Assistant Director, Finance & Administration

Princeton University•Princeton, NJ

1d•$109,000 - $119,000

About The Position

The Assistant Director for Finance and Administration is a professional staff position in the Office of the Dean for Research (ODFR) central office, reporting to the Senior Associate Director for Finance and Administration. The role primarily supports the Office of Innovation, including the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement and the Innovation and Infrastructure Programs departments. It manages finances and administration for these three offices, including budgets, grants and contracts, corporate affiliate memberships, sponsorships, gift acceptance, reporting, and human resources processes. The Assistant Director collaborates with faculty, University departments and centers, staff, sponsors, donors, and campus partners, and is part of the ODFR central office team providing finance and administration support across multiple departments. The position manages operating budgets and business processes, forecasts expenses, processes requisitions and invoices, oversees Concur, and drafts, reviews, and administers consultant agreements and statements of work in coordination with Procurement. It manages and analyzes grant, proposal, and award data across University systems and prepares reports for senior University leadership, including Trustees, the President, and Cabinet members. Reporting may involve confidential information and legal requests, as well as special reports such as Department of Education Section 117 Foreign Gift and Contract Reports and the NSF Higher Education Research and Development Survey. The Assistant Director manages corporate affiliate membership agreements, research-related industry gifts and gift acceptance, financial reporting, and University corporate sponsorship operations. In collaboration with University partners, the role drafts and reviews agreements and advises on proposal conditions and research agreement terms. It enters proposals into the ERA system, supports post-award grant management, and helps resolve project issues with principal investigators, staff, and sponsors. The role also supports hiring and other human resources processes for the three offices, including job postings, resume review, interviews, onboarding, and offboarding.

Requirements

At least 5 years of relevant work experience.
Strong service orientation and problem-solving abilities.
Effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and external partners.
Ability to work effectively and independently in a fast-moving environment subject to external pressure and frequent interruptions.
Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive information and materials with discretion and within time-sensitive deadlines.
Ability to review large amounts of award data and build comprehensive reports.
High attention to detail and accuracy, and ability to work independently and with other offices.

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of Salesforce.
Knowledge of University systems, including IW, Prime, STRIPES, PeopleSoft, Tableau, and ERA.
Report-writing ability in IW, Salesforce, PeopleSoft, and Tableau.

Responsibilities

Manage operating budgets and business processes for the Office of Innovation, Strategic Partnerships and Engagement, and Innovation and Infrastructure Programs.
Forecast and project expenses; process requisitions and invoices; and oversee Concur.
Draft, review, and administer consultant agreements and statements of work, coordinating reviews with Procurement.
Manage and analyze grant, proposal, and new award data using University systems.
Prepare data analysis and reports for University senior leadership, including Trustees, the President, and Cabinet members.
Respond to confidential reporting needs and legal requests for data and records, and prepare special reports including Department of Education Section 117 reports and the NSF HERD Survey.
Collaborate with the ODFR IT team on reports as needed.
Manage corporate affiliate membership agreements, research-related industry gift acceptance, and related financial reporting.
Work with donors, sponsors, faculty, department staff, and campus partners to draft and review agreements.
Manage operational aspects of University corporate sponsorships.
Advise and assist leadership with interpreting proposal conditions and grant, contract, and other research-related agreement terms and conditions.
Enter proposals into ERA, manage post-award grants, and help resolve project issues in consultation with principal investigators, staff, and sponsors.
Support human resources processes, including job postings, resume review, interviews, hiring, onboarding, and offboarding.