Director, Programs Administration Pre-Award

Sponsored Programs Administration This position offers flexibility to work fully on campus, hybrid, or remotely; however, the employee must live within a reasonable commuting distance of campus. Occasional in-person attendance is required for meetings, events, or other onsite needs with short notice.

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

The University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign is a public land‑grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system and was founded in 1867. The university serves the people of Illinois through a shared commitment to excellence in teaching, research, public engagement, economic development and health care. Faculty, staff and students share their knowledge, expertise and resources with residents in every corner of the state through public service and outreach programs.

Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) is a central service unit under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, dedicated to supporting the University’s research enterprise throughout the full lifecycle of externally sponsored projects. SPA assists faculty and research teams from the earliest stages of proposal review and submission through award negotiation, setup, administration, and final closeout. The unit ensures compliance with university policies and sponsor requirements, providing expert guidance that enables researchers to navigate complex funding environments and focus on advancing their work.

SPA is organized into pre‑award and post‑award sections, working collaboratively to deliver comprehensive support from proposal to project completion.

Provide strategic and operational leadership for Pre‑Award sponsored programs administration at the University of Illinois, Urbana‑Champaign. Direct professional staff supporting externally funded research and related activities; ensuring compliance with federal, state, university, and sponsor requirements. Oversee all Pre‑Award operations throughout the sponsored project lifecycle, foster a culture of innovation and excellence and provide advisory support to the campus research community to advance the institution's research mission.

• Work in close collaboration with the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (AVCRI) and the Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) Directors to manage the institutional sponsored portfolio.
• Establish and maintain Pre‑Award standard operating procedures for processing and records management, proposal submission, award negotiation, and subaward issuance to ensure efficient service delivery.
• Interpret, develop, and implement policies and procedures related to Pre‑Award administration, ensuring compliance with federal and state laws, sponsor regulations and University requirements. Monitor policy changes from sponsoring agencies, assess impacts to SPA Pre‑Award and lead implementation efforts. Collaborate with the AVCRI to identify policy gaps, recommend improvements and/or changes to align with SPA’s mission.
• Supervise SPA Pre‑Award Associate Directors and/or Assistant Directors and oversee their management of operational teams. Conduct performance appraisals, approve leave, monitor workloads and address disciplinary matters. Support career development and provide guidance for effective team leadership.
• Oversee electronic research systems supporting Pre‑Award functions. Evaluate administrative processes to identify opportunities for improvement, such as the integration of artificial intelligence, to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. Collaborate with SPA Directors to implement integrated automated workflows across the sponsored project lifecycle. Lead Pre‑Award data collection, interpretation and analysis to improve quality, inform strategic decisions and advance SPA and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (OVCRI) goals.
• Develop and implement Pre‑Award focused training and outreach efforts for the institutional research community. Support Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (SPaRC) activities…