Program Manager, Contracts, Business Development and Research Programs

University of Dayton; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) seeks a Program Manager to support award administration for its Digital Transformation Center (DTC), manage UDRI-wide IR&D programs, and support opportunity tracking and pipeline management.

The Program Manager works with the Contracts Office, Finance, Sponsored Programs, and government customers to move proposals from concept to executed agreement and to keep awards compliant and well managed through their period of performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a related field.
• 7+ years progressive experience in government contracting, sponsored research, or program management.
• Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, and 2 CFR 200; ability to interpret solicitations and cost proposals.

Responsibilities

• Serve as program-level lead for OTA awards and PIAs; track milestones and reporting.
• Coordinate negotiations, modifications, and option exercises with Contracts Office.
• Monitor compliance with terms, IP, data rights, cost-share, and export controls; escalate risks.
• Guide proposals through submission, negotiation, and award; coordinate inputs.
• Support subcontracting, flow-downs, and subawards; monitor invoicing.

Skills

Proposals and contracting

Written and verbal communication

Excel proficiency

Govern ment contracting knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, science, or related field

7+ years of government contracting experience

Master's degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent)

Tools

GovDash

Job description

Program Manager, Contracts, Business Development and Research Programs

Job No: 504062
Work Type: Staff Full Time (1500 hours or greater)
Location: Dayton, OH
Category: Research Institute Staff
Department: Innovation & Collaboration Office - 250800
Pay Grade: P3 - Exempt
Advertised: November 13, 2026
Applications close: November 27, 2026

Position Summary:

The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) is seeking a Program Manager to support award administration for its Digital Transformation Center (DTC), manage UDRI-wide Internal Research and Development (IR&D) programs, and support opportunity tracking and pipeline management.

The DTC is a neutral, off-base collaboration hub that connects government mission owners, industry, and academia to advance digital transformation. Through access to digital technologies, technical expertise, workforce development, and collaborative projects, the DTC helps partners explore emerging capabilities, address government challenges, and accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions.

The role has three primary areas of responsibility:

• Support administration of DTC awards (Includes local, state and federal awards, including Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs
• Manage Internal Research and Development programs across UDRI.
• Supporting opportunity tracking and pipeline management.

The Program Manager works with technical leaders, the Contracts Office, Finance and Sponsored Programs, and government customers to move proposals from concept to executed agreement and to keep awards compliant and well managed through their period of performance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

OTA and Contract Administration

• Serve as the program-level lead for OTA awards, including Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIAs). Track milestones, deliverables, payable milestones, funding, and reporting.
• Coordinate agreement negotiation, modifications, and option exercises with the Contracts Office and the government agreements officer.
• Monitor compliance with terms and conditions, including intellectual property and data rights, cost-share, and export control. Escalate risks early.
• Prepare program status reviews, financial summaries, and sponsor reports.

Proposal-to-Contract Execution

• Guide proposals through submission, negotiation, and award. Coordinate technical, cost, and compliance inputs.
• Review solicitations, BAAs, CSOs, and OTA project calls for requirements, evaluation criteria, and risk.
• Assist with proposal schedules, red-team reviews, and submission packaging.

Subcontracting and Teaming

• Support subcontract and teaming agreement development, including NDAs, teaming agreements, and subawards.
• Coordinate flow-down requirements, subcontractor cost and price reasonableness, and subrecipient monitoring and invoicing.

Rates and Pricing

• Build and maintain cost volumes and pricing models. This covers labor categories, direct labor, fringe, overhead, G&A, other direct costs, and fee or cost-share.
• Work with Finance to apply approved indirect rates and rate structures. Support price and cost narratives and responses to government cost questions.

IR&D and Internal Programs

• Manage internal research programs. This includes call for proposals, project selection support, budget tracking, milestone and technical reporting, and closeout.
• Track IR&D spending against budgets. Report outcomes and links to future funded work.

Opportunity Tracking and Capture Support

• Maintain the opportunity pipeline: identify, qualify, and track opportunities, and monitor key dates and gate decisions.
• Support capture planning, teaming strategy, and customer engagement. Report pipeline metrics to leadership.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, science, or a related field, and 7 or more years of progressive experience in government contracting, sponsored research, or program/contract management. (Additional relevant experience may substitute for education.)
• Experience taking proposals through to executed government contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or OTAs.
• Working knowledge of FAR, DFARS, and 2 CFR 200.
• Understanding of how government contracting and procurement work.
• Experience with subcontracting and teaming, including flow-downs and subcontract administration.
• Hands-on experience building cost and price proposals and applying indirect rates (fringe, overhead, G&A).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
• Due to the requirements of our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be a U.S. citizen and eligibility to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent) in a relevant field.
• Direct experience administering OTAs, including prototype OTAs (10 U.S.C. 4022) and consortium-based agreements.
• Experience at a university, university-affiliated research center, FFRDC, or nonprofit research organization.
• Experience managing IR&D or other internal investment programs.
• Experience with opportunity or CRM pipeline tools, and with capture and proposal tools (such as GovDash).
• Familiarity with DCAA/DCMA audits, cost accounting standards, and forward pricing rate proposals.
• Knowledge of intellectual property and data rights, export controls (ITAR/EAR), and CUI/NIST SP 800-171 requirements.
• Professional certifications such as CPCM, CFCM, PMP, or APMP.
• Active security clearance (Secret or higher).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong organizational skills; able to manage multiple programs and deadlines at once.
• Analytical ability to interpret solicitations, agreement terms, and financial data.
• Ability to work with scientists and engineers, Finance, Contracts, and government sponsors.
• Sound judgment on risk, compliance, and when to escape.

Closing Statement:

Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the dignity of every human being. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity in all of its forms, achieve fair outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. The University is committed to policies of affirmative action designed to increase the employment opportunities of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1973.

• Staff Full Time (1500 hours or greater) 1