Authored by:
Dominique Gambino
Post Award Grants and Contracts Administrator
University of Detroit Mercy
We want to hear about a day in your work-life! To contribute to the monthly series, please submit your story here.
In February of 2017, I was a program manager busy budgeting for the upcoming grant year, helping the project team organize for summer programming, and participating in all aspects of the project. My research administration focus was at the micro-level and limited to the NIH funded ReBUILDetroit grant. Fast forward one year and I’m getting acclimated to a new position overseeing all post-award grant management at the University of Detroit Mercy.
This position administers sponsored grants and contracts awarded to faculty on all three University of Detroit Mercy campus locations which include the School of Dentistry and the School of Law. I am excited about this new period in my career and the opportunity for growth that it offers. This is the first position that I’ve held that has the potential for longevity due to ongoing availability for learning and professional growth.
My day-to-day tasks include a combination of pre-award budget review, award set-up, ongoing grant management, and close-out. These tasks include creating payroll authorizations, reviewing contracts, various procurement approvals, internal/external reporting, and responding to award related questions from principal investigators and program directors.
The grant and contract portfolio of Detroit Mercy is quite diverse with a few large awards from NIH, NSF, HRSA, the Department of Education, and the State of Michigan. A high volume of awards from industry, foundations, and university subcontracts round out the portfolio. The volume of active grants is high and growing at a steady pace. My position is the only role dedicated to post award grants and contract administration for the university. Organization, prioritizing, and time management are critical to my ability to do well in this position. The ability to recognize the need for change and to implement forward momentum, even in small increments, to achieve that change are equally valuable to the success of this role.
I have spent a majority of the last three months learning the intricacies of the various grants and the needs of the principal investigators. I have identified opportunities for improvement that include overall process revaluation and the elimination of redundant tasks, increasing the accessibility of post-award information, and creating a stronger report tracking system for the high volume of non-federal grants. Strides have been made in several of these areas. I am currently in the process of setting up a reporting tracking and reminder system that will allow me to train undergraduate student employees to maintain. On the horizon will be the creation of website content and developing tools for faculty to use in grant budgeting and management.
The change is not limited to career growth or improvements in post award grant and contract management. The University of Detroit Mercy rolled out a Voluntary Employee Separation Incentive Program (VESIP) that will be impacting my department. By December of 2018 the employees who have accepted the incentive offer will be exiting their positions and the department will undergo restructuring. In February 2019, my job responsibilities and daily focus may be much different than they are today. The aspects of change and growth continue to be central in my experience as a research administrator. I look forward to what the future will bring.
#insights#Membership