Senior Grants Specialist

The Senior Grants Specialist at MBZUAI supports the University’s research initiatives by managing the lifecycle of all internal and external research grants, and gifts, including pre-award, award acceptance, execution, post-award administration, and closeout activities. The role ensures compliance with funding regulations, institutional policies, sponsor requirements, and best practices in research administration, while working closely with faculty, researchers, Finance, and administrators to support effective proposal development, budget oversight, financial reporting, milestone tracking, progress reporting, and risk management. The role is responsible for executing project initiation, coordination, and delivery activities to ensure project milestones, timelines, deliverables, and reporting obligations are achieved. The position supports the consistent operational delivery of projects across the grant lifecycle, maintaining data integrity and compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements, while providing portfolio-level oversight of project status, dependencies, risks, and outcomes.

The Specialist also supports the use of grant management tools to align research proposals with funding opportunities, strengthen administrative and financial oversight, and maintain accurate tracking throughout the grant lifecycle. By cultivating strong relationships with key stakeholders, the role contributes to the effective utilization of research funding, supports faculty governance, and advances the efficiency and impact of Research Administration at MBZUAI.

Key Responsibilities

Grants Lifecycle Administration:

• Administer the full lifecycle of internal base funds and external research grants, ensuring seamless execution of pre-award, post-award, and closeout processes.
• Identify, assess, and recommend relevant funding opportunities while providing expert guidance to faculty and researchers on grant application procedures, compliance requirements, and eligibility criteria.
• Assist in proposal development, including technical aspects, budget formulation, and alignment with sponsor guidelines, institutional policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Review grant applications, including financial documentation, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and adherence to institutional and sponsor guidelines.
• Implement and maintain a tracking system for grant submissions, deadlines, compliance, and approval stages.
• Ensure accurate and timely submission of proposals, adhering to sponsor-specific electronic submission portals and institutional deadlines.

Post-Award & Closeout Management:

• Oversee post-award administration, ensuring financial management, grant compliance, and alignment with project deliverables as per award terms and conditions.
• Develop processes and manage tracking systems to monitor award budgets, expenditures, and cost-sharing requirements in line with funding agency regulations.
• Coordinate with the Finance and Budget team to process and submit invoices, progress reports, and financial statement.
• Collaborate with faculty, the finance team, and departmental administrators to implement modifications, extensions, or renewals, ensuring compliance with sponsor terms.
• Manage the closeout process, ensuring timely submission of final financial and programmatic reports, reconciliations, and compliance with project budgets.

System & Policy Implementation:

• Contribute to the development, implementation, and refinement of grant management system, policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with industry standards.
• Optimize workflows for grant proposal submission, compliance tracking, and progress reporting using automation and project management tools.
• Lead the and integration of research administration technologies (e.g., RPA, AI tools) to enhance grant management efficiency and automation.
• Implement and train faculty and staff on the adoption of grant management software to support faculty in utilizing these tools effectively.

Financial Management & Reporting:

• Collaborate with faculty and administrators to develop and manage grant budgets, including forecasting costs for personnel, equipment, and materials.
• Monitor research expenditures, ensuring funds are spent according to approved budgets and grant terms.
• Reconcile payroll and project-related expenses, identifying discrepancies and making corrections in collaboration with finance departments.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial reports, ensuring the financial health of research projects and meeting reporting requirements for the MBZUAI leadership and funding agencies.
• Maintain proper documentation of financial transactions and expenditures to support internal and external audits.

Grants Compliance:

• Maintain and manage a centralized grants database to track all activities, including proposal submissions, awards, deadlines, and outcomes, ensuring data accuracy and integrity.
• Conduct periodic compliance reviews to assess adherence to regulatory requirements and institutional policies.
• Ensure the timely and accurate submission of financial and technical reports to funding agencies, coordinating with stakeholders to meet deadlines and requirements.
• Provide compliance training to faculty and staff, ensuring adherence to policies and best practices.

Project Lifecycle & Portfolio Support:

• Support project initiation activities, including award kick-off meetings, milestone planning, and alignment on reporting requirements with PIs and project teams.
• Assist in maintaining project plans covering timelines, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, etc. across roles.
• Monitor progress against approved workplans and escalate delays, risks, and interdependencies.
• Track research outputs, deliverables, and reporting requirements across the project portfolio.
• Coordinate periodic technical and progress reporting with PIs and partners.
• Maintain accurate portfolio records and support preparation of dashboards and consolidated reports.

Relationship Management – Internal Collaboration:

• Cultivate and maintain strategic relationships with Principal Investigators (PIs), Researchers, departmental staff, and key stakeholders to ensure effective grant project administration.
• Collaborate with faculty, researchers, and the budget office to align research goals with available funding opportunities.
• Lead regular meetings with stakeholders to provide updates, address challenges, and suggest improvements to grant management workflows.
• Implement a feedback loop to continuously refine services based on stakeholder needs.

Training & Development:

• Develop and deliver training sessions on grant lifecycle management, compliance and disclosures, financial reporting, and best practices.
• Stay updated on research administration regulations to provide ongoing professional development opportunities for staff.
• Develop and maintain instructional materials and user guides to assist faculty and staff in navigating grant management processes and tools.

Risk Management

• Identify and address potential risks in grant management, including financial discrepancies, non-compliance, and delays in project deliverables.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to resolve non-compliance issues, ensuring corrective actions are taken.
• Ensure risk assessments and contingency planning are conducted throughout the lifecycle of grants.

Academic Qualifications Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as business administration, finance, public administration, or Higher Education Administration.
• A postgraduate degree in a relevant field discipline will be preferred.

Professional Experience Required
Essential

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in research/grants administration or financial management and planning in a higher education or research institution setting.
• Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of government funding practices and familiarity with research compliance regulations and policies.
• Experience in developing grant proposals, budgets, and reports.
• Demonstrated ability to manage grant-funded projects, including financial tracking, reporting, and compliance.
• Proven track record of successful relationship management with diverse stakeholders, both internal and external.
• Knowledge of budget development and financial management practices.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluating grant-funded projects to assess impact and report outcomes.
• Experience in providing training and support to research teams on grant management best practices and compliance requirements.