Assistant Director, Office of Sponsored Programs - Financial Administration

James Madison University•Harrisonburg, VA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director for Sponsored Programs Financial Administration provides leadership, oversight, and operational management of post-award services supporting the institution’s research and sponsored projects portfolio. This role ensures compliant financial management, effective award monitoring, compliant spending on sub-awards, timely reporting, and exceptional service to faculty and project teams. With a customer service focus, support 'post award' analysis and monitoring functions for sponsored projects maintaining compliance with university, federal, state regulations in accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accounts generally accepted accounting policies and procedures. Maintain high level of customer satisfaction acknowledging that Principal Investigators rarely embrace compliance, administrative, or accounting issues.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting, public administration, or related field or equivalent work experience.
Experience in research administration or sponsored programs, with a strong focus on post-award management.
Demonstrated knowledge of federal regulations governing sponsored projects (e.g., Uniform Guidance, federal agency guidelines).
Experience with grant management systems, financial reporting, and audit processes.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
Highly developed time-management, problem resolution, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
Proficiency in multi-tasking and prioritizing assignments in a deadline driven environment.
Capability to work independently or as part of a team.

Nice To Haves

Supervisory experience in research administration setting.
Experience in higher education or a large research organization.

Responsibilities

Monitor/Approve payments for sub-recipients as budgeted in sponsored programs.
Review and approve financial transactions as approved for payments to sub-recipients and adjust transactions that require higher-level scrutiny.
Work with JMU’s PIs to gain approval to pay submitted invoices.
Work with Finance to gain approval for pre-payments to sub-awardees as approved by external sponsors.
Work with sub-recipients to audit submitted invoices for compliance with the submitted budget and the written budget justification.
Provide guidance to principal investigators, research administrators, and departmental staff on post-award requirements and best practices.
Represent the office in cross-campus meetings, committees, and working groups.
Act as a liaison to sponsors on post-award issues, financial matters, and award modifications.
Ensure compliance with federal regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance), sponsor requirements, institutional policies, and audit standards.
Oversee the preparation and submission of financial reports, invoices, drawdowns, and related documentation.
Oversee the financial and administrative management of sponsored awards, including budget setup, expense monitoring, and cost allocations.
Serve as an institutional resource for interpreting sponsor terms, allowable costs, and compliance requirements.
Monitor award spending and facilitate proactive communication with investigators and departments regarding financial status.
Partner with other internal units to ensure accurate and timely transactions and reconciliations.
Supervise, mentor, and evaluate post-award staff, promoting a collaborative, customer-focused, and compliance-driven work environment.
Provide training, guidance, and professional development opportunities to staff and campus stakeholders.
Assist the Director with strategic planning, workflow optimization, and operational improvements for post-award services.
Contribute to the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and automated tools to enhance efficiency and accuracy in post-award administration.
Identify and resolve process bottlenecks, compliance risks, and training needs.
Support system upgrades, testing, data integrity reviews, and workflow enhancements in research administration systems (e.g., ERP, grants management tools).