in lieu of Bachelor’s Degree, a high school diploma plus either eight (8) years of relevant work experience, OR a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or Certified Pre-Award Administrator (CPRA) certification in lieu of eight (8) years of experience.
• Two (2) years of related professional experience.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposal start date. The department will not sponsor a visa for this position.

RPM Level 2: $69,201 – $71,000 per year

• Bachelor’s Degree. Or in lieu of Bachelor’s Degree, a high school diploma plus either eight (8) years of relevant work experience, OR a CRA or CPRA certification in lieu of eight (8) years of experience.
• Two (2) years of related professional experience plus three (3) years of research administration experience, including but not limited to proposal submissions, project management, and/or financial management.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposal start date. The department will not sponsor a visa for this position.

RPM Level 3 : $71,001 – $78,200 per year

• Bachelor’s Degree. Or in lieu of Bachelor’s Degree, a high school diploma with either eight (8) years of relevant work experience, OR a CRA or CPRA certification in lieu of eight (8) years of experience.
• Five (5+) plus years of research administration experience, including but not limited to proposal submissions, project management, and/or financial management.
• Emphasis on Pre-award experience, including but not limited to complex proposals involving cost share, multiple sub-awards, a wide variety of agencies, detailed spreadsheets and budget presentations, compliance with Uniform Guidance and/or agency policies, etc.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposal start date. The department will not sponsor a visa for this position.

The Proposal Research Project Manager reports to the Director of Pre-award Support in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering at the Colorado State University.

Remote work is negotiable depending on the experience of the candidate. Remote work candidates will be considered, however periodic on-campus presence may be necessary (e.g. staff retreat) but not on a regular basis. Therefore, candidates are expected to commute to Fort Collins when necessary.

Required Job Qualifications

RPM Level 1: $60,000 – $69,200 per year

• Bachelor’s Degree. Or in lieu of Bachelor’s Degree, a high school diploma plus either eight (8) years of relevant work experience, OR a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or Certified Pre-Award Administrator (CPRA) certification in lieu of eight (8) years of experience.
• Two (2) years of related professional experience.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposal start date. The department will not sponsor a visa for this position.

RPM Level 2: $69,201 – $71,000 per year

• Bachelor’s Degree. Or in lieu of Bachelor’s Degree, a high school diploma plus either eight (8) years of relevant work experience, OR a CRA or CPRA certification in lieu of eight (8) years of experience.
• Two (2) years of related professional experience plus three (3) years of research administration experience, including but not limited to proposal submissions, project management, and/or financial management.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposal start date. The department will not sponsor a visa for this position.

RPM Level 3 : $71,001 – $78,200 per year

• Bachelor’s Degree. Or in lieu of Bachelor’s Degree, a high school diploma with either eight (8) years of relevant work experience, OR a CRA or CPRA certification in lieu of eight (8) years of experience.
• Five (5+) plus years of research administration experience, including but not limited to proposal submissions, project management, and/or financial management.
• Emphasis on Pre-award experience, including but not limited to complex proposals involving cost share, multiple sub-awards, a wide variety of agencies, detailed spreadsheets and budget presentations, compliance with Uniform Guidance and/or agency policies, etc.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposal start date. The department will not sponsor a visa for this position.

Preferred Job Qualifications

• Proven effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrated time management skills essential to meeting critical deadlines and managing priority changes.
• Advanced knowledge of office productivity software including MS Office; proficiency in development of complex formulas and pivot tables in Excel or similar spreadsheet software for report preparation; and data retrieval or other database management software (e.g., Oracle, Access, Smartsheet); and Adobe Acrobat.
• Experience with making financial decisions based on Federal Cost Accounting Standards and Uniform Guidance.
• Experience working in a higher education setting.
• Financial management experience including forecasting, personnel planning, tracking expenditures and re-budgeting.
• Experience with administrative activities associated with the scientific research process lifecycle.
• Experience with Kuali Research Proposal Development (KRPD) and Kuali Financial System (KFS) systems or similar proposal budgeting and financial management software.
• Experience with the preparation of scientific research proposals including budget development with multiple federal and non-federal funding agencies and respective proposal submission portals.
• Certification in Research Administration such as Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Administrator (CPRA), and/or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA).
• Experience building strong work relationships with customers based on subject-matter knowledge and the ability to effectively communicate with a wide variety of customers/colleagues.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative to problem solve through researching information and communication with resources/connection.

EEO

Colorado State University (CSU) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.