Senior Director of Sponsored Projects Administration

SRA International; University (FL); On-site; USD 200,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent research institution in Florida is seeking a Senior Director of Sponsored Projects Administration to oversee the university's research portfolio exceeding $325M. The ideal candidate must possess extensive knowledge in grants, contracts, and compliance, as well as strong leadership abilities to collaborate across units. This full-time, exempt position offers a salary between $200,000 and $237,000, emphasizing a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the hiring process.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in grant proposal management.
• Experience in managing institutional compliance and risk.
• Strong analytical skills for federal regulation changes.

Responsibilities

• Lead institutional authorization and policy development for grants.
• Direct strategic planning and resource management for SPA.
• Serve as liaison with federal and state funding agencies.

Skills

Grants expertise

Contracts negotiation

Federal Acquisition Regulations knowledge

Clinical trials management

Intellectual property terms knowledge

Education

Advanced degree (Ph.D. or equivalent)

Job description

Senior Director of Sponsored Projects Administration

Overview

The Senior Director acts as an Authorized Organizational Representative with delegated authority to sign proposals, negotiate agreements, and accept awards on behalf of the university and its key partner, the Research Foundation for SUNY. The Director is accountable for establishing and driving the overall strategy, goals, and objectives for SPA, ensuring operational excellence, and maximizing institutional competitiveness for over a $325M+ growing research portfolio. The Senior Director collaborates across all academic, administrative, and clinical units to advance Stony Brook's research mission and serves as a key strategic partner to the Vice President for Research, Vice President for Research Operations, senior leadership, directly impacting the growth and compliance profile of the university's research enterprise.

This role requires a seasoned executive with deep expertise in grants, contracts (including Federal Acquisition Regulations or FAR), clinical trials, and intellectual property terms. The Senior Director is charged with proactively conducting the highest‑level analysis on changes in federal regulations (like Uniform Guidance), helping to set university‑wide research administration policy, and leading organizational efforts to identify and mitigate high‑level institutional risk of non‑compliance and audit findings. The Senior Director champions a culture of high‑quality service, ensures seamless integration between the university's central administrative units, and serves as a primary liaison and advocate for Stony Brook's research interests with major federal, state, and private funding agencies.

Responsibilities

• Institutional Authorization & Policy:
  • Serve as an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR), or delegate thereof, responsible for the final institutional sign‑off and commitment on all grant proposals, contracts, and sponsored agreements.
  • Lead the development, promulgation, interpretation, and modification of organization‑wide policies and procedures governing sponsored research to ensure proactive compliance with federal, state, and university requirements.
  • Assess strategic risks of research policies and procedures to identify areas of highest financial and regulatory exposure and implement necessary internal controls.
• Planning & Resource Management:
  • Direct the establishment of overall strategy, direction, goals, and objectives of Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) and allocate the office's annual operating budget and resources.
  • Establish, monitor, and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for all SPA operations to measure efficiency, cycle time, and service quality, reporting findings to the Associate Vice President and VP for Research.
  • Lead strategic efforts to optimize research operations and structure, including identifying and implementing best practices and technologies to enhance overall research productivity and compliance.
• Serve as the primary high‑level liaison to the Research Foundation for SUNY/Stony Brook, ensuring seamless operational alignment and effective financial stewardship of sponsored projects.
• Represent the university's interests to senior administrators and program officers at major federal funding agencies, national associations (e.g., NCURA, SRA International), and peer R1 institutions.
• Work collaboratively with University Development/Advancement to differentiate between gifts versus grants and ensure appropriate institutional administration for each.
• Other duties as assigned.

Special Notes

The Research Foundation of SUNY is a private educational corporation. Employment is subject to the Research Foundation policies and procedures, sponsor guidelines and the availability of funding. This is a full‑time appointment. FLSA Exempt position, not eligible for the overtime provisions of the FLSA. Minimum salary threshold must be met to maintain FLSA exemption.

For this position, we are unable to sponsor candidates for work visas.

Due to U.S. Export Control laws and regulations, the candidate hired will need to be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or other "protected individual" (as defined by 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1324b(a)(3)).

Stony Brook University is committed to excellence in diversity and the creation of an inclusive learning and working environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status and all other protected classes under federal or state laws.

If you need a disability‑related accommodation, please call the university Office of Equity and Access (OEA) at (insert phone) or visit OEA.

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Salary: $200,000 - $237,000