Director, Office of Sponsored Programs and Academic Research

Colorado Mesa University; United States; On-site; USD 82,000 - 91,000; Full time

Job summary

Colorado Mesa University seeks a Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and Academic Research to lead the grant lifecycle from pre‑award to post‑award. You will steward grants, manage a team, and ensure compliance with sponsor requirements.

The role requires a Master’s degree and 3–5 years of leadership with budget oversight, plus experience in grant administration and strong collaboration with faculty investigators and leadership.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree from a fully accredited university.
• 3–5 years leadership experience including personnel management and budget oversight.
• Experience with pre‑award and post‑award grant administration.
• Knowledge of federal grant funding policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team overseeing the full grant lifecycle including pre‑award and post‑award activities.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and sponsor requirements.
• Cultivate relationships with Principal Investigators, project directors and sponsors.
• Monitor budgets, timelines and deliverables; report progress to leadership.
• Coordinate with Finance, CMU Foundation and other departments to support grant administration.
• Provide training and guidance to faculty investigators on grant responsibilities and compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Budget oversight

Grant lifecycle

Compliance

Stakeholder communication

Education

Master’s degree

Job description

ANNOUNCMENT OF POSITION VACANCY

FLSA Status: United States of America (Exempt)

Compensation: $82,000–$91,000 Commensurate with education and experience.

Excellent health and retirement benefits package:

SECTION I – OUR VALUES

CULTIVATE OUR VISION AND CULTURE At CMU, we believe in acting from a foundation of goodwill. This belief gives us the courage to form meaningful relationships, embark on joint endeavors and take risks in the pursuit of new possibilities. It’s this courage that enables the Mavily to explore new ways of thinking and doing, knowing that there is no perfect solution, no perfect idea. From this place of humility and courage, we’ve built a culture of resilience. We invest in the future by continuously adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and seizing new opportunities. We recognize that change is constant, and our resilience allows us to embrace it with confidence. Endless curiosity drives us to approach the unexpected as if it were expected, seeing opportunities for discovery and renewal in every challenge. In this community rooted in love and dignity, curiosity thrives, leading to endless opportunities for growth and advancement. Inspired by the soul of the West—the spirit that our region embodies, we emerge as a force for positive change, harnessing our collective power to build a Human Scale University that reflects our values and brings to life our shared vision of the world we aspire to create.

Colorado Mesa University Core Values

• Love - Extending oneself for nurturing the growth of self and others
• Dignity - Respecting the intrinsic value of each person and believing that others act from a foundation of goodwill
• Courage - Taking risks in the pursuit of new possibilities
• Humility - Suspending one’s ego and pride to recognize that no idea is perfect and being open to the input of others
• Resiliency - Investing in the future by adapting to changes, overcoming challenges and pursuing Opportunity
• Curiosity - Cultivating awe and exploring the unknown
• Power - The strength to act collaboratively with individual agency to achieve our goals

SECTION II – THE SEAT

At CMU, we look at every position as a seat. Every seat is vital and the individual in the seat contributes significantly to our mission of providing an affordable and accessible education and forming meaningful and mutually enriching partnerships that support the well‑being and vibrancy of our community. As a human centric organization, a priority is to ensure we have the “right seats” in our organization, and that the expectations, ownership and accountabilities are defined and communicated clearly for the success of the individuals holding the seats.

Director of Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and Academic Research

The Director of Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and Academic Research leads the OSP team to identify, realize, and steward grants and funding opportunities aligned with CMU’s strategic plan, highest priority needs, and faculty scholarly research.

OVERVIEW AND ROLE SCOPE OF TEAM AND/OR TASKS

• Lead a team of employees encompassing the full grant lifecycle, including pre‑award services, post‑award financial management, and all applicable compliance and regulatory matters.
• Manage a coordinated, well‑defined team that provides excellent support to faculty investigators and other grant leads, tracks pre and post compliance with federal and private sponsor regulations and develops relationships with ongoing and new targets of funding opportunities.
• Cultivate a portfolio of private, foundation and governmental funding agencies.
• Manage department budget and participate in setting annual strategies and goals.
• Monitor and maintain procedures and processes necessary for compliance with all grantor requirements, including fiscal management, subaward monitoring, records retention, procurement regulations, time, and effort reporting, etc.
• Build and maintain professional and productive relationships with Principal Investigators and Project Directors, holding regular meetings as required and requested.
• Remain current with changes in government regulations and higher education practices related to grant funding and policies.
• Provide initial training and ongoing communication to principal investigators and project directors to ensure understanding of grant‑related responsibilities, policies, procedures, and compliance requirements, as well as clear points of contact for questions and supporting.
• Oversee timely and appropriate communication with sponsors, principal investigators, project directors, and other key stakeholders to support award acceptance, clarify requirements, address questions or issues, and promote ongoing compliance and successful administration of grant awards.
• Collaborate with the Office of Academic Affairs and the CMU Foundation to create strategic goals for funding that encompass the needs of all areas.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of awards within the grant portfolio and routinely coordinate with OSP staff to monitor project progress, spending, reporting requirements, and other award deliverables.
• Oversee project timelines to support timely submission of required technical/progress and financial reports and completion of sponsor‑required deliverables.
• Maintain and enhance policies, procedures, and operational practices to promote efficiency, consistency, and continuous improvement; monitor departmental operations, grant portfolio volume, workload trends, and staff performance to support effective service delivery.
• Track, analyze, and report grant portfolio data, trends, and projections to support financial planning and institutional decision‑making; provide annual grant projections for Finance and Board of Trustees reporting and timely portfolio information to senior leadership, the CFO, Budget Director, and other key stakeholders.
• Serve as the institutional administrator for federal, state, and other grant‑related portals; maintain required registrations, including SAM.gov renewal; manage and monitor user access and permissions; and complete or submit institutional certifications, assurances, proposals, and other required materials as appropriate.
• Coordinate closely with Finance, Accounts Payable, the Bursar, Financial Aid, and the CMU Foundation to facilitate appropriate proposal and award routing, support efficient financial administration, resolve cross‑departmental issues, and ensure OSP activities are aligned with institutional processes and responsibilities.
• Provide cross‑functional backup for OSP positions to support continuity of operations, including proposal preparation and submission, funding opportunity searches, sponsor reporting, billing, and invoicing, award administration, and other grant‑related functions as needed.
• Provide on‑demand presentations, training, and informational sessions to faculty, departments, and other campus groups on grant administration topics to promote awareness of funding processes, compliance responsibilities, institutional procedures, and available OSP resources.
• Maintain general knowledge of Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care And Use Committee (IACUC) committee operations, online platforms, protocol submission processes, and applicable institutional and regulatory requirements to support effective coordination of research compliance activities; provide backup support to the IRB/IACUC Administrator as needed to ensure continuity of operations.
• Other duties as assigned.

