What Does a Grants Manager Do?
Research offices often work with many investigators who have a variety of funding sources, from federal agencies to private foundations. The ability to track numerous awards is essential to ensure that each sponsor receives accurate reports and each researcher can keep spending. Grants managers lead the staff who do that tracking, usually in a university or hospital sponsored programs office.
Also known as: Sponsored Programs Department Manager
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as CMC Director (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls Director), Compliance Director, Global RA Director (Global Regulatory Affairs Director), Global RA Manager (Global Regulatory Affairs Manager), RA Director (Regulatory Affairs Director), RA Manager (Regulatory Affairs Manager), RA QA Director (Regulatory Affairs Quality Assurance Director), RA VP (Regulatory Affairs Vice President).
Grants Manager Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a grants manager include:
- Lead a team of grants officers and specialists, assigning departments and reviewing their work.
- Approve proposals and budgets for institutional sign-off before they go to sponsors.
- Negotiate award terms and subcontract language with sponsors and partner institutions.
- Set office procedures for proposal review, award setup and closeout, and train staff to follow them.
- Monitor the office's workload and turnaround times, moving staff to meet deadline peaks.
- Prepare the institution for sponsor audits and respond to findings with corrective plans.
- Interpret new federal rules and explain what they mean for researchers and department staff.
- Resolve cost overruns and disallowed charges with investigators, departments and the controller's office.
- Report on proposal volume, awards and compliance to research deans and vice presidents.
- Hire, coach and evaluate grants staff, and plan training for new department administrators.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a grants manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Deep knowledge of federal grant rules and the Uniform Guidance
- Contract and award negotiation
- Staff leadership and workload planning
- Research administration systems such as Cayuse or Kuali
- Audit preparation and response
- Financial reporting and analysis
- Policy writing and training
- Firm, diplomatic handling of disagreements
Education and Training
To do well as a grants manager, you should have years of experience with federal awards and a flair for explaining rules to people who would rather be doing research. Most managers start with a bachelor's degree and work their way up from grants officer or department administrator. Many later earn research administrator certification.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: varies widely for this role, and BLS does not publish pay for it separately. In the wider BLS group it belongs to (Managers, All Other), the middle half of earners made $102,880 to $186,300 a year, and the median was $141,900.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Managers, All Other.
Employment of managers not listed elsewhere, a broad category that includes grants managers, should grow about 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 100,900 openings a year, according to BLS. Only a small share of those are in research administration. Many grants managers are promoted from within.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Managers, all other.
Grants Manager Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $74,300 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $102,880 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $141,900 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $186,300 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $238,270 |
Highest-Paying States for Grants Managers
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Massachusetts ($182,950), District of Columbia ($175,720), California ($174,560), Colorado ($171,140), Delaware ($168,060). Pay is lowest in Tennessee ($99,430), Arkansas ($87,520), Indiana ($79,900).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $135,890 |
| Alaska | $127,950 |
| Arizona | $129,870 |
| Arkansas | $87,520 |
| California | $174,560 |
| Colorado | $171,140 |
| Connecticut | $162,690 |
| Delaware | $168,060 |
| District of Columbia | $175,720 |
| Florida | $108,890 |
| Georgia | $125,000 |
| Hawaii | $130,000 |
| Idaho | $131,550 |
| Illinois | $140,240 |
| Indiana | $79,900 |
| Iowa | $128,080 |
| Kansas | $131,710 |
| Kentucky | $122,930 |
| Louisiana | $103,140 |
| Maine | $115,920 |
| Maryland | $159,040 |
| Massachusetts | $182,950 |
| Michigan | $134,260 |
| Minnesota | $152,600 |
| Mississippi | $101,570 |
| Missouri | $125,760 |
| Montana | $110,470 |
| Nebraska | $116,430 |
| Nevada | $112,040 |
| New Hampshire | $145,630 |
| New Jersey | $161,510 |
| New Mexico | $123,550 |
| New York | $167,200 |
| North Carolina | $141,160 |
| North Dakota | $126,440 |
| Ohio | $129,940 |
| Oklahoma | $131,870 |
| Oregon | $125,580 |
| Pennsylvania | $131,600 |
| Rhode Island | $165,900 |
| South Carolina | $129,960 |
| South Dakota | $119,470 |
| Tennessee | $99,430 |
| Texas | $134,390 |
| Utah | $134,890 |
| Vermont | $125,440 |
| Virginia | $166,230 |
| Washington | $164,160 |
| West Virginia | $124,940 |
| Wisconsin | $107,050 |
| Wyoming | $113,420 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as managers, all other about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% use email every day
- 100% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 95% spend more than half the workday sitting
- 87% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 74% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 64% are on the phone every day
- 61% usually work more than 40 hours a week
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 74% |
| Master's degree | 13% |
Tools and Software Grants Managers Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving.
Knowledge areas used most: English Language, Law and Government, Administration and Management, Biology, Education and Training.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Grants Manager Job
- Business cover letter sample
- How to write the skills section of a resume
- How to describe your work experience
- Job interview tips
- Interview thank-you note
The Job Explorer never charges candidates any money. If someone asks you to pay to apply for a grants manager job or to get hired, treat it as a warning sign.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 11-9199.00 (Managers, All Other). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.