Director, Grants & Research Administration

Columbia University; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia University in New York City seeks an Assistant Director to support CAL and the Department of Astronomy with comprehensive grants and financial administration. Working with faculty, staff, and central offices, you will ensure smooth pre-award and post-award activities and help manage a broad portfolio of research funding.

This role emphasizes proposal development, budget preparation, compliance monitoring, payroll for researchers, visa support, and coordinating appointments.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of related experience in research administration or finance.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required.
• Understanding of compliance requirements and federal guidelines is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide pre-award financial administration support to Principal Investigators.
• Act as liaison between PIs and SPA, initiating proposals in RASCAL and agency portals.
• Identify funding opportunities to support ongoing and future research.
• Review budgets, current and pending support, and submission materials.
• Oversee award lifecycle including budgeting, reporting, and no-cost extensions.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Grant administration experience

Strong analytical abilities

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience

Tools

ARC

PAC

FinSys

RASCAL

Job description

Columbia University in New York City seeks an Assistant Director to support CAL and the Department of Astronomy with comprehensive grants and financial administration. Working with faculty, staff, and central offices, you will ensure smooth pre-award and post-award activities and help manage a broad portfolio of research funding.

This role emphasizes proposal development, budget preparation, compliance monitoring, payroll for researchers, visa support, and coordinating appointments.