Director, Contracts & Grants

Overview

Director, Contracts & Grants – Research & Innovation

• Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M University System

• https://tamus.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PVAMU_External/job/Prairie-View-PVAMU/Director--Contracts---Grants_R-034126

Job Summary

• The Director of Contracts and Grants serves as the central coordination point for managing all sponsored grants and contracts at PVAMU. The Director reports directly to the Assistant Vice President in the Division of Research and Innovation. Under general guidance, the Director provides leadership and oversight for a full range of contract and grant administration services including, but not limited to: - development, review and submission of proposals; - execution of contracts, grants and sub-award negotiation, acceptance and authorization of awards; - interpretation of sponsor rules and guidelines; -  award management and accounting; - financial reporting and reconciliations; - account close-outs and data integrity/internal control. The Director is responsible for increasing the sponsored grant and contract expenditures by working with faculty, staff and administration and continuously improving the operational efficiency and customer service. The Director is expected to be organized, able to execute tenacious follow-up, and handle all the challenges of working on transaction-heavy project management. The Director serves as a liaison between the University PIs and granting agencies to ensure effective execution of awards, reporting and compliance with grant requirements. The Director poses extensive knowledge of grant administration and agency rules and regulations applied to effective compliance. The Director is responsible for creating and maintaining highest level of customer service to the university research community by reducing administrative burdens on researchers, and improving internal operational efficiencies while balancing institutional obligations to comply with federal, state, sponsor, university and TAMUS regulations and policies.
• Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) has been igniting passion in its students for more than 140 years.  With an established reputation for producing engineers, nurses and educators, PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees, master’s degrees and doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools.  The University has an enrollment of more than 8,500 students. Designated an institution of “the first class” in the Texas Constitution, PVAMU is the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state and a member of The Texas A&M University System.  The University is dedicated to fulfilling its land-grant mission of achieving excellence in teaching, research and service.
• PVAMU is conveniently located near the rapidly growing residential and commercial area known as the Northwest Houston Corridor. The developing Northwest Houston Corridor offers newly developed suburban communities, a variety of shopping and dining near the Houston Premium Outlets and is a short, 35-minute commute into downtown Houston. For more information, visit www.pvamu.edu. Your career opportunities with a “University of the first class” begins here!
• Prairie View A&M University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer. If you need assistance in applying for this job, please contact (936) 261-1730.

Position Duties
Provides leadership, oversight and works closely with the pre-award/proposal administration staff in effective development, review and submission of proposals through high degree of ingenuity, creativity, in-depth working knowledge of proposal submission into required submission systems and financial systems according to the guidelines. Oversees the proposal intent notifications and workload distribution of proposal administrators. Performs year-long grant proposal planning/scheduling, analyses and coordinates recurring and limited-submission RFPs, monitors the timeliness and effectiveness of contract negotiations. Coordinates with PI’s to resolve proposal issues and provides information as requested. Responsible for increasing the sponsored grant and contract awards by working with faculty, staff and administration, ensuring highest level of customer service, reducing administrative burdens on researchers, improving internal operational efficiencies.

1. Provides leadership, oversight and works closely with the post-award/project administration staff in effective management of post-award operations through high degree of ingenuity, creativity, and in-depth working knowledge of Maestro and FAMIS. Oversees effectiveness of new award setup, costing allocations, no-cost extensions, account payables/ receivables and invoice processing, financial reporting to sponsors and state agencies and boards (THECB), and time and effort certifications. Interfaces with auditors and follows up on audit findings. Responsible for increasing the sponsored grant and contract expenditures by working with faculty, staff and administration, ensuring highest level of customer service, reducing administrative burdens on researchers, improving internal operational efficiencies.
2. Serves as a liaison between the University PI’s and granting agencies to ensure effective execution of awards, reporting and compliance with grant requirements. Provides input on strategic planning. Serves as a liaison with leadership and coordinates working relationships with academic and non-academic units of the University, and foster university relationships with sponsoring agencies.
3. Develops, implements and improves policies and procedures for pre & post-award research administration and collaborates and develops improved processes between all Research Administration and Business Affairs units. Balances institutional obligations to comply with federal, state, sponsor, university and TAMUS regulations and policies. Ensures regulatory compliance by maintaining contact with sponsoring contracting agents to communicate changes of sponsored requirements. Supervises and provides training and mentoring to the contracts and grants staff.
4. Creates and maintains monthly exception reports between the financial system and databases to ensure data quality to effectively manage the sponsored project portfolio. Submits adhoc, monthly, quarterly and annual reports on proposal and project administration for university administration and for agency requests/requirements.

This document represents the major duties, responsibilities, and authorities of this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. Other duties may be assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education – Bachelor’s degree in applicable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.  

Experience – Three years of progressive and successful administrative experience in sponsored grants and contracts administration in a university, industry, or government environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education – Masters or a terminal degree in relevant discipline is preferred.
• Experience – Five or more years of progressive and successful administrative experience in sponsored grants and contracts administration in a university, industry, or government environment.
• Knowledge of Federal grants and contract regulations and practical application of current research administration issues.
• Proven skills in administering programs, managing professional staff, planning, problem solving and interpersonal relations.
• Excellent communication and advocacy skills, equally effective with both internal and external constituents.
• Ability to be responsive and follow-through for project/task completion.
• Ability to bring together cross-functional teams to develop processes.
• Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.
• Thoughtful risk-taking which relies on data and input from others to foresee possible threats or unintended consequences from decisions.
• Participatory management and leadership styles that model the values of service, initiative, openness and collaboration.

Job Posting Close:

• Open Until Filled

• Required Attachments:
• Please attach all required documents listed below in the attachment box labeled as either “Resume/CV or Resume/Cover Letter” on the application. Multiple attachments may be included in the “Resume/CV” or Resume/Cover Letter” attachment box.  Any additional attachments provided outside of the required documents listed below are considered optional.
• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Contact information for 3 Professional References

• Application Submission Guidelines:
• All applicants are required to apply via our Career Site on or before the closing date indicated on the job posting. Applicant inquiries received via email and websites such as Indeed, HigherEdJobs, etc. will not be considered unless the individual has applied to the available position via the PVAMU Career site.
• The required documents listed in the above Required Attachments section must be attached to the application prior to the job closing date indicated to ensure full consideration for the application submitted. Please contact the Office of Human Resource on or before the closing date indicated above at 936-261-1730 or jobs@pvamu.edu should you need assistance with the online application process.

• Background Check Requirements:
• All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

• Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.