The Grants Administrator provides administrative, technical, and compliance support to the Office of Research, Grants, and Foundation Relations. Reporting to the Senior Grants and Compliance Manager, the Grants Administrator supports the full lifecycle of extramural grants, including proposal development, award setup, compliance tracking, reporting, records management, and faculty support. This position contributes to the University’s mission by helping faculty secure and responsibly manage external funding that advances research, scholarship, and student-centered initiatives.

Duties

• Provide administrative and technical support throughout the grant lifecycle, including proposal submission, award setup, tracking, documentation, reporting deadlines, and maintenance of accurate grant records in University systems. 
• Assist with research related to grant compliance, funder requirements, due diligence, award monitoring, and closeout analyses. Support the Senior Grants and Compliance Manager in identifying documentation needs, reporting obligations, and potential compliance concerns.
• Maintain and support tracking, metrics, data entry, and reporting for extramural grant submissions and awards.
• Assist with comparative analyses, dashboards, and reports used for internal planning and leadership review. 
• Support the development, routing, and submission of extramural grant applications and proposals.
• Provide writing, editing, formatting, and document preparation assistance for proposals, applications, letters of inquiry, and other funding-related materials. 
• Support the Senior Grants and Compliance Manager and Senior Sponsored Projects Accountant in coordinating with faculty, staff, and budget managers to monitor sponsored project activity, track reporting deadlines, support financial and narrative reporting, and assist with post-award stewardship. 
• Serve as a resource to faculty, staff, and administrators on grant processes, funding resources, proposal logistics, and reporting requirements.
• Contribute to the overall development and effectiveness of the RGFR office, including special projects, trainings, communications, and events as needed. 
• Assist with gathering, organizing, and coordinating documentation for internal, funder, and governmental audits in collaboration with the Senior Sponsored Projects Accountant and Senior Grants and Compliance Manager, including funder desk audits and the annual Uniform Guidance Single Audit. 
• Assist the Senior Grants and Compliance Manager with documentation, data collection, and administrative coordination related to the federal indirect cost and fringe benefit recovery rate proposal process. 
• Perform other duties as assigned. 
• Uphold University mission through work performed. 

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree.
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Ability to provide exceptional customer/constituent service to faculty, staff, administrators, and external partners.
• Exhibits problem-solving skills and an ability to interpret instructions and follow complex procedures.
• Ability to be thorough and maintain accurate records.
• Must be comfortable working independently and as part of a team, exercise discretion with confidential information, and be comfortable meeting deadlines and balancing competing priorities.
• Exhibits strong attention to detail, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and strong organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Google Workspace, email/calendar systems, Adobe Acrobat, and other standard office equipment.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree.
• Two or more years of experience in grants administration, sponsored projects, research administration, grant writing, nonprofit administration, higher education administration, accounting, or related field.
• Experience with pre-award and/or post-award processes, federal grants, private foundations, budget tracking, and grant reporting.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience with Cayuse, PeopleSoft, or similar systems.
• Knowledge of grants administration, sponsored projects, proposal development, post-award reporting, Uniform Guidance, research compliance, budget tracking, grant file management, and higher education operations.
• Cayuse SP, Cayuse Fund Manager, and PeopleSoft.

This is a Regular, Nonexempt, 40 hour per week position.

Expected Pay Range: $31.73 - $33.79 per hour 

The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.

Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Pepperdine is committed to providing a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University.

Pepperdine is religiously affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It is the purpose of Pepperdine to pursue the very highest employment and academic standards within a context that celebrates and extends the spiritual and ethical ideals of the Christian faith. While students, faculty, and staff represent many religious backgrounds, Pepperdine is permitted under applicable law and reserves the right to seek, hire, and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists who support Pepperdine's Christian mission.

Qualified individuals should be able to show respect for workplace differences, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job-related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Individuals will be required to disclose any criminal convictions on a designated form after receiving a conditional offer of employment; failure to disclose accurate information may result in withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.