Assistant Director, Finance & Administration

Requisition # 2026-22482

Posted 2026-11-04

Department: Dean for Research, Office of

Category: Financial Services and Procurement

Job Type: Full-Time

Overview

The Assistant Director for Finance and Administration is a key position located in the Office of the Dean for Research (ODFR) central office reporting to the Senior Associate Director for Finance and Administration, with a primary focus of supporting the Office of Innovation, including the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement and the Innovation and Infrastructure Programs departments. This position is responsible for managing the finances and administration for the three offices including budget oversight, processing government and industry grants and contracts, corporate affiliate membership agreements, corporate sponsorships, complex gift acceptance process and working closely with University partners such as faculty, department managers, centers/institutes, staff, ORPA, OGC, Advancement, RIA, OTL, F&T and more. The Assistant Director is part of the ODFR central office finance and administration team that collaboratively provides skilled management of finance and administration across multiple departments in the Unit.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Director is responsible for managing the operating budgets and business processes for three offices - Office of Innovation, Strategic Partnerships and Engagement and Innovation and Infrastructure Programs. This includes forecasting and projecting expenses, processing requisitions and invoices, overseeing Concur, etc. This position drafts reviews and administers consultant agreements including SOW’s and coordinates with Procurement for review.

The Assistant Director will be responsible for managing and analyzing grant, proposal, and new award data using multiple systems. Knowledge of the data maintained in the University's databases (Salesforce, Tableau, Stripes, Prime, IW, ERA, etc) is necessary. Furthermore, the Assistant Director will provide analysis of data in consultation with the Vice Dean for Innovation, the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement and the Director of Innovation and Infrastructure Programs for reporting to University senior leadership including Trustees, President, and Cabinet members.

These reports often include confidential information and legal requests such as litigations for data and documents/records. Furthermore, this position works on special reports such as the Department of Education's Section 117 Foreign Gift and Contract Reports, and NSF's Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey. The AD will collaborate and liaison with members of the ODFR IT team on reports as necessary.

The Assistant Director is responsible for managing the corporate affiliates membership agreements and gift acceptance for all industry gifts related to research, as well as financial reporting. This includes consulting with University donors/sponsors and working collaboratively with faculty, department managers/staff, as well as other campus partners, to draft and review agreements in consultation with the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement. The Assistant Director will also manage the operational aspects of the University’s corporate sponsorships.

The Assistant Director will work with the Office of Innovation and Innovation and Infrastructure Programs leadership to advise and assist in interpreting requests for proposal conditions, grant, contract and other research-related agreement terms and conditions, entering proposals into ERA system, post award grant management and assisting in the resolution of issues that develop in the course of projects by consulting with the PI, staff and sponsors, as well as post-award grant management.

The Assistant Director is responsible for managing several HR responsibilities for the three offices with assistance from the Administrative Assistant and in collaboration with the ODFR central office team, including posting job positions, reviewing resumes, and the interview and hiring processes such as onboarding, as well as offboarding when an employee leaves the department or University.

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications:

As a professional staff member that interacts both with internal and external stakeholders, the Assistant Director must have a strong service orientation, good problem-solving abilities, effective oral and written communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively and effectively with faculty, staff, and external partners. Moreover, the Assistant Director must be energetic and able to function effectively and independently in a fast- moving environment subject to external pressure and frequent interruptions.

• 5+ years of relevant work experience.
• excellent Microsoft Office suite skill-level
• ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive information and material in a discretionary and time sensitive manner.
• ability to review large amounts of award data and build comprehensive reports.
• excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to interact efficiently with all groups.
• high level of attention to detail and high degree of accuracy, as well as the ability to work both independently and with other offices.

Additional Qualifications:

• Working knowledge of Salesforce.
• Knowledge of University Systems: IW, Prime, STRIPES, PeopleSoft, Tableau, ERA.
• Report writing ability in the IW, Salesforce, Peoplesoft and Tableau.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.

Standard Weekly Hours

36.25

Eligible for Overtime: No

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Probationary Period: 180 days

Essential Services Personnel: No

Physical Capacity Exam Required: No

Valid Driver’s License Required: No

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level

Salary Range

$109,000 to $119,000