Senior Associate Director, Sponsored Research Contracts

Southern Methodist University; University Park (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

Retirement programs

Professional development

Job summary

Southern Methodist University (SMU) seeks a seasoned Associate Director, Sponsored Project Contracts to lead negotiation, drafting, and administration of complex research agreements. The role partners with principal investigators, legal, and compliance teams to safeguard the university’s interests while enabling sponsored programs.

The candidate will supervise a team of contract professionals, develop templates and workflows, and ensure compliance with 2 CFR 200, FAR, and sponsor requirements.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required; JD preferred for legal grounding in contracts.
• Minimum 5 years in sponsored programs or research administration.
• Experience negotiating research-related agreements with diverse sponsors.
• Ability to lead and develop staff, manage priorities, and communicate clearly.
• Knowledge of 2 CFR 200, FAR, and IP provisions in research.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiation, review, drafting, and execution of sponsored research contracts.
• Provide guidance on sponsor requirements and risk management to faculty and administration.
• Supervise contract staff and oversee workload and performance.
• Assess legal, financial, compliance, and security risks with various offices.
• Develop templates, SOPs, and workflows; monitor and improve operations.
• Engage in professional organizations and ongoing professional development.

Skills

Negotiation

Contract management

Leadership

Risk management

Staff supervision

Cross-functional

Legal understanding

Communication

Analytics

Education

Master’s degree

Juris Doctor (preferred)

Tools

Cayuse

Huron Research Suite

InfoEd

Kuali

Workday

DocuSign

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Southern Methodist University (SMU) seeks a seasoned Associate Director, Sponsored Project Contracts to lead negotiation, drafting, and administration of complex research agreements. The role partners with principal investigators, legal, and compliance teams to safeguard the university’s interests while enabling sponsored programs.

The candidate will supervise a team of contract professionals, develop templates and workflows, and ensure compliance with 2 CFR 200, FAR, and sponsor requirements.