The Grant Specialist will serve as the College of Arts & Sciences’ primary resource for pre-award contract and grant management, while also developing post-award expertise to support and guide department-level business managers in research-related financial administration. This role, reporting to the Associate Director of Finance & Budget, is key to enhancing the college’s research infrastructure and ensuring compliance, efficiency, and high-quality service across all stages of the grant lifecycle.
Position Number: S97350
This position is a Grade: 8 - 40 with an approximate salary range of $46,870-$56,250 and is subject to change based on experience, skills and qualifications.
Key Responsibilities:
• Manage proposal submissions for Principal Investigators (PIs) from from identification to submission
• Serve as the first point of contact for faculty and staff engaging with the CAS Research Office, acting as resource for proposal development
• Identify funding opportunities for faculty and students while familiarizing them with available tools, resources and databases
• Guide faculty in budget preparation, document collection, and subsequent revisions based on awarded amounts (if varies from proposed budget)
• Interpret sponsor guidelines, confirm PI and institutional eligibility, and ensure adherence to regulations and deadlines
• Initiate records and assist investigators in utilizing the Lehigh Integrated Research Administration (LIRA) system
• Collaborate closely with Contract and Grant Specialists within the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) to facilitate timely and compliant submission of proposals
• Prepare administrative components of pre-award requests from sponsors
• Keep abreast of sponsor updates, university policies and changes in research administration, including any upcoming changes to the LIRA system
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of Uniform Guidance, university policies and procedures, and sponsor-specific updates
• Provide early-stage post-award guidance to ensure expenditures align with proposed budgets
• Participate in research community training and coordinate with ORSP on research “hot topics” in research administration
• Collaborate with university systems and LTS to streamline CAS-specific workflows (e.g., grant applications, EPAF/payroll processes).
• Gain and maintain expertise in key university platforms, including Banner, LIRA, and Argos.
• Develop and maintain training resources and user guides for common research administration tasks.
• Oversee content management for the CAS Research website to ensure timely and accurate information is available to faculty and staff.
• Recommend and help implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, compliance, and service delivery.
• Plan and facilitate college-wide workshops (e.g., LIRA and Argos training) to build research administration capacity across departments.
• Support supervisor on ad hoc research-related projects and initiatives.
• Act as a resident consultant for CAS business managers with questions related to research budgets, research payroll allocations, and related administrative processes.
• Provide guidance and collaborate on post-award activities, including budget monitoring, expense/payroll reallocations, effort reporting, and compliance with award terms and university policies.
• Assist CAS Financial team, sometimes including faculty, with grant financial forecasting based on existing budget, renewals and expected future liabilities.
• Collaborate with CAS Financial team to maintain a database of research summer salary obligations and academic year course releases.
• Manage compliance with University policy on overload pay and process associated payroll documents as needed.
• Serve as a subject matter resource to department-level business managers, helping them navigate research-related financial tasks and ensuring consistency with best practices and compliance.
• Collaborate with the CAS Financial Team to foster an integrated, full-cycle approach and understanding to grant management.
• Review graduate student research appointments and tuition submissions to ensure accuracy against budgets.
• Identify opportunities to improve pre- and post-award processes and tools that support transparency, accountability, and efficiency.
• Supports development of policies, procedures, tools, and communications for grants administration and trains staff as needed.
• Provide support for college-level events, presentations, and special projects as needed.
• Assist the Dean's Office and financial team during peak workload periods or staff absences, contributing to a collaborative and responsive office environment.
Qualifications:
• Bachelor's Degree in Grant Administration, Business, Management, Analysis, Financial, Communications, or other related field
• One to three years of related work experience
• Excellent computer skills with experience an comfort using Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat
• Comfortable learning new, complex software systems
Lehigh University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. We are committed to a culturally and intellectually diverse community and we seek qualified candidates to contribute to the university’s mission. Lehigh University offers a comprehensive and family friendly benefits package which includes but is not limited to Health Care, Retirement and Educational benefits. Information can be found on our website.
Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing an accommodation for any part of the interview or hiring process may contact Lehigh's Accommodations Specialist.
Successful completion of standard background checks including but not limited to: social security verification, education verification, national criminal background checks, motor vehicle checks, PATCH, FBI fingerprinting, Child Abuse Clearance and credit history based upon the requirements of the position.
Only complete applications will be considered therefore please complete the application in its entirety. Once the posting is removed from the website applications may no longer be allowed to be completed.
