Assistant Director, Award Management

Job Summary :

The Assistant Director Award Management is a professional member of the Office for Sponsored Research, and part of the leadership of the Proposal and Awards Acceptance team, reporting to the Sr.

Director Proposal and Awards Acceptance. The Proposal and Awards Acceptance team is responsible for the review and submission of proposals for a large variety of sponsors, review and negotiation of awards and managing post award non-financial requests using the highest levels of professionalism and service.

The Assistant Director supervises approximately five Associate Sponsored Research Officers while also maintaining a complex portfolio and set of constituency assignments.

The Assistant Director will oversee the various activities of the team which include amendment review and processing, award modification request, invention reporting, and other duties as needed.

As part of Northwestern University’s commitment to creating an inclusive and diverse campus community, Northwestern Sponsored Research is committed to being BRAVE (Battling Racism and Valuing Equity).

Through deliberate words and actions we actively endeavor to acknowledge the humanity of and value each of our colleagues.

The Assistant Director Award Management will support the OR mission and values of understanding empathy, modeling accountability, ensuring fairness, embracing community, and valuing creativity.

Specific Responsibilities :

Manages a team of Associate Sponsored Research Officers (Assoc SRO). Provides daily guidance and mentoring to staff on operational and policy issues, as well as routine activities.

Reviews and monitors the daily workflow of proposals, change requests and award agreements and reassigns work as needed.

Maintains awareness of individual workload and flow of proposals and other administrative activities.

• Provides input to office-wide meetings
• Facilitates cross-team collaborations to understand important and frequent contracting issues and to ensure seamless handoffs between Sponsored Research Officers and Contract Officers in all SR units.
• Hires, promotes, evaluates and counsels staff with input from Sr. Director and Assistant Vice President, Sponsored Research (AVP-SR).
• Maintains and manages an advanced portfolio of sponsored research activity for designated university schools, departments and / or centers.
• Exercises delegated signature authority from the Assistant Vice President. Reviews, and signs proposal applications, award amendments and administrative correspondence to sponsors as authorized by the University president.

Safeguards university interests with respect to intellectual property, publications, export controls, liability, effort reporting, and compliance issues.

Ensures compliance and fiscal integrity of proposal submissions and appropriated awards.

• Supports Associate Sponsored Research Officers (SROs) and ensures that a high level of service support is provided to principal investigators and departmental, Center, school and central administrators.
• Evaluates the risk associated with the variety of transactions processed by Sponsored Research Officers and SR.
• Serves as expert in pre-award and post-award proposal management. Participates in establishing standard operating procedures for pre-award and post-award service delivery.
• Monitors internal performance metrics to ensure high levels of service and accomplishment of objectives.
• Solicit input from Principal investigators and other central administrative offices, such as COI, IRB, ACUC, INVO, ASRSP, General Counsel, and Risk Management as appropriate.
• Represents Sponsored Research in meetings with principal investigators, school administrators, and senior university administrators in areas related to sponsored research.

Accurately convey current practices in research administration and work collaboratively across all sectors of the university to develop appropriate changes in procedures and policies, and implement best practices that will benefit the research community.

• Presents as needed to a variety of constituents including campus-wide and national meetings
• Develops, implements and trains staff in standard procedures that support Northwestern University research policy. Coordinate with other units to ensure the timing and integrity of the sponsored research life cycle.

Communicate and present procedures and policy within SR and externally to the university community.

• Assists in the development of the agenda for the campus-specific sponsored research campus meetings.
• Monitors policy changes implemented by external sponsors (related to electronic research administration and otherwise).
• Assists faculty and staff in award monitoring.
• Provides significant input to optimize enterprise-level systems supporting research administration, and participates in managing change within the research administration community
• Provides education, training and research information for SR staff and NU departments, schools and Centers through a variety of venues.

Participates in designing and implementing research administration training programs.

• Leads ongoing service excellence and continuous improvement initiatives
• Optimizes staff skills and organizational structure and is responsible for staff development and continuing education.

Provides staff with feedback and direction

• Advises Sr. Director and AVP-SR on emerging and pressing issues.
• Participates in resolution of issues.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications : (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree;

OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• 5 years previous work experience in the administration of sponsored research at an educational institution, in the federal government, or entity engaged in sponsored research
• Previous, proven experience supervising and mentoring staff.
• Capable of presenting at various meetings across campus including faculty meetings and campus-wide meetings and at professional organizations (MAGI, FDP, NCURA, UIDP, SRA, etc).

