Assistant Director, Grants

Youngstown State University's Excellence Training Center; Youngstown (OH); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Excellence Training Center at Youngstown State University seeks a Research Administration professional to guide faculty and staff in proposal submissions, award management, and compliance with sponsor rules. You will support pre-award and post-award activities, develop trainings, and maintain dashboards and systems to ensure accurate reporting and adherence to institutional policies.

This role requires strong attention to detail, collaboration across departments, and the ability to manage

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and at least two years of related experience.
• Experience working with grants or project management.
• Preferred: experience with sponsored programs or grants management.

Responsibilities

• Guide faculty and staff in identifying funding opportunities and sponsor requirements.
• Synthesize sponsor guidelines and regulatory changes for proposals and awards.
• Support pre-award activities including budget development and compliance reviews.
• Assist post-award activities, including budget modifications and reporting.
• Develop trainings on research administration and compliance.
• Maintain department websites and Cayuse system for compliance.

Skills

Grant management

Project management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Banner

Job description

Summary Of Position

Assists with developing and managing priorities and initiatives to support and grow research activities across the institution. Serves as knowledgeable resource in research administration, integrating proposal development and pre-award functions to support faculty and institutional goals. Works with constituents on proposal submissions, awards, and contract management; provides guidance regarding sponsor requirements, institutional policies, and evolving federal and state regulations. Applies a high level of customer services and professional judgement in supporting faculty and staff, ensuring consistency, compliance and responsiveness in research administration process. Displays accuracy and attention to detail to mitigate risk to the university.Ensures the daily function of operations and services related to any assigned program, initiative, or objective. Works under general supervision and may make some work procedural decisions which do not contravene policies; generally, determines work sequences (which task comes first) within any department/divisional guidelines. Exercises professional judgment to prioritize competing demands and allocate resources effectively to meet departmental goals. Serves as a subject matter expert and resource person for the assigned area.

Position Information

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Guides faculty and staff in identifying funding opportunities, navigating and interpreting sponsor rules and requirements as well as institutional policies and procedures related to proposal submission and overall award management.
• Synthesizes and communicates sponsor guidelines, including changes in federal regulations, to ensure accurate interpretation and application in proposal development process and activities.
• Provides support for pre-award activities, including completion of required documents, budget development, compliance review, and submission through applicable online systems. Reviews and coordinates these activities to ensure proposals are complete, accurate, and compliant with sponsor requirements, YSU Policies and aligned with relevant regulatory expectations.
• Provides assistance with post-award activities, including budget modifications, extensions, reminders of interim, annual, and final reports and/or completion of other closeout documents required by granting agencies as appropriate. Supports post-award administration by monitoring requirements, facilitating timely reporting, and ensuring adherence to sponsor and institutional expectations throughout the award lifecycle.
• Develops and delivers trainings and/or workshops that promote understanding of research administration process and the electronic research administration (eRA) system. Develops and delivers training on compliance requirements and sponsor expectations, policies and evolving state and federal regulations.
• Maintains and updates the department’s website and Penguin Portal page, reflective of institutional policies and sponsor requirements, supporting accessibility and transparency of research administration resources.
• Assists in organizing research events, supporting programming to advance research development and engagement.
• Acts as a lead worker; provides functional guidance to lower-level workers. Supports and supervises student assistants in the completion of special projects. Provides direction, assigns tasks, and reviews work to ensure accuracy and alignment with departmental objectives.
• Designs and delivers training materials and/or other supporting documentation necessary for the operation of the assigned area.
• Analyzes complex data sets and prepares comprehensive reports with recommendations for leadership.
• Researches and recommends process improvements for departmental operations on a routine or regular basis. Evaluates effectiveness and recommends enhancements of services.
• Participates and/or leads complex projects, including implementation plans, timelines, and resource requirements.
• Coordinates daily tasks related to one or more assigned components of overall programs and/or services as assigned.
• Regularly communicates with supervisor and other staff, including student workers, as required or needed in the completion of daily tasks in support of overall goals and objectives. Maintains clear and proactive communication to support coordination, compliance, and effective service delivery.
• Prepares and maintains accurate records of daily tasks in accordance with applicable policies and procedures and assures timely communication with supervisor, staff, and students where appropriate.
• Gathers data and prepares reports and other information/documentation for supervisory review?related to programs and/or services, or one or more assigned components.
• Maintains the appropriate proposal/award dashboards to ensure compliance and data collection.
• Maintains and updates Cayuse to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations and data collection.
• Supports continuous process improvement in research administration activities.
• Maintains current knowledge of research administration practices and regulatory requirements and applies this knowledge to enhance service quality, compliance, and operational effectiveness. Remains informed of current developments and procedures pertinent to duties; participates in staff development activities; attends meetings, conferences, and other events.
• Prepares for and attends events.

Other Functions and Responsibilities

• Trains new hires.
• Performs other duties as assigned and/or required that are within the level of responsibility for this classification at the discretion of the supervisor.

Equipment Operated

Computer and all other standard office equipment.

Work Schedule

Typically, Monday through Friday.

Primary Location

Youngstown

Supervision Exercised

May exercise supervision over student employees.

Reports to

Director

Qualifications And Competencies

Required Certifications, Training, and/or Licensures

None

Sponsorship and/or Work Authorization Status

This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

Knowledge of: university policies and procedures*; office practices and procedures; department/division goals and objectives*; department/division policies and procedures*; workplace safety practices and procedures*; English grammar and spelling; records management; office management; project management. Skill in: use of office equipment; typing, data entry; computer operation; use of computer software and other programs applicable to the assigned department/division*.
Ability to: deal with problems involving several variables within familiar context; define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; determine material and equipment needs; calculate fractions, decimals, and percentages; compile and prepare reports; use proper research methods to gather data; understand a variety of written and/or verbal communications; prepare accurate documentation; maintain records according to established procedures; effectively interact with personnel and public to answer routine questions; train or instruct others; move quickly and effectively from one task to another; work independently and in a team environment; develop and maintain effective working relationships.
(*) Developed after employment.

Minimum Qualifications

At least a bachelor’s degree; at least two years of related experience; and experience working with grants or project management.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with sponsored programs or writing and managing grants. Experience with Banner or another comparable financial accounting systems. Experience with grant proposal preparation and submission to various governmental agencies such as National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED). Experience in an academic setting or higher education.

Physical Requirements

In accordance with the U.S. Department of Labor physical demands strength ratings, this position will perform sedentary work.

Sedentary

work involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs may be defined as Sedentary when walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other Sedentary criteria aremet.