Director, Award Management

Overview

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Guided by an ethic of Vincentian personalism and professionalism, DePaul compassionately upholds the dignity of all members of its diverse, multi-faith, and inclusive community. We seek to hire collaborative, open-minded, and dedicated professionals who are committed to advancing our university mission to making education accessible to all, with special attention to including underserved and underrepresented communities. Successful candidates thrive in an environment where ideas and perspectives representing a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds and experiences are welcome and supported.

General Summary

The Award Management Director reports to the Associate Provost for Research. The major responsibilities of the Award Management Director are 1) to assist in the development and revision of policies related to research and scholarship; 2) to provide oversight for externally funded projects to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations; 3) to encourage major inter-institutional and public-private partnerships. This position will provide leadership and guide ORS to meet each of these responsibilities and foster an environment conducive to research and other scholarly and creative activities.

Responsibilities & Duties

• The Director is directly or indirectly responsible for the administration of external grants and contracts, including the monitoring of regulations and expenditures, coordination of internal reviews, the assurance of compliance with federal, agency, and university guidelines, budget negotiations, and university liaison with external granting agencies.
• Develops and maintains a network of support for faculty who are managing externally sponsored projects at DePaul by cultivating an expert, service-oriented award management team within the Office of Research Services; coordinating with grant staff within the various colleges and schools; brokering the involvement of other offices such as Restricted Accounting, Procurement and Payment, Risk Management, and Office of the General Counsel, as needed;  developing on-line resources; and providing individual consultation to PIs and center directors who are managing their first grants, implementing complex grant awards, managing multiple awards, or facing other challenges
• Represents the university in all aspects of award management--providing university approval for major purchases, budget changes, personnel actions, and Accounts Payable submissions to ensure compliance with funder guidelines and OMB Uniform Guidance; coordinating the preparation and submission of periodic reports to funding agencies; issuing and amending sub-awards; managing grant closeouts; and serving as DePaul’s post-award liaison to a wide range of public funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, among others; coordinating award management with representatives of the Office of Advancement for privately funded awards.
• Plays a key role in fulfilling an increasing array of federal, state, local, and private requirements and regulations pertaining to award management, including the sub-award reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act; Responsible Conduct of Research training for students on National Science Foundation grants, and acting as the Designated Conflict of Interest Official with regard to complying with requirements for conflicts of interest policies relating to grant-funded researchers.
• Hires, develops, and evaluates the Award Management ORS staff.  Determine the work assignments and responsibilities.
• Work with staff members to determine the training and professional development needs of the post-award areas for ORS.
• Develops, documents, trains, and supervises staff on a wide range of business processes that support award management activity.
• Manages all award data, establishing office protocols and documentation for data entry and management, including the use of the University’s financial system for award setup and maintenance.
• Writes queries, prepares ongoing, special, and annual reports, and responds to information requests involving grant awards from other university offices.
• Works with IS and Financial Services to manage upgrades of the Awards section of the University’s Financial System
• Initiates and carries out special projects to enhance award management services and efficiency 
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience

• At least ten years of experience in grant administration in a university setting.
• Minimum educational requirements are a Master's degree
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with faculty of diverse disciplines, senior university staff, and officials of funding agencies.
• Familiarity with institutional grants and with community service grants.
• Ability to provide strong leadership to an established office.
• Familiarity with grant accounting practices and with budgetary and fiscal requirements of federal agencies (including OMB Uniform Guidance).
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Familiarity with federal research compliance issues, including, but not limited to, human subjects, animal care and welfare, scientific misconduct, conflict of interest, intellectual property, and others.

Preferred Requirements

• Terminal degree 

Managerial Responsibilities

• Supervises the management of 150+ external grant accounts totaling more than  $40 million, a number of which involve Federal awards subject to extensive regulations.  
• Supervises two direct reports, with supervision accounting for approximately 10% of time and effort.  

Financial Responsibilities

• Grant accounts under the  Director's supervision total more than $40 million in external grant funds awarded to DePaul.
• Director is responsible for monitoring financial aspects of grant management including resolving allow-ability questions, burn rate, institutional cost-share commitments, and budget modifications.   

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work at a computer for long periods of time daily.  

Other Skills & Abilities Required

• Ability to function effectively in a dynamic, growing university.
• Ability to deal with complexity, ambiguity, and change.
• Flexibility and creative thinking.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.

Additional Information
For consideration, please include a resume and cover letter. 

• Serve as Authorized Institutional Representative in signing grants and submitting proposals and compliance documents and in accepting awards.
• Work closely with the Corporate and Foundation Relations Office in building rapport with the research directors of selected corporations and in cultivating relationships with multi-purpose private foundations or corporations that support research and academic programs.
• Supervise the work of the Grant Specialists and provide support to principal investigators, including the renegotiation of budgets, monitoring of expenditures, activities, and reports for compliance with university procedures and agency requirements.
• Assist in the negotiation of indirect cost recovery agreements.
• Work with the Controller's Office and other relevant offices to develop guidelines and procedures for external grant monitoring and oversight.
• Oversee a training program in grant management for faculty and staff with external grants, in collaboration with the Controller's Office and other relevant offices.

Salary & Benefits Package:

DePaul offers a comprehensive package including competitive pay and benefits to attract and retain the best talent in order to further the University's mission. For more information, please visit the following pages:

Full-Time Benefits
Part-Time Benefits

Required Background Check:
Employment at DePaul University is contingent on passing a background check. Only final candidates who are extended an offer of employment will undergo a background check.

Required COVID-19 Vaccination:
Employment at DePaul University is contingent upon receiving all recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or having a valid religious or medical reason not to be vaccinated. To request a medical or religious exemption, please email  employeerelations@depaul.edu.

Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse & Neglect:
Upon accepting an offer of employment with the university, you will also be required to sign an Acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter Status at the time of hire. A mandated reporter is required to make a report to the Illinois DCFS Hotline whenever there is reasonable cause to believe that a child known to them in their professional or official capacity may be abused or neglected. For more information, please visit the following pages:
Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS)
Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act

Title IX Contact Information
Federal Title IX policy requires that all colleges and universities make known the contact information for the person responsible for coordinating its efforts to comply with Title IX responsibilities. The Title IX Office is on the Lincoln Park campus on the 3rd floor of the Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Avenue. The Title IX Office can be reached at 312-362-8970 or titleixcoordinator@depaul.edu.

DePaul University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other legally protected status, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local EEO laws.