Director of Grants

Kenyon; Gambier (OH); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition waivers for children

Health, dental, and vision insurance

TIAA retirement plan

Job summary

Kenyon College seeks a Director of Grants to lead a collaborative office responsible for securing external support for research, scholarship, and institutional priorities.

The role combines strategic vision with hands‑on grant management, coordinating with faculty, the Provost, Business Office, and Advancement to expand funding opportunities and ensure full life‑cycle grant administration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s/PhD preferred.
• At least 5 years in grants administration or related field, preferably in higher education.
• Experience as Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR).
• Proven record of supporting competitive grant applications across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Lead and improve grant‑seeking activities across the full life cycle of grants.
• Develop strategies to strengthen campus culture of grant seeking and faculty engagement.
• Meet regularly with faculty to align research with external funding opportunities.
• Identify funding trends and opportunities for collaborative proposals.
• Hire and supervise grants office staff and manage related budgets.

Skills

Grant administration

Supervisory leadership

AOR experience

Communication skills

Collaborative leadership

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher (Master’s/PhD preferred)

Tools

Research.gov

Grants.gov

commons.era.nih.gov

Fastlane.NSF.gov

Job description

Kenyon College is seeking qualified applicants to fill the position of Director of Grants. Reporting to the Provost, the Director of Grants will provide strategic leadership for continued development of a vibrant, collaborative, and inclusive culture of grant‑seeking at Kenyon College. The Director will lead a highly effective, service‑oriented office that partners closely with faculty, academic leaders, the Business Office and the Advancement Division to expand opportunities for external support of Kenyon’s research, creative activity, scholarship, pedagogy, and institutional priorities.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced grants professional to help shape the next chapter of sponsored projects at a leading liberal arts college. The Director will combine strategic vision with hands‑on engagement, working directly with faculty to identify funding opportunities, develop competitive proposals, and navigate the full grant life cycle. The Director will also play an important institutional role in identifying and developing opportunities for larger, collaborative grants and external partnerships, working in close collaboration with the Office of the Provost and Advancement.

The Director will have the opportunity to envision and shape the future structure and priorities of the grants office. The successful candidate will bring strong knowledge of sponsored research and grant administration, a collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit, excellent communication skills, and a genuine enthusiasm for helping faculty and academic programs thrive.

The hiring range for this position is $110,000–$120,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications. This is a 12-month position with an expectation of regular, in-person work on campus, with some flexibility for remote work as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and continually improve grant‑seeking activities across the full grant life cycle, from idea development and opportunity identification through proposal development, submission, award, and post‑award‑management.
• Develop and advance strategies that strengthen a campus‑wide culture of grant seeking and increase faculty engagement with external funding opportunities.
• Meet regularly with faculty members to understand their research, creative, scholarly, and pedagogical agendas and help connect their work with appropriate external funding opportunities.
• Identify emerging funding trends, institutional opportunities, and areas of strategic alignment that can support Kenyon’s academic priorities.
• Work with the Office of the Provost to identify opportunities for collaborative and multidisciplinary proposals, faculty development, and institutional capacity building.
• Lead and develop the grants office by hiring and supervising appropriate support staff.
• Work closely with the Assistant Controller and other designated staff in the Business Office on grant‑related budgetary matters, compliance with Uniform Guidance and sponsor regulations, College policies, submission and award processes, subaward negotiations, and post‑award oversight.
• Serve as one of the College’s three designated Authorized Organizational Representatives (AOR), along with the Assistant Controller and Provost, with responsibility for institutional sign‑off and submission of completed applications.
• Remain current on federal and state laws, regulations, sponsor policies, and best practices relevant to sponsored projects.
• Manage grant records, including proposal submissions, pending applications, awards, declines, reporting requirements, and other relevant data.
• Advise the grants coordinator on the timely and appropriate expenditure of grant funds and on reporting requirements.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of institutional policies, procedures, and best practices related to sponsored projects and grant administration.
• Inform the work of the grants coordinator related to timely/appropriate expending of budget lines for grant projects and reporting.
• Work collaboratively with Advancement colleagues to identify prospective funders, coordinate institutional priorities, share relevant faculty and program information, and contribute to strategies for major solicitations.
• Participate in the development of collaborative and institutional proposals that draw on the expertise of faculty, academic programs, and administrative partners across the College.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s/PhD preferred).
• At least 3-5 years of supervisory and institutional leadership over a pre‑award or combined pre/post‑award office.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in grants administration, sponsored programs, research administration, or a related field, preferably in higher education or another complex institutional environment.
• Proven facility navigating online funding portals, (especially Research.gov, Grants.gov, commons.era.nih.gov, and Fastlane.NSF.gov).
• Experience serving as an authorized organizational representative (AOR) for an institution of higher education.
• Record of successful support of competitive grant applications across a variety of disciplines (personally successful individual grant awardee preferred).
• Demonstrable experience editing and managing federal and other sponsored grants.
• Participation in development of institutional grants administration policies/procedures.
• Demonstrated collegiality and collaborative leadership, with highly developed communication, interpersonal skills, and the ability to build effective relationships across diverse constituencies.

Compensation and Benefits

Salaries at Kenyon are competitive and commensurate with experience. In addition to an attractive salary, Kenyon offers benefits for employees and their family members. Children of employees are eligible for 100% tuition waivers at Kenyon, and through the Great Lakes Colleges Association, children of employees are eligible for 90% tuition waivers at twenty‑three other of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges.

We also offer health, dental, and vision insurance, TIAA retirement, and many other benefits, including provisions for a spouse, families, and domestic partners. Details about benefits as well as conditions of employment are described more fully in our Staff Handbook.

About Kenyon College

Kenyon College is situated on a beautiful 1,200-acre hilltop campus in Gambier, a picturesque village in central Ohio. The College offers a quiet and intellectually stimulating environment approximately four miles from the city of Mount Vernon and within an hour’s drive of Columbus, a vibrant and growing city known for its thriving arts and cultural scene, diverse neighborhoods, excellent dining, and strong business and innovation communities.

Kenyon College is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome applications from all qualified individuals. It is the College's policy to evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical and/or mental disability, age, religion, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by institutional policy or state, local, or federal law. Kenyon College has a strong commitment to an inclusive environment that welcomes all voices and perspectives.