"Associate Director of Post-Award Research Administration"

Associate Director of Post-Award Research Administration

Job #: 042594

Location: Syracuse, NY

Pay Range: $97,000 - $117,000

Hours:
Standard University business hours
8:30am - 5:00pm (academic year)
8:00am - 4:30pm (summer)
Hours may vary based on operational needs.

Job Type: Full Time

Job Description:

The Associate Director of Post-Award Research Administration provides strategic and operational leadership for post-award sponsored research administration at Syracuse University. This position is central to ensuring that principal investigators (PIs), departmental budget administrators, and research staff receive high-quality, proactive support throughout the lifecycle of their sponsored awards.

Within Syracuse Universitys Office of Research, the Associate Director reports to the Assistant Vice President for Research and oversees key post-award functions including expense monitoring, effort reporting, and financial analysis. The role coordinates closely with Office of Research departments, the Office of Sponsored Accounting, and with school/college/departmental finance and administrative staff to ensure efficiency, compliance, and best practices in post-award grants management. A major focus of this position is building and sustaining a service-oriented grants management culture that emphasizes forecasting, expense planning, and cross-campus coordination to help PIs successfully steward their awards.
The Associate Director supervises a small team of research administration professionals and provides coordination and guidance to campuswide financial staff who support research administration and grants management at the department and college level.

Education and Experience:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in business administration, accounting, finance, public administration, or a related field.
• Seven (7) or more years of progressively responsible experience in sponsored research administration, with a significant focus on post-award management, preferably in a higher education or research-intensive environment.
• Three (3) or more years of supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal regulations governing sponsored research, including 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), and experience with federal sponsors such as NSF, NIH, DOD, or DOE.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree in business administration, public administration, higher education administration, accounting, or a related field.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) designation through the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC).
• Ten (10) or more years of experience in research administration, including experience at an R1 or research-intensive institution.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Strong technical skills and experience with enterprise financial systems (e.g., PeopleSoft) and data analysis and reporting tools (e.g., Excel, Tableau Power BI).
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills with demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across organizational boundaries.
• Experience leading organizational change initiatives, building new teams, or establishing post-award service units.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted tools and emerging technologies for research administration workflow improvement.
• Active engagement in professional organizations such as NCURA, SRA International, or similar.

Responsibilities:

Post-Award Financial Management and Oversight:

• Oversee the day-to-day post-award management of sponsored research awards, including expenditure monitoring, budget-to-actual analysis, effort certification processes, cost transfers, and financial reporting.
• Develop and implement standardized processes for award financial forecasting, burn rate analysis, and spending projections to support PI decision-making and ensure timely expenditure of funds.
• Coordinate with the Office of Sponsored Accounting and the Comptrollers Office on financial compliance, invoicing, cash management, and audit-related activities to ensure seamless post-award operations.
• Monitor award terms, conditions, and sponsor-specific requirements to ensure institutional compliance throughout the award lifecycle.

PI and Campus Support Services:

• Serve as a primary resource and advisor to principal investigators, department administrators, and college business offices on post-award grants management best practices, policies, and procedures.
• Facilitate proactive communications with PIs regarding award status, upcoming deadlines, budget concerns, no-cost extension timelines, and closeout requirements.
• Lead training initiatives and workshops for faculty, staff, and departmental research administrators on post-award topics including Uniform Guidance requirements, effort reporting, allowable costs, and financial management tools.
• Develop templates, guides, and toolkits (including dashboards in Tableau and analytical models in Excel) to enhance PI and departmental self-service capabilities.

Team Leadership and Campus Coordination:

• Directly supervise, mentor, and develop a team of research administration professionals, fostering a culture of professional growth, accountability, and service excellence.
• Provide functional coordination, guidance, and training to decentralized financial and research administration staff across campus who support grants management at the department and college level.
• Establish performance metrics and service standards for the post-award team; track and report on key indicators such as response times, issue resolution, and PI satisfaction.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, and professional development planning for post-award team members.

Process Improvement, Technology, and Data Analytics:

• Leverage institutional systems and tools including PeopleSoft, Tableau, Excel, Microsoft Office, and AI-assisted tools (e.g., Claude) to improve operational efficiency, data accuracy, and reporting capabilities.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and automation in post-award workflows; design and implement solutions in collaboration with IT and research administration partners.
• In collaboration with campus data partners, develop and maintain post-award reporting tools that provide real-time visibility into portfolio performance and financial health of sponsored awards.
• Contribute to institutional strategic planning for research administration systems and infrastructure.

Compliance and Institutional Stewardship:

• Maintain expert-level knowledge of federal regulations governing sponsored research, including 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), agency-specific requirements (NSF, NIH, DOD, DOE, etc.), and New York State regulations as applicable.
• Collaborate with the Office of Sponsored Programs, Office of Sponsored Accounting, and Office of Research Integrity on compliance matters including cost sharing, program income, and conflict of interest reporting as they intersect with post-award management.