Assistant​/Associate Director, Pre-Award, Proposal and Award Management

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning.

As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Assistant/Associate Director, Pre-Award, Proposal and Award Management

Associate Director, Research Services

The Assistant/Associate Director promotes the Office of Research Service’s mission of providing excellent customer service for research projects with an overall focus on high levels of quality of work and departmental interaction. Pre-Award services at Penn is managed via a dynamic team approach.

The Assistant/Associate Director is responsible for Pre-Award and non-financial post-award duties of sponsored research, which include the review of proposals for compliance with sponsor and university policies and guidelines; and non-financial post-award activities.

Serve as point of contact for sponsoring agencies, and work with departments, schools, and centers to ensure timely submission of non-financial reports and requests for approval of changes to projects. Provide action-oriented support to Principal Investigators (PIs) and handle specific grant agreement issues with confidentiality and integrity. Manage a wide range of complex operational and administrative matters and understand the organization and functions of academic departments, organizational research units, and other campus units involved in research administration.

Pre-Award services at Penn is managed via a dynamic team approach. The Associate Director will work with a team to ensure timely and accurate service for a range of sponsor agencies, research activities, and proposal requirements.

• Responsible for reviewing, authorizing, andsubmittingproposals on behalf of the university to a wide range of funding sponsors.
  
  Ensures proposals aresubmittedin accordance with university policy and in compliance with sponsor requirements tooptimizelikelihood of funding.
  
  Advises faculty and departmental administrative staff on funding opportunities and administrative strategies for the preparation of successful grant/contract proposals.

• Responsible for binding the university to terms and conditions for funded research grants, contracts, and ancillary agreements. Collaborates with contract administrators and provides guidance on terms and conditions for subawards and non-monetary agreements.

• Communicates with regulatory offices, to ensure requirements are met for sponsored research activity;maintain all proper and necessary documentation.

• Serves as a liaison between funding sponsors and faculty. Reviews andsubmitsfinal non-financial reports. Maintains current working knowledge of federal andnon-profit sponsor policies to ensure the responsible conduct of research at Penn andadvisefaculty and departmental administrative staff accordingly.

• Regularly meetwith faculty and administrators to ensure service needs are met and serve as subject matter expert. Addressesconcernsorneeds of assigned divisions and departments.

• Identifies training needs and develops and delivers training materials to meet those needs in a variety of formats, including individualtrainingsand group sessions. Develop, manage, and deliver university-wide…