Assistant Director of Pre-Award; Awards

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What We Offer

• Health & Wellness:
  Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness:
  Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match
• Professional Development:
  Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks:
  Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

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The Assistant Director, Pre-Award leads Howard University's outgoing subaward function within the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO), Pre-Award. The role provides direct staff supervision and technical and operational oversight for subrecipient classification, proposal- and award-stage subrecipient documentation, pre-issuance risk assessment, subaward drafting and negotiation, execution and amendment of outgoing subawards, applicable federal transparency reporting, and documented handoff to Post-Award/Compliance and other downstream functions.

The position reports to the Senior Director, Sponsored Programs Office, Pre‑Award, and is accountable for timely, accurate, policy‑aligned, and audit‑ready administration of the outgoing awards portfolio.

Directly supervises staff assigned to the outgoing awards/subaward function. Responsibilities include workload assignment and balancing, technical review, coaching and cross‑training, performance management, coverage planning, quality assurance, and escalation of capacity or performance concerns. The Assistant Director may also provide functional direction to other staff supporting outgoing award activities.

This position reports directly to the Senior Director, Sponsored Programs Office (SPO), Pre‑Award and serves as the first‑line manager and senior technical lead for the outgoing awards function. The role is focused primarily on outgoing subawards issued under federal, federal flow‑through, state, local, nonprofit, foundation, industry, and other sponsored programs. The position manages the front‑end subaward lifecycle from intake and classification through due diligence, risk assessment, drafting, negotiation, execution, modification, federal transparency reporting when applicable, and documented transition to the appropriate downstream owner.

The Assistant Director collaborates closely with Pre‑Award colleagues, Post‑Award (including Post‑Award Compliance), the Office of General Counsel, Research Compliance, Finance, Procurement, Accounts Payable, principal investigators, academic departments, and subrecipient organizations. The position is responsible for establishing clean handoffs and clear ownership across the lifecycle. It does not replace responsibilities assigned to principal investigators for programmatic oversight, Post‑Award/Compliance for ongoing subrecipient monitoring, or Finance, Procurement, Accounts Payable, Legal, and other central offices for functions within their respective authority.

The position requires demonstrated fluency in university or comparable sponsored research administration; advanced knowledge of outgoing subawards and pass‑through entity responsibilities; working knowledge of 2 CFR Part 200 and applicable sponsor and federal requirements, including FAR/DFARS provisions when relevant; and disciplined use of research administration and enterprise systems. The incumbent must be able to manage people and a complex portfolio, independently analyze and apply requirements, maintain accurate and audit‑ready records, identify cross‑functional dependencies and control gaps, and elevate issues early with a clear analysis of the risk and recommended path forward.