Minimum Competencies : (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Advanced knowledge and application of relevant codes, regulations necessary to administer and manage externally funded sponsored research.
• Ability to supervise and motivate professional and administrative support staff in a team environment. Working knowledge of current management principles and practices, skill in dealing with others in work relationships involving mentoring, conflict resolutions, the ability to resourcefully solve problems, and the ability to make difficult decisions.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively in a team-oriented environment across organizational units and at all levels, including faculty, deans, central administration and senior institutional officials.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Customer-focused; dedicated to providing optimum service to internal and external customers.
• Highest level of professional and personal integrity.
• Thrives in a high-volume, fast-paced environment. Is able to handle significant stress and a large workload.
• Computer proficiency - software use may include Microsoft Office suite, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Access, web browsers, email and systems including enterprise applications and various sponsor systems.
• Compliance honor Northwestern University policy and external regulatory requirements.
• Communication - oral and written communicates effectively and concisely one-to-one, in small groups and in public speaking contexts;

concise and professional emails, letters and proposals.

• Decision Making exercises professional judgment in all matters; follows and teaches others to follow a process method for problem solving.
• Dependability - professionally performs duties and responsibilities; displays strong attention to detail; actively supports organizational policies;

anticipates demands and pressures of assignments and adjusts accordingly.

Diversity - creates an environment of inclusion and openness; solicits input from a wide variety of people and functions;

models and enacts inclusionary practices

Ethics and Integrity consistently follows through on commitments; incorporates honesty, mutual respect, civility and fairness in all daily actions;

demands trustworthiness from others; demonstrates courage and objectivity

Initiative - exhibits dynamic energy and strong desire to achieve; sets ambitious goals and acts decisively and thoughtfully to achieve them;

takes action without being requested to improve or enhance job results and avoid problems.

• Judgment - demonstrates professional level of logic, rationality and objectivity; shows common sense; uses all available information to make practical decisions in line with unit and University goals and needs
• Listening - actively listens to others' opinions and ideas; respects and seeks to understand differences in opinions
• Negotiations expertly seeks common ground to accommodate the conflicting needs and wants of different stakeholders
• Organization - plans, organizes and schedules in an efficient, productive manner; anticipates contingencies and pays attention to detail;

targets projects or initiatives that require special attention and focuses on key tasks when faced with limited time and or resources.

• Problem Solving - formulates ambitious, but plausible, plans and contingencies and establishes appropriate measurements of anticipated results
• Research Regulations - demonstrates knowledge of federal, state and local regulations governing the participation of human and animal research subjects.
• Substantial, demonstrated knowledge of federal and international regulatory requirements and guidelines involving clinical trials and research
• Demonstrated expert-level knowledge of sound contracting and subcontracting practices.
• Demonstrated knowledge of grant and contract administration for sponsored projects and an understanding of FDA regulations governing clinical trials along with GCP Guidelines, IRB regulations and requirements.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Government grant and contract administration and a demonstrated understanding of core contracting principles for educational institutions.
• Ability to read statements of work, and other sponsor or investigator-provided study documentation and sufficiently understand the research in order to elucidate potential contractual or regulatory issues.
• Ability to read clinical protocols and consent forms and sufficiently understand the research in order to elucidate potential contractual or regulatory issues and assure research is consistent with contractual obligations.
• Demonstrated understanding of the technical issues affecting protection, use, and exploitation of intellectual property.
• Demonstrated knowledge of indemnification and liability issues.
• Demonstrated understanding of issues affecting publication.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the distinctions between gifts, grants, and contracts and the ability to articulate these distinctions to faculty, staff, and industry sponsors.
• Knowledge of general management principles and practices, skill in dealing with others in work relationships involving mentoring, teamwork, conflict resolutions, and the ability to make difficult decisions.
• Management and professional experience, business acumen, judgment and integrity to effectively serve investigators and sponsors, while continuously advancing the best interests of the University.
• Ability to effectively work with and deal with difficult people.
• Ability to efficiently and effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong service orientation.

Preferred Qualifications : (Education and experience)

• Five years previous work experience in the administration of sponsored research or other central research-related office at an educational institution, government, or other entity engaged in sponsored research.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct training sessions.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage staff.

Preferred Competencies : (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Managing staff - empowers others through delegating key tasks functions; establishes clear understanding of roles and accountabilities, setting clear expectations, providing feedback and guidance, holding people accountable and ensuring that direct reports take ownership of work.
• Performance management - establish clear expectations, reviewing progress, providing feedback and guidance, holding people accountable, and accepting accountability for leadership responsibilities.
• Organization - plans, organizes and schedules in an efficient, productive manner; anticipates contingencies and pays attention to detail;

targets projects or initiatives that require special attention and focuses on key tasks when faced with limited time and or resources.

• Leadership - involves team members in solving problems and making decisions, inspires people to become leaders, obtains input from others, facilitates change, inspires confidence and optimism through a clear vision and by personal example.
• Service Focus - regularly monitors key service metrics as established by the Director, and engages with team members as needed to ensure the highest level of service;

provides thoughtful and actionable suggestions to improve quality and value to researchers, other staff, and external partners.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $107,000-$121,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data

Benefits :

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness :

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We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior / adult care. Visit us at to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development :

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at to learn more .

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More information can be found on the webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations.

We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.