Director, Pre-Award Research - SRA International

The major responsibilities of the Director of Pre-Award Research include:

1. Promoting research and academic programs across the university by:
1. Assisting faculty and staff to obtain external funding.
2. Providing a system of proposal development and institutional oversight for the institutional review and approval of DePaul proposal submissions.
3. Providing educational and outreach on pre-award processes for faculty and staff.
2. Supporting DePaul's community linkages by assisting faculty, program directors of centers and institutes, and staff with securing funding from private and public agencies.
3. Fostering collaborative relationships among a wide and diverse range of constituencies through inter-institutional grants/subcontracts.
4. Fostering an environment conducive to faculty engagement in externally sponsored research, service, pedagogical, and creative activities by providing effective support for and management of a campus-wide proposal volume of approximately $100 million dollars annually.

What You'll Do:

• The Director manages and supervises two professional pre-award staff members. The Director is directly or indirectly responsible for assisting DePaul faculty and staff with effective solicitations, including all aspects of proposal preparation and submission. This includes furnishing advice, guidance, and oversight to the pre-award team, faculty, and staff with the goal of maximizing proposal quality, providing strategic planning, logistical support, advice, and practical assistance with proposal development, including coordination of tasks, timelines, resources, budgets, and partnerships with third-party organizations. The Director requests indirect cost waivers and brokers DePaul and third-party cost-sharing in submissions. The Director also monitors the assurance of compliance of proposals with federal, agency, and university guidelines, arranges and reviews Pre-Award contracts and agreements submitted with proposals, and serves as a university liaison with external granting agencies. The Director manages pre-award negotiations with external agencies on proposal submissions, working to optimize the position of the University in anticipation of receipt of an award; this may include budget negotiations as well as negotiation of other technical matters that may require coordination with the Project Team, including potential sub-awardees and vendors in advance of DePaul securing an award.
• The Director oversees the proposal review and submission process for DePaul faculty and staff, ensuring a detailed review of all proposals to federal and private sources is performed to identify those areas that may be inconsistent with institutional policies or objectives, applicable sponsor requirements and regulatory guidelines, or which may invite financial, administrative, or regulatory risks. Oversees departmental database of proposal activity.
• The Director initiates Nondisclosure Agreements, Materials Transfer Agreements, and Data Agreements as requested by faculty and staff, coordinating with the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) as necessary.
• The Director, in collaboration with the Director of Award Management, is responsible for coordinating the office's activities with other university offices, including OGC, Controller's Office, Advancement Office (Corporate and Foundation Relations), Office of External Relations, Office of Community and Government Relations, and other relevant areas.
• This position is responsible for Pre-Award outreach to faculty and staff on Pre-Award processes and procedures. This includes an outreach strategy to oversee a program of opportunity identification, cultivation, and solicitation to market select opportunities to DePaul faculty and administrators. Encourages proposals for suitable projects and initiatives, enhances collaborations across the campus, and nurtures strong partnerships to promote faculty development. These activities may include staff training, as well as faculty one-to-one tutorials, targeted workshops, and formal presentations to promote knowledge of funding opportunities; agency requirements and guidelines; Federal cost principles related to Pre-Award Services; proposal development processes and strategies; and electronic proposal management systems such as Research.gov, NIH Assist, and Grants.gov.
• Assist the Associate Provost for Research in the development of procedures governing sponsored programs and research at DePaul University in creating a clear strategic vision for the office.
• Directs and manages all aspects of the Pre-Award activities of the Office of Research Services (ORS).
• Has responsibility for supporting and managing the development of grant proposals across the university, with an annual volume of over 200 proposals per year totaling approximately $100 million.

What You'll Need:

• At least ten years of experience in grant administration in a University setting.
• Minimum educational requirements are a Master's degree; terminal degree preferred.
• 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.
• 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 as they relate to pre-award services.
• Ability to function effectively in a dynamic, growing University.
• Ability to deal with complexity, ambiguity, and change.
• Flexibility and creative thinking.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Requires flexibility in work schedule to accommodate proposal deadlines.
• Provide leadership and oversight for the proposal development process across the university.
• Supervise ORS Pre-Award staff members in providing support for faculty and staff in securing extramural funding for research, academic, and service programs.
• Develop mechanisms that support and encourage research collaboration among faculty, departments, colleges, and/or centers and institutes.
• Work with the internal grants office to extend and provide linkages to faculty and professional staff for future external funding.
• This position will have direct responsibility for supporting proposals designed to meet the university's strategic initiatives, including the encouragement of cross-departmental efforts to identify and develop institutional grant proposals, and coordinate with grant proposal teams as necessary on institutional grant proposals and budgets.

For consideration, please include a resume and cover letter.

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 make 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.

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.

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

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.