ROLES

• Lead
• Manage and Accountability
• Grant Portfolio Management
• Compliance and Regulatory Oversight
• Budget Management

ACCOUNTABILITY TO RESULTS

• 90 Day Rocks – 80% Completion Rate
• Grant Portfolio Projection Rate to Actual
• Grant Proposal Management Accuracy – 100%
• Grant Volume Management
• Ethical Financial Stewardship

CORE PROCESSES

• Owned Grant Lifecycle
• Financial Stewardship and Internal Controls
• Financial Offices Coordination and Communication
• Compliance and Regulatory Oversight
• Campus Relations and Service to Internal Customers
• Contributor IRB and IACUC Administration

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

SECTION III – OUR DESIRES FOR RIGHT FIT

For the success of our mission and our teams, we desire to have individuals who are a “Right Fit” in our seats. We define “Right Fit” as those who embrace our culture, demonstrate our values, understand the seat and what is required. We seek individuals who want this seat, desire to be a part of a bigger vision and have the capacity to be a successful member of our CMU team.

CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS

• Seat may include long workdays.
• Requires ability to communicate with, advise Senior Leadership and enforce compliance.
• Reinforcing and enforcing policies at all levels, viewing policies through the eyes of an auditor to reduce institutional risk.
• Ability to respond to and manage potential desk reviews and audits.
• Requires curiosity and the capacity to learn quickly broad information and department priorities.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE FOR RIGHT FIT

• Master’s degree (MA/MS/MBA) from a fully accredited university
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple awards, deadlines, priorities, and stakeholders while maintaining accuracy, compliance, and continuity of operations.
• Demonstrated experience with both pre‑award and post‑award grant administration, including proposal submission, award acceptance and management, sponsor reporting, compliance monitoring, and closeout activities.
• 3‑5 years demonstrated leadership experience including personnel management, relationship building, budget oversight, and operational administration.
• Proven ability to analyze data and performance metrics, develop meaningful reports, and communicate financial and operational information effectively to senior leadership to support planning and decision‑making.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and familiarity with grant funding policies and procedures, knowledge of federal forms and processing systems, and contract management.
• (preferred) Certified Research Administrator (CRA), or similar certification (preferred)
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Ability to read, analyze and interpret general written materials, professional journals, technical procedures, or government regulations.
• Ability to write reports and prepare and conduct verbal and visual presentation of materials.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from top management, public groups, and board of directors.

REASONING ABILITY

• Strategic and analytical reasoning skills are necessary.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the individual is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and talk or hear.
• The individual must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those the individual in this position will encounter while performing the essential functions of this position.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• The individual typically performs the duties of the job in an open office setting.
• The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud at times, with several disruptions throughout the day.

Colorado Mesa University is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and who have a demonstrated commitment to improving the levels of access and success for underrepresented students within higher education.

Colorado Mesa University is committed to providing a safe and productive learning and living community. To achieve that goal, we conduct background investigations for all final applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include reference checks, a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial and/or motor vehicle history. Applicant must be able to verify U.S. employment eligibility.

Colorado Mesa University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a culturally diverse faculty, staff and student body. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact the CMU Human Resources Office by phone or email. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and the type of accommodation needed.

A comprehensive university in Grand Junction, Colorado Mesa University provides exceptional educational opportunities on a state‑of‑the‑art campus. As western Colorado’s largest university, CMU serves students on its main campus in Grand Junction, its satellite campus in Montrose, its technical college, CMU Tech, and via online offerings. Colorado Mesa University serves as the primary intellectual and cultural center of western Colorado and promotes the exchange of ideas that are of regional, national, and international importance. Founded in 1925, it is a dynamic university enrolling 10,000 students at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels. At the heart of the CMU experience is an integrative and experiential approach to higher education that encourages students to think differently and empowers them to challenge assumptions. CMU brings students together with expert scholars and thinkers from different disciplines to make connections between ideas and gain the skills to solve the unstructured, complex problems they will encounter in life. Our focus is on providing quality academic programs, built on a strong liberal arts core that supports students' interests and regional employment needs, as well as technical programs that respond to vocational workforce demands.

The Grand Valley is home to some of the best outdoor recreation in the state of Colorado and you will not have to fight traffic and crowds to enjoy it. CMU is surrounded by the Grand Mesa, Book Cliffs, and the Colorado National Monument. We have world‑class mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, rafting, and a mountain resort that’s less than 45 minutes from campus for skiing, snowboarding, and cross‑country skiing. Living and working in Grand Junction, you will be able to explore one of Colorado’s best kept secrets.