Associate Director, Post-Award Research Support

A strong internal candidate has been identified.

Case Western Reserve University is committed to providing a transparent estimate of the salary range available for this position at the time of its posting. The salary range is between $65,779 and $83,210 depending on qualifications, experience, department budgets, and industry data.

Employees receive more than just a paycheck. University employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare, retirement plans, tuition assistance, paid time off, and a winter recess.

The Associate Director of Post-Award Research Support provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all post-award services within the Case School of Engineering's central research administration office. This role ensures that faculty and departmental administrators receive consistent, expert guidance throughout award setup, financial management, compliance monitoring, reporting, and closeout. By strengthening centralized processes, the Associate Director promotes institutional risk mitigation, supports sound financial stewardship, ensures adherence to sponsor and federal regulations, and enables investigators to focus on advancing their research.

Robust central coordination also improves efficiency, reduces administrative burden, enhances audit readiness, and safeguards the school's reputation and long-term competitiveness in securing external funding.

• Lead and manage all post-award research administration services for the Case School of Engineering, providing expert guidance on award setup, sound financial management, timely reporting, and full compliance with sponsor, federal, and university requirements. Partner with the faculty, department administrators, and central university offices to interpret complex award terms, resolve financial or compliance issues, and provide clear, expert guidance that supports responsible stewardship of sponsored funds.
  
  Monitor regulatory, policy, and sponsor changes and translate them into clear guidance, updated procedures, and training for school-level stakeholders to maintain compliance and support informed decision-making. (50%)
• Supervise and develop post-award staff, fostering a culture of professionalism, continuous learning, and operational excellence, ensuring workload balance, training, and performance standards that support reliable and equitable service delivery. Develop and implement best practices that reduce administrative burden, mitigate institutional risk, and support long-term scalability, including tracking mechanisms, schedules, and templates. Collaborate with the Associate Director, Pre Award Research Support to strengthen centralized research administration systems and processes, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and efficiency across departments.
  
  (40%)
• Review responses to external audit requests. Resolve administrative issues with industrial partners and other sponsoring agencies. Facilitate resolving any legal or contract issues during the course of an award. Act as liaison to other research and administrative units involved in research administration. Expedite Office of Research and Technology Management sub-award reviews and approvals. Provide coverage if the associate director pre award is out.
  
  (8%)

Perform other duties as assigned. (2%)

Department:
Daily contact with department chairs, faculty and department administrators/ grant managers. Daily contact with staff in Finance & Administration.

University:
Regular contact with staff in various central administration offices such as Research Administration, Purchasing, Controller's Office to provide and request information.

External:
Regular contact with outside funding agencies and organizations to discuss or deal with administrative and financial issues relating to current or potential funded projects.

Students:
May have contact with students.

Direct supervision of grant managers (1 and maybe growing) in the central office. All grant administrators in the CSE will have a dotted line to this position for purposes of training and consistency.

Experience:

8 or more years of relevant experience. Grants management or research administration experience preferred. Experience in a university is highly preferred.

Education:

Bachelor's degree required;
Master's degree preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to represent the research support office as a credible entity throughout the organization, establishing its reputation for reliability and expertise in research administration.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective relationships, service-oriented mindset, and effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills, strong problem-solving abilities, customer service orientation, strategic thinking, and attention to detail ensuring high accuracy.
• Expertise in managing complex financial accounts…