Director - Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Overview

Job Summary/Basic Function

The Middle Tennessee State University ORSP Director, reporting to the Vice Provost for Research, leads strategic and operational growth of externally funded research. Responsibilities include managing ORSP, expanding funding pipelines, ensuring compliance, and coordinating pre- and post-award functions through collaboration and metrics.

Required Education

Master's degree from an accredited institution. Doctoral degree desired.

Required Related Experience

Eight years of progressively responsible experience in sponsored programs administration, research administration, research development, or a closely related field, including a minimum of four years of progressively responsible leadership or management experience supervising professional staff or leading complex organizational operations.

Desirable Related Experience

Preferred qualifications include:
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible sponsored-programs, research-administration, or research-development experience.
• Significant leadership experience in a central research or sponsored-programs office at a research university or similarly complex research organization.
• Demonstrated success increasing external funding, proposal activity, investigator participation, organizational capacity, service quality, or funding diversification.
• Experience supporting or managing a significant externally funded research portfolio.
• Demonstrated experience with large, interdisciplinary, multi-investigator, multi-institutional, center-scale, or strategically important proposals.
• Experience developing organizational structures, managing professional teams, improving business processes, and implementing performance metrics.
• Experience developing productive relationships with federal and state agencies, foundations, industry sponsors, and other external partners.
• Experience with Cayuse or comparable electronic research administration systems and enterprise reporting or business-intelligence tools.
• Demonstrated experience improving the effectiveness, capacity, service, or performance of a sponsored program or research organization is required. Experience should demonstrate progressively increasing responsibility for personnel, sponsored-program operations, organizational strategy, major or complex proposals, faculty or investigator support, and institutional relationships.

Desirable License/Registration/Certification

Active Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA), Project Management Professional (PMP), or comparable professional credential.

Documents Needed to Apply

Cover Letter & Resume Required

Salary

$134,214 - $173,360; commensurate with experience

MTSU offers a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to the following:  

• Sick Leave
• Vacation Leave for Administrative/Classified Staff/12-month Faculty
• 13 paid University holidays
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• Retirement plans
• Optional 401K and 403B Deferred Compensation Plans
• Educational benefits for the employee and their spouse and dependents

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