Assoc Director Research Admin - Pre Award Support

Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland (OH); Hybrid; USD 66,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland seeks an Associate Director of Pre-Award Research Support to provide strategic leadership for all pre-award services within the central research administration office. You will guide proposals, budgeting, compliance review, and sponsor policy interpretation to strengthen centralized processes.

This role partners with faculty and administrators to improve efficiency, mitigate risk, and enhance external funding competitiveness, while ensuring compliance

Qualifications

• Experience in grants management or research administration, preferably in a university setting.
• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• Strong background in budgeting, compliance, and sponsor requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all pre-award research administration services, ensuring high-quality, timely submissions.
• Supervise pre-award staff, develop best practices, and coordinate with faculties and central offices.
• Review external audit responses, resolve administrative issues, and ensure compliance with sponsor policies.

Skills

Grants management

Proposal development

Budgeting

Regulatory compliance

Financial analysis

Staff supervision

PeopleSoft Finance

Communication skills

Risk management

Contract knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

Microsoft Excel

PeopleSoft Financial System

Job description

Case Western Reserve University is committed to providing a transparent estimate of the salary range available for this position at the time of its posting. The salary range is between $65,779 and $83,210, depending on qualifications, experience, department budgets, and industry data.

Employees receive more than just a paycheck. University employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare, retirement plans, tuition assistance, paid time off, and a winter recess.

POSITION OBJECTIVE

The Associate Director of Pre-Award Research Support provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all pre-award services within the Case School of Engineering's central research administration office. This role ensures that faculty and departmental administrators receive consistent, expert guidance throughout proposal development, budgeting, compliance review, and submission. By strengthening centralized processes, the Associate Director promotes institutional risk mitigation, enhances proposal quality, supports equitable access to resources, and enables investigators to focus on high-impact research. Robust central coordination also ensures alignment with federal regulations, sponsor expectations, and university policies, ultimately improving efficiency, reducing administrative burden, and increasing the school's competitiveness in securing external funding.

Essential Functions

• Lead and manage all pre-award research administration services for the Case School of Engineering, providing expert guidance on proposal development, budgeting, compliance requirements, and sponsor policies to ensure high-quality, timely submissions. Partner with the faculty, department administrators, and central university offices to interpret sponsor guidelines, resolve complex pre-award issues, and promote a collaborative service-oriented environment that enhances the school's competitiveness for external funding. Provide final school approval for all proposals. Monitor regulatory, policy, and sponsor changes and translate them into clear guidance, updated procedures, and training for school-level stakeholders to maintain compliance and institutional readiness. Review all school cost-share commitments. (50%)
• Supervise and develop pre-award staff, fostering a culture of professionalism, continuous learning, and operational excellence, ensuring workload balance, training, and performance standards that support reliable and equitable service delivery. Provide ongoing training to department chairs. Develop and implement best practices that reduce administrative burden, mitigate institutional risk, and support long-term scalability, including tracking mechanisms, schedules, and templates. Collaborate with the associate director, post-award research support to strengthen centralized research administration systems and processes, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and efficiency across departments. (40%)
• Review responses to external audit requests. Resolve administrative issues with industrial partners and other sponsoring agencies. Facilitate resolving any legal or contract issues during an award. Act as liaison to other research and administrative units involved in research administration. Expedite Office of Research and Technology Management sub-award reviews and approvals. Provide coverage if the associate director post award is out. (8%)

Nonessential Functions

Perform other duties as assigned. (2%)

CONTACTS

Department: Daily contact with department chairs, faculty and department administrators/ grant managers. Daily contact with staff in finance and administration.

University: Regular contact with staff in various central administration offices such as Research Administration, Purchasing, and Controller's Office to provide and request information.

External: Regular contact with outside funding agencies and organizations to discuss or deal with administrative and financial issues relating to current or potential funded projects.

Students: May have contact with students.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

Direct supervision of 3 grant managers in the central office. All grant administrators in the school will have a dotted line to this position for purposes of training and consistency.

Qualifications

Experience: 8 or more years of relevant experience. Grants management or research administration experience preferred. Experience in a university is highly preferred.

Education: Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.

Required Skills

• Demonstrated ability to represent the research support office as a credible entity throughout the organization, establishing its reputation for reliability and expertise in research administration.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective relationships, service-oriented mindset, and effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills, strong problem-solving abilities, customer service orientation, strategic thinking, and attention to detail ensuring high accuracy.
• Expertise in managing complex financial accounts and funds, high-level financial analysis, customized reporting, and proficiency in financial management systems.
• Ability to develop and implement strategic plans, effective resource allocation, and process improvement to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• In-depth knowledge of regulations, ensuring compliance, minimizing risk, and effective risk management strategies.
• Proven ability to supervise and manage staff, set priorities, analyze workflow, allocate resources, and develop and implement policies and procedures for enhanced performance.
• Proficiency working with information management systems. Expert working knowledge with the PeopleSoft Financial System is preferred.
• Demonstrated competence in the use of spreadsheet and database in financial analysis, fiscal management and financial reports. Must be proficient in use of Microsoft Office and common desktop/ web applications.
• Advanced knowledge of contracts and grants transactions and applicable financial systems, as well as related policy, accounting and regulatory compliance requirements for federal government, industrial, non-profit organizations, and state government is preferred.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of OMB circulars 2CFR 200 (replaced A-21, A110, A-133, Federal Acquisition Regulations,) and principles of cost accounting standards, including allowability, allocability, and reasonableness is preferred.
• Substantial knowledge and experience in research pre-awards administration, proposal preparation/submission processes are preferred. Expert working knowledge of institutions of higher education fiscal policies/procedures is preferred. Expert knowledge of external sponsor requirements, such as NSF, DOE, DARPA, NIH, etc. is preferred.
• Detail oriented.
• Willingness to learn and work with artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies.
• Ability to demonstrate successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest.
• Ability to meet consistent attendance.
• Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face.

WORKING CONDITIONS

General office environment. The employee will perform repetitive motion using a computer mouse and keyboard to type.

This position is eligible for hybrid work arrangement up to two remote days per week at the discretion of the department. New employees may begin a hybrid schedule upon approval from the supervisor, successful completion of an orientation period and signing the remote work checklist certification form.

Case Western Reserve University is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants are protected under federal and state laws and university policy from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, protected veteran status, disability, age and genetic information.

Case Western Reserve University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the CWRU Office of Equity at 216-368-3066 to request a reasonable accommodation. Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicants will be made on a case‑by‑case basis.