Director of Proposals

Job posting will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified.

Reassignment Applicants:
Eligible clients should contact their Disability Counselor for assistance.

This position offers a hybrid work arrangement, which includes a combination of onsite and remote work

The Director of Proposals is independently responsible for the strategic leadership, oversight, and operational management of both the General Campus and Health Sciences Proposal Teams, which serve a broad range of academic divisions, schools, departments, programs, centers, and institutes.

The Director manages teams of proposal officers who review, approve, and submit sponsored research proposals and related pre-award actions on behalf of UC San Diego Principal Investigators (PIs). The Director ensures all proposal activity complies with institutional, federal, and state requirements, and that internal workflows-such as the Kuali Proposal Development (PD) system-are effectively managed to support timely and accurate submissions.

The Director also provides work direction to the Health Sciences Proposal Team, overseeing priorities, managing escalations, and ensuring service standards are met. The role involves management of workload distribution, proposal processing systems, and staff performance, with an emphasis on data-driven decision-making and continuous process improvement.

The Director is a key member of the Sponsored Project Office (SPO) leadership team and works in close collaboration with the Assistant Vice Chancellor / Executive Director of SPO, the Director of Sponsored Research Business Systems and Innovation Strategies, and the Senior Director of SPO Award. This includes advising on and executing high-level decisions related to risk management, policy deviations, intellectual property, and institutional priorities in research administration.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure proposal activity meets all regulatory, sponsor, and institutional requirements. Coordinate risk mitigation strategies in collaboration with researchers, department leaders, and senior administrators. Serve as the point of escalation for complex or sensitive proposal issues.

• Manage institutional use and adoption of the Kuali PD system and JIRA Workload Management System, ensuring proposals are routed, reviewed, and submitted in compliance with applicable deadlines and standards. Monitor and improve system workflows, coordinate with business systems staff, and troubleshoot system-related issues affecting proposal submissions.

• Review and discuss exceptions to UC San Diego and UC systemwide indirect cost and administrative policies. Provide policy recommendations to the AVC/Executive Director for further consideration by the appropriate campus or UC Office of the President authorities.

• Provide work direction to the Health Sciences Proposal Team and oversight to the General Campus Proposal Team. Manage hiring, performance evaluations, and professional development. Resolve staffing issues, promote team collaboration, and ensure alignment with SPO's strategic goals.

• Serve as a campus expert on federal and sponsor-specific pre-award policies. Participate in UC system-wide discussions, representing the interests of UC San Diego SPO Pre-Award function. Collaborate with UCOP and other campuses to harmonize practices and policies.

• Lead training and outreach efforts to departments and research units. Utilize proposal metrics and department feedback to inform the development of support services and identify emerging needs. Promote transparency, consistency, and responsiveness in SPO's pre-award services.

• Represent SPO in internal and external audits, providing documentation and defending policy interpretation and implementation. Lead development of corrective actions when necessary and ensure audit findings are addressed.

• Contribute to SPO's strategic planning, setting staffing levels, productivity and benchmarks, and operational priorities, aligned with KPIs. Ensure efficient use of resources, streamline processes, and promote innovation in pre-award service delivery.

• Bachelor's degree in business, public administration, life sciences, economics, engineering, or related field-or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• In-depth knowledge of the organization's operational, personnel, and financial transactions and systems related to administration of contracts and grants. Expert knowledge of federal and sponsor-specific pre-award regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance, FAR, NIH/NSF policy statements) and deep understanding of institutional research policies and their application…