Director of Research Administration

Hiring staff “for fit” makes significant contributions to Howard University’s overall mission. At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth. Here is what we offer: Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture Join Howard University and thrive with us! https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellness JOB PURPOSE: The Director of Research Administration reports directly to the Assistant Vice President for Research Operations and Business Strategy and serves as a senior leader within Howard University's Office of Research. The Director is instrumental in building the processes, procedures, expertise, and infrastructure required to support Howard's growing research enterprise. This position provides strategic leadership and administrative oversight of the College Research Administration (CRA) program, with particular emphasis on building and strengthening Howard's department-level research administration layer—a newer and strategically essential focus for sustaining the university's R1 research status—and partners across the university to deliver timely, compliant, and standardized research administration support. This is a working leadership role. Howard is establishing much of the departmental research administration layer from the ground up, and the Director is expected to build durable programs, processes, and controls in a developing, fast-moving environment. The successful candidate operates as a player-coach: capable of setting direction and equally comfortable working a complex award, resolving a costing problem, or building a workflow from scratch. Service and support to the research community are defining priorities of this role. The Director brings strong analytical ability to solve complex problems, translates ambiguity into workable process, and keeps faculty and college partners at the center of every solution. The ideal candidate brings several years of research administration experience in higher education, with demonstrated depth and breadth across the full sponsored project lifecycle—from proposal development through closeout—and is willing to work through the challenges and growing pains of organizational transformation and change. SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY: Supervision Received: Reports to and receives general direction from the Assistant Vice President for Research Operations and Business Strategy. Works with substantial independence and exercises significant discretion and judgment. Supervision Exercised: Directly supervises the Associate Director of Research Administration and provides functional leadership to the College Research Administration program staff. NATURE AND SCOPE: The Director of Research Administration is the bridge between the Office of Research and the colleges. The position oversees the College Research Administration (CRA) program end to end — its standards, staffing model, training, tools, and adoption across the schools — and is accountable for whether department-level research administration at Howard is consistent, compliant, and responsive to faculty. The Director supervises the Associate Director of Research Administration, sets direction for the college-embedded CRA team, and works with substantial independence in determining how the program operates. The position coordinates closely with, but does not direct, the central Sponsored Programs Office (SPO) pre-award, post-award, and Research Development and Innovation functions (RDI). Success depends on making the handoffs between departments, the CRA program, and SPO work reliably. Decisions made in this role affect proposal quality, award compliance, expenditure velocity, and audit exposure across the University’s full research portfolio. Internal contacts include faculty and principal investigators; deans, associate deans for research, college business officers, and department chairs; the College Research Administrator team; Sponsored Programs pre-award and post-award staff; Research Development and Innovation; Research Compliance and the IRB/IACUC offices; Procurement; Human Resources; and Enterprise Technology Services. External contacts include federal, state, corporate, and foundation sponsors; prime and subrecipient institutions; external auditors; system vendors including Cayuse and Workday; and professional associations such as NCURA, SRAI, and COGR. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES: Department Research Administration (30%) Build and strengthen Howard’s department-level research administration layer — a newer and strategically critical capability — establishing the standards, workflows, and support structures needed to sustain R1 research activity. Partner with academic departments to embed consistent, compliant research administration practice where research is actually conducted, closing long-standing gaps and building durable, repeatable processes from the ground up. Design and implement the foundational controls, tools, and documentation needed to remediate persistent compliance findings and prevent their recurrence. Perform research administration work directly alongside the team — including hands-on analysis, troubleshooting, and process building — rather than coordinating or delegating exclusively. Leadership and Program Oversight (25%) Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the College Research Administration (CRA) program, directing the communication, training, and adoption of the program to ensure scalability across the colleges. Supervise the Associate Director of Research Administration and guide the development, standards, and performance of the CRA team, including the Senior CRAs who carry the program’s pre-award and post-award technical depth. Establish and maintain the processes, procedures, and standards that promote consistent and compliant research administration across the university. Set and monitor service expectations for responsiveness to faculty and college partners, and hold the program accountable to them. College and Stakeholder Engagement (15%) Engage college business offices to determine how the Office of Research can best support research administration; identify gaps and opportunities to deploy CRA resources effectively and efficiently. Provide training and consultation to college business offices, department administrators, and faculty on compliant research administration and best practices. Create tools, templates, and resources that standardize practice and create efficiencies across the university. Strategic Projects and Process Improvement (20%) Support the AVP for Research Operations and Business Strategy on special projects pertaining to organizational change management, internal Office of Research business functions, communication tools, and the reporting of key metrics for research performance. Evaluate internal processes and systems to streamline administration and create efficiencies within the Office of Research and across the broader research community. Lead and support change management efforts, navigating the challenges and growing pains associated with organizational transformation. Systems, Data, and Metrics (10%) Serve as a subject matter expert for enterprise systems such as Cayuse and Workday, informing efficient configuration, accurate data integrity, and the information needed to capture key metrics. Review and analyze financial data to troubleshoot and reconcile contract and grant activity required for accurate performance reporting and for timely, accurate invoicing to sponsors. Use data-driven metrics to identify staffing and efficiency needs. Perform other related duties as assigned. CORE COMPETENCIES: Working Leadership: Sets direction and does the work. Supervises, develops, and stabilizes a small team while personally carrying complex assignments; operates as a player-coach. Full Lifecycle Research Administration Expertise: Demonstrated depth and breadth across the sponsored project lifecycle — proposal development and submission, award setup, active management, and closeout — with a working understanding of sponsor terms and conditions across federal and non-federal sponsors. Regulatory and Compliance Command: Strong command of 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), cost principles, and sponsor requirements, with the judgment to translate them into workable institutional practice. Process Design and Standardization: Builds, documents, and enforces repeatable workflows, SOPs, and controls that produce consistent, audit-ready operations. Service Orientation: Keeps faculty and college partners at the center of every solution; measures success by whether the administrative load on researchers goes down. Analytical Problem-Solving: Reviews financial and operational data to diagnose root causes, reconcile discrepancies, and translate ambiguity into workable process. Builder’s Mindset: Comfort operating in a developing environment — taking initiative to establish structure, stand up foundational programs, and remediate long-standing process gaps with sound judgment and resilience. Systems and Data Fluency: Uses Cayuse, Workday, and Excel as working tools; informs system configuration and data integrity as a subject matter expert and develops KPIs from institutional data. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication: Builds trust across a decentralized, multi-stakeholder environment and communicates clearly with faculty, deans, business officers, and central offices. Change Leadership: Leads through organizational transformation. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, public administration, the sciences, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience will be considered. Minimum of eight years of progressively responsible research administration experience in higher education, with demonstrated depth and breadth across both pre-award and post-award functions. Prior supervisory or team leadership experience. Working knowledge of the full sponsored project lifecycle, from proposal development through closeout, and the ability to interpret and apply sponsor terms and conditions throughout the life of an award. Comprehensive knowledge of federal research compliance regulations, including 2 CFR 200. Proficiency with enterprise research administration and financial systems (e.g., Cayuse, Workday, or comparable platforms) and advanced Excel skills. Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise significant discretion and judgment, and manage multiple concurrent priorities Preferred Qualifications Master’s degree in a related field. Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA), or equivalent certification. Experience supporting an institution’s growth toward, or sustainment of, high research activity (R1) status. Hands-on experience with Cayuse and Workday (Grants). Demonstrated success building or standing up new programs, processes, or functions, and leading change management and process improvement initiatives in a complex, decentralized environment. Hybrid flexible preferred. Compliance Salary Range Disclosure Compensation Range: $140,000 - $155,000