Director of Sponsored Research and Programs

at North Central College, IL in Naperville, Illinois, United States

Job Description

Employment Status: Administrative

Description of Key Responsibility:

+ Identify and recommend grant opportunities that align with the College’s strategic plan and work with the Provost and Deans to identify faculty who could potentially serve as PIs.

+ Continue developing a culture of grant seeking among faculty and make recommendations for strategic investments that build capacity to support faculty scholarship and creative work.

+ Work with the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence ( CAFE ) to advance the mission of supporting faculty scholarship by developing and facilitating professional development opportunities on the topics of proposal writing and grants management.

+ Provide guidance to PIs on proposal development strategies including the facilitation of outreach to program officers at granting organizations.

+ Coordinate organizational meetings with PIs to discuss funder guidelines, generate ideas, assist with concept development of programs/projects, and ensure compliance with institutional policies.

+ Provide support on the development of grant applications including but not limited to editing sections of the proposal, helping to prepare budgets and budget narratives, and compiling additional documentation required for submission.

+ Review and edit all grant proposals for clarity, conformance with funding program priorities, and route through the appropriate channels for approval to submit.

+ Serve as the designated Authorized Organizational Representative ( AOR ) responsible for uploading application documents to granting agency portals and submitting completed applications.

+ Facilitate grant award kick-off meetings with the Grants Accountant, PIs, and other relevant College stakeholders to ensure all parties understand their role in award management.

+ Work with the Business Office in setup of new awards including the creation of general ledger accounts for each grant based on approved budget and distribution of indirect cost recoveries per the College’s policy.

+ Review grant agreements and subawards and, if required, route to College leadership for their review and signature.

+ Monitor grant report deadlines, review and edit progress reports for PIs, work with the Grants Accountant to produce financial reports, and coordinate timely submission with PIs.

+ Maintain and update institutional policies and procedures of grant management (e.g., time and effort certification, financial conflict of interest, responsible conduct of research, allowable costs) in collaboration with the Business Office and other campus stakeholders and in compliance with funding agencies and federal regulations (i.e., Uniform Guidance).

+ Develop and maintain a resources webpage for the Office of Sponsored Research & Programs on The Hub that includes relevant institutional procedures and policies for grant seekers.

+ Track and report progress to goals on proposal submissions and awards secured.

+ Serve as an ex-officio member of the Faculty Development & Recognition Committee.

+ Other duties as appropriately assigned.

Education/Training:

Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree or higher is preferred

Experience:

A total of at least 5-7 years of experience within the following areas:

+ Experience in a grants office or and office of sponsored research/programs in higher education or non-profit institution.

+ Administrative experience in higher education.

+ Expertise in government and private sector funding opportunities in support of higher education and research; expertise in federal, state, local and institutional regulations and policies governing administration of higher education research programs, grants and contracts required.

Position Summary:

The Director of Sponsored Research and Programs is responsible for expanding the portfolio of external grants that supports the College’s academic programs, research enterprise, and creative projects by providing assistance with proposal development for faculty across all academic departments. This position will oversee the complete lifecycle of academic and research grants, including operations of both pre-award and post-award, non-financial administration. The Director of Sponsored Research and Programs is also responsible for maintaining and updating institutional policies and procedures to ensure compliance with public and private funding agencies. The position cultivates collaborative relationships with faculty, administrators, and other key campus staff to stay informed of current programmatic activities, scholarly and creative interests, and upcoming initiatives, and then matches such institutional activities and priorities with potential funding opportunities.