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James Madison University · 2 days ago

Assistant Director, Office of Sponsored Programs – Administrative Services

Harrisonburg, VA

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

James Madison University is a public institution committed to preparing students for productive lives. The Assistant Director within the Office of Sponsored Programs plays a pivotal role in fostering external funding growth, overseeing a grants specialist team, reviewing research contracts, and developing training materials for the campus community.

AssociationNon Profit

Growth Opportunities

Responsibilities

Oversight of the grants specialists team: This position exercises authority in leading and directing a team of grants specialists, including setting priorities and ensuring consistent application of organizational standards across all sponsored project proposals, with a special emphasis on budgets. Duties include supervising the team so that funding proposals are developed, reviewed, and submitted efficiently and effectively in accordance with university policies and procedures and sponsor guidelines, as well as arranging appropriate professional development for the team. Furthermore, as JMU is an emerging R2 institution with a growing research portfolio, the position, in collaboration with OSP-AS leadership, will develop new workflows and processes to further streamline operations

Contract review: The position provides front-line analysis of contractual provisions in research and related contracts to confirm compliance with organizational policies and standards, recommending revisions and coordinating with leadership (particularly the associate director) on nonstandard terms. The assistant director identifies such terms, prepares contract summaries, and suggests alternative language as appropriate, typically in coordination with University Counsel and other stakeholders (e.g., the intellectual property officer or information security officer). As appropriate, the assistant director assists with negotiations

Resource and training development: The position provides oversight and decision-making authority for designing and maintaining JMU’s budgeting training framework, especially setting programmatic priorities. These include internal resources for the OSP-AS team (e.g, trainings relevant to grants specialists) as well as trainings for the PI community (e.g., what a PI needs to know about specific funder budgeting policies). In the frequently-evolving funding landscape, this includes developing in-house trainings on specific sponsors, electronic systems, and/or new regulations

Coordination with other stakeholders: The assistant director coordinates with other offices across campus to facilitate timely submission of competitive sponsored program proposals

Sponsored Programs administrative services as appropriate: The assistant director should excel as a senior grants specialist and be able to personally oversee budget development, proposal review, and provide related services, especially for particularly difficult programs (e.g., international funders, significant cost share, etc.)

Contribute to the Strategic Planning and Smooth Operation of OSP-AS: A key responsibility of the assistant director is in the drafting of appropriate policies and procedures for the review of the associate director and other OSP-AS leadership. The policies and procedures should streamline the operation of OSP-AS, ensure adherence to research administration best practices, and ensure JMU’s continued eligibility for federal and state funding

Qualification

Research administrationBudget developmentElectronic research systemsUniform Guidance knowledgeSupervisory skillsMulti-taskingAttention to detailOrganizational skillsTeamworkCommunication skills