Sr. Director of Pre-Award

Howard University; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

Work-Life Balance

Financial Wellness

Professional Development

Additional Perks

Job summary

Howard University seeks a Senior Director of Pre-Award (Outgoing Team) to lead the university’s outgoing proposal and subaward administration, ensuring compliant, timely submissions.

Role requires 8+ years in research administration, with 5+ years in leadership, plus deep knowledge of 2 CFR 200 and FAR/DFARS. Hybrid flexibility supported; reports to AVP, Sponsored Programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; extensive grant/contract administration experience preferred.
• 8+ years in research administration; 5+ years in leadership roles.
• Strong leadership, staff development, and team stabilization skills.
• Deep knowledge of federal contract requirements and compliance.
• Proficiency with enterprise research administration systems (e.g., Cayuse, Workday).

Responsibilities

• Oversees outgoing proposals, subawards, and consultant agreements for timely, compliant submissions.
• Ensures adherence to sponsor guidelines and university policies across the pre-award lifecycle.
• Leads training and engagement with faculty and staff on proposal development and budgeting.
• Tracks metrics and uses analytics to improve proposal processing and outcomes.
• Collaborates with compliance, legal, and post-award teams to streamline operations.

Skills

Leadership

Federal funding

Proposal development

Process design

Data analytics

Stakeholder comms

Contract oversight

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Cayuse

Workday

Job description

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff “for fit” makes significant contributions to Howard University’s overall mission. At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth.

Here is what we offer:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match
• Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

Join Howard University and thrive with us!

JOB PURPOSE:

The Senior Director of Pre-Award (Outgoing Team) leads the university’s pre-award research administration function, ensuring efficient, compliant, and service-oriented proposal development and submission. The role is responsible for managing all outgoing proposals, outgoing subawards, and consultant agreements, providing direct support to faculty and research administrators while maintaining consistent quality, compliance, and operational standards across the outgoing pre-award lifecycle.

SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY:

• Directly supervises Pre-Award Research Administrators and administrative support staff, including setting priorities, managing workloads, and ensuring consistent application of standards across the team.
• Provides oversight of outgoing proposals, subawards, and consultant agreements within the Sponsored Programs Office.
• Provides training, mentorship, and professional development to pre-award staff to ensure continuous improvement in research administration, including coaching on performance expectations and process adherence.
• Oversees faculty engagement and training efforts, ensuring faculty and research administrators receive guidance on proposal development and compliance.
• Collaborates with the Senior Director of Pre-Award – Incoming team to establish best practices and ensure seamless pre-award operations.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

• Reports directly to the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Sponsored Programs and works in close collaboration with the Senior Director of Pre-Award (Incoming team) to align pre-award strategy with the university’s research mission.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for faculty and research centers on proposal development and submission.
• Leads the university’s outgoing proposal and outgoing subaward administration, ensuring that all submissions meet sponsor, federal, and institutional requirements.
• Engages with Post-Award teams, Research Compliance, and Legal to support seamless research administration processes.

Cross-Coverage Clause: While the Senior Director of the Outgoing team primarily oversees outgoing proposals and subawards, they are expected to cross-train and collaborate with the Senior Director of the Incoming team to ensure seamless research administration operations. In the absence of the Senior Director of the Incoming team, the Senior Director of the Outgoing team may assume temporary oversight of incoming awards and agreements to maintain compliance, efficiency, and sponsor relations.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Leadership & Operations Management

• Manages all outgoing proposals, subawards, and consultant agreements, ensuring timely and compliant submission and execution to federal, corporate, and foundation sponsors.
• Implements workflow improvements and efficiency strategies to strengthen proposal development, intake quality, and routing discipline.
• Establishes and enforces best practices and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for proposal development, submission, and outgoing agreement processing.
• Monitors aging actions and escalates items at risk of deadline or compliance exposure, maintaining visibility into workload distribution and backlog status.
• Serves as a liaison between faculty, research centers, and sponsors, ensuring successful proposal submission.

2. Proposal Development & Compliance

• Provides technical assistance and strategic guidance for complex and high-value research proposals.
• Reviews and ensures all outgoing proposals adhere to sponsor guidelines and university policies.
• Oversees outgoing subaward and consultant agreements and compliance, including but not limited to pre-award subrecipient monitoring, required documentation, and risk assessments.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of federal research regulations, including 2 CFR 200 and FAR/DFARS.

3. Faculty & Stakeholder Engagement

• Develops and leads training programs for faculty, research administrators, and pre-award staff on proposal development, budgeting, and compliance.
• Supports outreach initiatives to increase faculty participation in externally funded research.
• Provides consultation and guidance to Principal Investigators (PIs) on proposal requirements and submission processes.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making & Performance Monitoring

• Tracks proposal volume, success rates, sponsor trends, turnaround times, and backlog aging, using data to drive strategic and operational improvements.
• Implements research analytics tools to measure performance and optimize pre-award workflows.
• Provides regular reports to the AVP of Sponsored Programs on proposal activity, funding trends, operational efficiency, and documentation quality.

5. Strategic Process Leadership

• Leads process design, policy implementation, and operational strengthening across the outgoing pre-award function.
• Engages in strategic discussions with the AVP and Senior Director (Incoming team) on research administration improvements and institutional priorities.
• Identifies and addresses systemic workflow gaps, documentation risks, and handoff failures to ensure audit-ready operations.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Leadership & Team Management: Ability to supervise, train, and develop pre-award staff; set priorities; redistribute work during absences; and maintain team stability in a high-volume environment.
• Expertise in Federal Funding & Compliance: Deep knowledge of NIH, NSF, DoD, and foundation grants, including federal compliance regulations.
• Proposal Development & Strategy: Strong understanding of sponsor priorities, funding trends, and proposal submission requirements.
• Operational Process Design: Ability to build, document, and enforce repeatable workflows and SOPs that support consistent, compliant operations.
• Data Analytics & Process Improvement: Ability to track, analyze, and optimize pre-award workflows and research funding success rates.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Communication: Skilled in collaborating with faculty, administrators, legal, compliance, and external sponsors to facilitate research success.
• Contract & Agreement Oversight: Ability to review and sign standard proposals, subawards, and consultant agreements, with the judgment to elevate complex cases appropriately.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree is required. Extensive experience in grant and contract administration is essential and will carry more weight than advanced credentials.
• 8+ years of experience in research administration, with at least 5 years in leadership roles, preferably within a central research administration office.
• Leadership experience is crucial, particularly in guiding and stabilizing a team dedicated to contract and agreement administration.
• Exceptional organizational skills are a must, with the capacity to handle multiple concurrent projects and shifting priorities.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the entire lifecycle of research award administration, from the proposal phase to the award set‑up.
• Experience with outgoing subaward and consultant agreement administration, including subrecipient monitoring and risk documentation.
• Must possess a deep understanding of federal contract requirements.
• Comprehensive grasp of federal research compliance regulations, including 2 CFR 200 and FAR/DFARS.
• Proficiency with enterprise research administration systems (e.g., Cayuse, Workday, or similar platforms).

Hybrid flexible preferred

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure

Expected Pay Range: $145,454 - $160,000