Director, Office Of Grants and Sponsored Projects

Bridgewater State University is an inclusive community dedicated to the lifelong success of all students, focused on the continuous improvement of its people, and responsible for leading innovation that benefits Southeastern Massachusetts, the commonwealth, and the world. Bridgewater’s accessible environment of teaching and learning stimulates critical thinking, pursuit of new knowledge, and deeper understanding, the cultivation of meaningful and diverse interpersonal relationships, and fostering an appreciation for global engagement.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is reflected in our institutional values, which ensure that all students are supported and succeed.

Bridgewater State University is equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. Members of underrepresented groups, and those committed to working in a diverse cultural environment, are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects (OGSP) lies administratively within the Division of Academic Affairs. The OGSP is responsible for facilitating aspects of external grant funding, sponsored projects, the dissemination of funding opportunities, collaboration with senior administrative staff to assess funding trends, support the development and submission of grant applications, collaborate with the Finance Division on the oversight of grant funding upon award, and overseeing federal, state, sponsor, and university guidelines and regulations. The successful candidate will be a visionary leader who will work inter-divisionally to increase external funding streams, enhance grant writing and research administration skills across campus, and provide guidance and oversight of all OGSP activities.

The Director is responsible for overseeing the pre-award functions by supporting proposal coordinators for their work with preparing grant proposals that comprise project narratives, project budget spreadsheets and justifications, and other supplemental documents to ensure alignment among program requirements, grant regulations, and university policies. This individual is also responsible for presenting project costs—requested and cost-shared—for institutional approval prior to submission.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Reports to the Executive Director of the Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED: Supervises work of subordinate professional staff assigned to the area.

The Director is responsible for overseeing the pre-award functions by supporting proposal coordinators for their work with preparing grant proposals that comprise project narratives, project budget spreadsheets and justifications, and other supplemental documents to ensure alignment among program requirements, grant regulations, and university policies. This individual is also responsible for presenting project costs—requested and cost-shared—for institutional approval prior to submission.

 

This is a full-time, 12-month APA position and is subject to the terms of that union agreement.

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

(Saturday and Sundays as non-working days)

This position is located on campus in Bridgewater, MA. This position is eligible for hybrid / remote work in accordance with BSU remote work policy.

· Identify, share, and make accessible to the campus community, current guidance information from sponsoring agencies including, but not limited to, policies, procedures, certifications, and regulations.

· Develop and conduct workshops on pre-award stages of the grant lifecycle, including but not limited to finding funding, vetting grant opportunities, project design, proposal narrative, budget spreadsheets and justifications, and other supplemental documents.

· Coordinate with the Executive Director to update and disseminate policies, procedures and guidelines and assist with career development and staff training on research administration principles, accounting practices, sponsoring agency regulations and BSU’s Trust Fund Guidelines.

· Assist with the oversight and management of the office database for accurate data entry by users.

· Work with the IT Division for database changes and updates as needed for reporting.

· Provide reports as requested by other campus units.

· Assist the campus community on identifying and vetting grant funding opportunities.

· Evaluate the effectiveness of memberships and subscriptions related to grant search databases for decision on changes and improvement.

· Assist individuals and collaborative groups with the preparation and submission of grant proposals to sponsoring agencies.

· Serve as the principal contact person on matters relating to pre-award and non-financial post award research administration.

· Partner with Finance, Procurement, and other university units to improve processes and relationships. Provide leadership in identifying opportunities for process improvements.

 

· Notify individuals and other administrative units of new awards and coordinate processes with authorized signatories and awarding agencies as necessary.

· Review award Terms and Conditions to ensure alignment with university policies and federal regulations to ensure all costs, requested and cost-shared, are accounted for according to university policies and negotiations, as required, until all parties agree.

· Work with the Post Award Coordinator and other administrative units on various office systems and processes associated with new awards, amendments, budget modifications, or supplemental funding.

· Support the development and implementation of campus level policy and business practices for sponsored programs administration.

· Ensure proposals are compliant with sponsoring agency regulations and university policies.

 

· Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Business Administration, Finance or related field

· Three (3) years related experience.

· Knowledge of higher education principles, practices, and procedures.

· Supervisory experience to demonstrate leadership capability in post-award, cost, or compliance accounting functions.

· Experience in developing complex project budgets and cost justification. Budget spreadsheet skills, including knowledge of basic accounting practices.

· Knowledge of relevant regulations and guidelines to ensure compliance with university policies and external regulations.

· Ability to work independently and collaboratively with various stakeholders (university, industry, etc.) managing multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.

· Ability to identify and evaluate funding solicitation notices to decipher applicability to faculty’s research agenda and BSU’s strategic initiatives.

· Excellent communication skills and strong interpersonal skills required.

Bridgewater State University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants and employee with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for the application process, please complete and submit this electronic form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?BridgewaterStateUniv&layout_id=18

Please be aware that employment at Bridgewater State University is contingent upon completion of a successful background check. Bridgewater State University is an E-Verify employer.
This position is not eligible for H-1B sponsorship.

Please note the following information is required to complete your application for this position:

* A minimum of three (3) professional reference entries in space provided on the application form.
* Resume/CV
* Cover Letter

Bridgewater State University (BSU) is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer which actively seeks to increase the diversity of its workforce. We are dedicated to providing educational, working and living environments that value the diverse backgrounds of all people.