Assistant Director, Grants and Administration

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary:
  Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard
  
  Work Schedule:
• Building:
  Pupin
• Salary Range: $100,000 - $115,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Reporting to the Director of Academic Administration and Finance (DAAF), the Assistant Director plays a central role in supporting the Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory (CAL) and the Department of Astronomy through comprehensive grants and financial administration. Working closely with faculty, staff, and central administrative offices, the Assistant Director ensures smooth and compliant proposal management and assists with the administration and operations of CAL's wide portfolio of astrophysics research grants.

This role is ideal for an individual with strong organizational and communication skills who thrives in a fast-paced, team-based academic setting and is committed to supporting cutting-edge research in astrophysics.

This position is critical for ensuring the timely and accurate submission of grant proposals, maintaining compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements, and supporting principal investigators in advancing CAL's world-class research. The incumbent oversees a broad portfolio of pre-award activities—including proposal development, budget preparation, submission coordination — and post-award activities, including compliance monitoring, financial and effort reporting, and award lifecycle management. Additionally, the incumbent assists with coordinating related grant-funded appointments essential to research operations.

These include onboarding and payroll for postdoctoral researchers, students, and staff, recruitment coordination, and visa support.

The Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory is a thriving hub for world-class astrophysics research and a vital link between the Physics and Astronomy Departments. CAL functions as a collaborative research space and an administrative center supporting large-scale experimental projects while easing operational burdens for researchers. CAL's success rests on focusing on diverse research areas, including gravitational waves, dark matter, cosmic structure formation, galaxy and black hole evolution, star formation, gas and element distribution, exoplanet and habitability studies, and astrochemistry.

• Provide Principal Investigators (Pls) with pre-award financial administration support.
• Serve as a liaison between the Pls and the Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA). Initiate proposals in SPA's internal review system, RASCAL, as well as through the submission portals of various agencies.
• Proactively research, identify, and communicate funding opportunities to Principal Investigators to support ongoing and future research initiatives.
• Provide support and review for Pls during the development and finalization of proposal budgets, current and pending support forms, and other submission materials.
• Review notices of award, agreements, contracts, and MOUs to ensure they align with the proposal scope, mission, and university policies.

• Oversee aspects of the award lifecycle, including project setup, budget monitoring, progress and effort reporting, no-cost extensions, carryovers, and closeouts.
• Support Principal Investigators in preparation and submission of annual and final project reports.
• Maintain accurate financial data in…