Director, DISC Office Post Award

As the leader of the Department, Institute, School & Centers (DISC) Post-Award Office within the Office of Research Administration (ORA), the Director is responsible for University-wide leadership and day-to-day management of department-level post-award research administration services across all Brandeis schools, divisions, departments, centers, institutes, President and Provost units. The Director leads an integrated post-award organization supporting principal investigators and academic units throughout the sponsored project lifecycle, from award activation through financial management, forecasting, reporting, and closeout.

The Director establishes the service model, operational standards, business processes, systems, and strategic direction for DISC Post-Award and ensures consistent, high-quality support across the University. The Director has primary responsibility for governance, optimization, and ongoing administration of the University's BA Priority Software platform for sponsored-project financial management, including common workflows, data standards, reporting practices, training, and continuous improvement. The Director serves as the principal ORA liaison for department-level post-award administration and leads coordination across academic units and central administrative offices to resolve complex operational issues and strengthen the University's research administration infrastructure.

The Director provides leadership and oversight for DISC Post-Award staff, with responsibility for portfolio allocation, training, performance management, professional development, quality assurance, and continuous improvement. Working with the Associate Provost for Research Administration and ORA leadership, the Director develops and implements post-award policies, procedures, controls, and institutional practices. The Director works closely with the Institutional Pre-Award Office, Provost’s Finance Team, Faculty Affairs, Sponsored Programs Accounting, Payroll, Human Resources, Procurement, academic deans and administrators, department chairs, center and institute leadership, and other University partners to create an integrated, service-oriented approach to sponsored programs administration to support Brandeis’ core mission as a research institution.

The salary range for the position is $139.6k-$143k.

Maintains in-depth and expansive knowledge of sponsor regulations and requirements and stays fully abreast of proposed changes in federal and state regulations and laws affecting sponsored programs, including OMB Uniform Guidance, Federal Acquisition Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements, and state and institutional policies and reporting requirements, to ensure continued compliance. Leads the development, implementation, and interpretation of University-wide post-award administrative policies, procedures, standards, and business practices in coordination with the Associate Provost for Research Administration, Sponsored Programs Accounting, and other University offices.

Develops communications, guidance, and training to ensure consistent interpretation and application across academic and administrative units. Provides strategic and operational leadership for the BA Priority Software platform supporting sponsored-project financial administration. Establishes system governance, standardized workflows, data definitions, reporting practices, user roles, controls, training, and continuous improvement priorities; serves as the primary functional liaison among DISC Post-Award, academic units, Finance, data/technology partners, and the software vendor or implementation partners.

Leads the design and continuous improvement of post-award tools, systems, forms, templates, forecasting models, dashboards, and other resources that support effective sponsored-project management, institutional consistency, reduced administrative burden, data quality, and timely decision-making. Fosters internal collaborations and builds effective relationships with key Brandeis stakeholders to advance strategic initiatives and build alignment around post-award issues affecting the research mission. Serves as the primary ORA liaison for department-level post-award administration across the University and collaborates with central offices on crosscutting issues involving financial management, personnel, procurement, reporting, compliance, and…