Executive Director, Grants and Sponsored Research Development

State-of-South-Carolina; South Carolina; On-site; USD 95,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Winthrop University seeks an Executive Director for the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research Development (GSRD) to manage all aspects of grants and contracts administration, including pre-award, compliance, and proposal development. The role leads staff, coordinates with sponsors, and supports campus research initiatives.

The executive oversees budget reviews, award processing, and submission activities, while ensuring policy compliance with state and federal regulations.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required and experience in research administration at a higher education institution.
• Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in research administration (pre- and post-award).
• Knowledge of federal regulations and grants/contracts management guidelines (OMB Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200).
• Familiarity with grant submission portals (Grants.gov, NSF FastLane/Research.gov, eRA Commons).
• Strong written communication and ability to prepare high-quality grants and reports.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to Grants Office staff and operations.
• Oversee pre-award administration, budgets, and compliance processes.
• Assist in development of competitive proposals to external funding agencies.
• Coordinate award setup, tracking and subawards with partners.
• Support faculty in grant writing and proposal development.
• Read and score applications as needed for funding recommendations.

Skills

Written communication

Editing and proofreading

Attention to detail

Interpersonal skills

Customer service

Financial and audit skills

Computer skills

Education

Master's degree in business, public administration, research discipline, social science or other appropriate field

Tools

Grants.gov

NSF FastLane/Research.gov

eRA Commons

Job description

The ExecutiveDirector for the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research Development (GSRD) manages and optimizes all aspects of the university's grants and contracts administration, including office operations, pre-award and compliance personnel, proposal development and submission processes and research compliance, and provides grant administration support services to faculty, staff and students in pursuit of internal and external funding for research, creative activity and program development.

Pre-Award Administration

• Develops proposal budgets and writes budget justifications.
• Reviews all grant applications to ensure compliance with university policies and procedures, State of South Carolina laws, federal regulations and sponsor guidelines. Ensures applications are formatted, packaged and submitted according to sponsor requirements.
• Oversees grant application processing, electronic approvals, records maintenance and proposal tracking in university systems.
• Serves as an Authorized Organizational Representative to submit and administer all federal grant applications and signs official grant documents on behalf of the university.
• Serves as liaison to funding agencies to resolve questions or challenges that arise during research development and pre-award processes.
• Reviews and processes grant and contract awards, ensuring accuracy and compliance while coordinating award setup and tracking within university financial systems.
• Reviews and coordinates all award modifications and grant extension requests, working with sponsors to obtain award amendments.
• Prepares, administers and approves all subawards with partner institutions and sponsors.
• Serves on the Research Council, reads and scores all applications, participates in application review sessions and makes funding recommendations to the Provost.

Research Development

• Identifies potential funding opportunities and cultivates a portfolio of federal, state and local sponsors, companies and foundations to support research, training, creative activity, professional and program development and institutional infrastructure needs. Disseminates to the campus community regularly.
• Meets, collaborates and stays engaged with members of the campus community to discuss and remain aware of their research, creative and programmatic interests and funding needs.
• Provides technical assistance to faculty and staff by designing and presenting research development and pre-award administration training activities that cultivate interest and increase knowledge and skills.
• Assists faculty and staff in the development of competitive proposals to external funding agencies and fosters an environment that supports the campus community's pursuit of external funding.
• Assists in writing grant applications as needed.

Administrative and Operational

• Provides leadership to and managerial oversight of Grants Office staff and operations to ensure a high level of service to the campus community.
• Supervises the Compliance Coordinator, who is responsible for administering the Institutional Research Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and Biosafety Committee.
• Completes GSRD's annual Continuous Improvement Report and Plan.
• Updates website content as needed.
• Develops and maintains GSRD operational procedures. Writes and updates guides and handbooks.
• Supports internal committees to ensure compliance with rules and policies for research occurring on campus.
• Compiles proposal data and provides periodic reports to the Provost, Deans and Board of Trustees.
• Generates effort reports quarterly.
• Hires and trains staff.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in business, public administration, research discipline, social science or other appropriate field.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in research administration at an institution of higher education with in-depth knowledge of grant administration (pre- and post-award) practices, processes and procedures.
• Working knowledge of non-financial compliance management (i.e., IRB, IACUC, IBC).
• Comprehensive knowledge of federal (e.g., NSF, NIH or ED) regulations and grants/contracts management guidelines (i.e., OMB Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200).
• Working knowledge of Grants.gov, NSF FastLane/Research.gov, eRA Commons and other online grant submission portals.
• Excellent written communication as well as editing and proofreading skills and ability to generate high-quality written communications, grants and reports.
• Attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate with diverse groups and personnel across campus as well as sponsor representatives.
• Strong financial, audit and computer skills.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate application submissions while effectively managing different personalities and following guidelines and policies.
• Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to design and conduct professional development trainings.
• Ability to work independently, analyze situations quickly and accurately and formulate effective courses of action.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in research administration at an institution of higher education with in-depth knowledge of grant administration practices (pre- and post-award), processes and procedures.
• Experience with Grants.gov, NSF FastLane/Research.gov, eRA Commons and other online grant submission portals.
• Demonstrated commitment to the values of diversity, equity and inclusion within higher education.

Travel/Overtime Requirements: Occasional overtime may be required to meet deadlines.

Annual Salary Hiring Range: $94,929 to $100,000; actual salary depends on qualifications.

Telecommuting: Employees are not eligible for telecommuting/remote work during their 12-month probationary period. After that time, certain positions may be eligible for telecommuting/remote work at the discretion of the supervisor and in accordance with Winthrop policies.