Director, Projects

Position: Director, Sponsored Projects
Position Title:

Director, Sponsored Projects

Department:
Office of Sponsored Projects

Advertised Pay:
Mid $90,000's

Campus

Location:

Washburn University

Final date to receive applications:
Application review will begin as applications are received and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants can be assured of full consideration if submitted by June 1, 2026.

Position Summary:

This position oversees and coordinates the internal review and approval process for all grant submissions and serves as Washburn's authorized final submitter. The role is primarily focused on pre-award activities, while also supporting post-award functions managed by the Business Finance Office. In addition, the position develops and implements policies and procedures to ensure compliance with sponsored award regulations. Responsibilities also include providing support and collaborating with key stakeholders involved in grant implementation and success, including Principal Investigators (PIs), the Finance and Accounting Offices, General Counsel, and the Office of the Provost.

About Washburn University:
Washburn University is a teaching-focused, student-centered, public institution located in the metropolitan setting of Topeka that has earned national recognition for its high-impact programs for first-generation students. Washburn has a student body of just over 7,000 students, a significant and growing number of whom are first-generation and Pell-Grant eligible. The University has created educational pathways for all students to be successful and achieve their educational goals.

Washburn is dedicated to recruiting and retaining a dynamic faculty, staff, and student body and cultivating a robust learning and working environment and curriculum. We employ more than one thousand faculty and staff on our campuses throughout Topeka and strive to offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, and a supportive culture and a healthy work/life balance. Washburn seeks to create an environment that reflects our core values for creating positive IMPACT: inclusion, modernization, partnership, achievement, community and transformation.

In 2024, Washburn was recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to Great Colleges to Work For program.

Essential Functions:

PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION (PRE-AWARD)

* Performs and oversees grant pre-award and non-fiscal management procedures.

* Develops and maintains a database of external grant proposal submissions and awards to provide a wide variety of informational reports.

* Works closely with the Finance Office (and other appropriate offices) to coordinate internal grant proposal approval activities and to ensure standardized grant administration activities for funded programs.

* Works with Washburn departments and personnel to foster grant interests and ideas, and promote faculty/staff involvement with grant activities and proposal development.

* Coordinates grant submissions from departments at Washburn, ensuring timely communication among all parties, and assures university policies and approval protocols are followed diligently by grant partners.

* Logs and updates information on projects and proposals, grant awards, funding opportunities, and faculty/staff research and professional interests to develop and maintain awareness of current grant activity, as well as potential funding needs for reference and reporting purposes, as information is needed at all stages of grant proposal and management.

* Conducts research and evaluates information on external funding sources to identify grant opportunities that support Washburn's goals.

* Advises Washburn faculty, staff, and administrators to evaluate identified grant opportunities and ensure that such projects are consistent and compliant with the Washburn mission and priorities.

* Advises Washburn faculty, staff, and administrators of appropriate processes and procedures to ensure that grant applications are consistent with funding agency guidelines and expectations, clarifying details and verifying funding agency needs and expectations as necessary.

* Edits grant applications to ensure information is clear, complete, and appropriate for the grant; assembles and provides information for inclusion in application packets; and submits or approves submission of electronic applications.

* Consults with applicable Washburn and external review boards to ensure compliance with federal regulations and University requirements when human or animal subjects are to be involved in grant programs.

* Develops, reviews, and employs standardized reporting, budgeting, and operational formats and procedures to be used as a basis for grant application, management, and reporting activities by grant recipients at Washburn, in conjunction with the Sponsored Projects Accountant and other stakeholders.

* Serves as reviewer/editor on selected grant or sponsored project applications.

* Tracks proposal status and keeps partners and other stakeholders…