Sponsored Programs Director jobs in Massachusetts

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,484 full-time undergraduates and 5,250 graduate and professional students.  Ranked 35 among national universities, Boston College has 888 full-time and 1,281 FTE faculty, 2,711 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.5 billion.

The Director will provide leadership to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) to create an atmosphere in which the university community will be both encouraged and successful in pursuing externally funded research and scholarly activity.  The Director will ensure responsible stewardship of sponsored funds and create a collaborative and engaging environment between the faculty, OSP staff, central administrative offices, as well as school and departmental administration.  This collaborative environment will facilitate compliance with sponsor requirements, applicable regulations, and University policies and at the same time seek to streamline administrative processes and lessen the administrative burden on faculty. These goals will be attained by providing outstanding customer service, building teamwork between all stakeholders, and providing the necessary training and tools for success.

The University’s strategic planning process has launched several new research-intensive programs, including the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society and Human-centered Engineering. Combined with existing faculty research and scholarship, the University forecasts significant additional growth in faculty and in sponsored research activity from both federal funding agencies and corporate and foundation entities at the national and international levels.  This will require a Director with the leadership skills to manage in rapidly changing conditions with creative and innovative problem solving while still maintaining a highly compliant environment.

This will require a Director with the leadership skills to manage in rapidly changing conditions with creative and innovative problem solving while still maintaining a highly compliant environment.  Key objectives for this position are:

• Ensure OSP is providing the customer service needed to the faculty, researchers, and students for their success in obtaining and managing sponsored awards.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive training program for OSP staff, departmental research administrators, faculty, and researchers.
• Create, develop and execute OSP departmental goals, performance measures and metrics to promote and track continuous improvement.
• Develop and promote mechanisms and tools for increased interactions between OSP staff and faculty and departmental research administrators.
• Ensure coordination and controls are in place between all stakeholders to maintain compliance with all laws and policies over sponsored awards and contracts.
• Assist the Deans and faculty in expanding their sponsored grant portfolio to include highly competitive private foundations (e.g., Gates Foundation) and International funding agencies.

The Director must have excellent interpersonal and team building skills in order to promote a productive working relationship between OSP, the faculty, and departmental research administrators.  The success of research at a university is dependent on these three groups working as a cohesive team.  This position also requires an individual who has vision and creativity and the ability to encourage people to be innovative problem solvers.  In addition, the successful candidate will have: 1) Extensive experience in interpreting and applying Federal regulations; 2) Extensive experience in contract and subcontract preparation and administration; 3) Extensive experience in negotiating complex agreements including conducting research with international partners; 4) Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and best practices; 5) Familiarity with PeopleSoft Financial systems.

Bachelor’s degree required, graduate degree preferred. A minimum of 15 years experience in sponsored programs administration at a R1 level Research University and demonstrated experience working with university administrators, academic leaders, faculty and department personnel.