Director of Sponsored Programs

The Director of Sponsored Programs works with the Chief Advancement Officer, President’s Office, Provost and faculty to support grant-funded research and scholarly activity and to secure institutional and programmatic funding.

The Director serves as the primary pre-award specialist and as a grant writer for institution-wide grants.

Representative Duties

• Administer and effectively manage a varied portfolio of external awards.
• Facilitate the integration of Indigenous research protocols and methods into sponsored programs, consistent with the institution’s mission and strategic plan and project goals.
• Cultivate relationships with faculty, administrators, staff, and other key campus stakeholders to stay informed of funding trends and opportunities.

  Meet regularly with campus partners to develop and maintain in-depth knowledge of the University’s priorities, programs, and administrative/financial policies and practices.

• Identify, monitor, and match relevant funding opportunities to faculty/staff interests.
• Author institutional grant proposals and assist campus partners in developing funding proposals that align with APU institutional priorities, follow funder solicitations and guidelines, adhere to University policies and practices, and utilize good practice in project planning and assessment.
• Assist campus partners in developing and reviewing budgets, budget justifications, and subrecipient budgets/documents for accuracy, consistency, thoroughness, and compliance with funder and university guidelines and regulations.
• Maintain expertise on complex and evolving sponsor guidelines, federal regulations, APU policy and business processes; interpret, apply, and communicate each appropriately to ensure all administration actions are in compliance with the applicable regulations.
• Manage submission of proposals through web portals or electronic research administration application software (e.g., Grants.gov, Fastlane), as appropriate.
• Execute strategies to pursue and secure new funding sources for university and faculty grant-seeking efforts, utilizing all available data sources, external liaisons, internal stakeholders, and professional contacts.
• Ensure grant submissions are reviewed and approved by University leadership to guarantee timely submission of proposals.
• Advise principal investigators and administrative staff on interpretation and implementation of institutional, federal, and award-specific policies, procedure and regulations.

  Independently assess and take actions on varied internal and external requests and come up with appropriate action to satisfy such requests.

• In collaboration with colleagues, develop and provide training and support to principal investigators and administrative staff.
• Assist with the development and maintenance of Sponsored Programs website and related resources.
• Provide regular reports to the CAO, President, Provost and CFO on all grant submissions and awards.
• Remain current on, and demonstrate strong understanding of, federal regulations to ensure institutional compliance with 2 CFR 200
• ​Maintain membership and current training in NCURA and SPA.

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent organizational, time-management, and project management skills.
• Knowledge of and experience with grant development or research administration.
• Knowledge of and experience with Federal Office of Management and Budget Uniform Guidance
• Commitment to innovation in higher education.
• Knowledge of and experience working with a broad spectrum of grant types and grant agencies.
• Knowledge of and experience with electronic grants management and reporting systems.
• ​Knowledge of and experience in budget development, proposal preparation and sponsored project compliance
• Skill in the ability to provide program oversight in a consistent, creative, and accountable manner.
• Skill in the ability to communicate effectively and develop positive working relationships with a broad range of constituencies.
• Skill in building collaborative administrative processes.
• Skill in oral and written communication; excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills
• Ability to interpret, explain, and apply complex regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Bachelor’s degree and five years’ experience in sponsored projects development and management
• Certified Research Administrator credential (or commitment to obtain within three years of hire)

Preferred Experience Qualification

• Master’s degree and 5 years’ experience in sponsored projects development and/or grant writing in a non-profit organization
• Experience in or demonstrated understanding of the liberal arts college environment.
• Experience in or demonstrated understanding of the Tribal university environment.
• Experience working with community partners in grants development and administration.
• Experience working with research grant funding

You Are Here: Home / Careers / Director of Sponsored Programs