Assistant Vice President of Sponsored Programs

Vermont State Colleges System•Castleton, VT

22h

About The Position

The Assistant Vice President of Sponsored Programs serves as a key member of business operations leadership and grows the university’s external funding portfolio. The position pursues grants and oversees sponsored programs in alignment with the university’s mission and strategic plan. It identifies funding sources; oversees proposal development and administration, sponsored program agreements, and contract negotiations with external agencies; and manages assigned administrative functions and projects within business operations, ensuring effective coordination, implementation, and follow-through. The role provides leadership, innovation, vision, and accountability for the Office of Sponsored Programs, including its records, policies, processes, operations, and services. It leads a university-wide public and private grants administration program, supports investigators and project teams, oversees contracts and compliance, participates in institutional and system-level committees, and develops staff. The position also leads or coordinates special projects and administrative initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
At least five years of related work experience in higher education administration, sponsored program administration, grants management, or a related field.
At least two years working in a large and complex organization with a grant portfolio exceeding $10 million annually.
Experience understanding Department of Education (DOE), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation, or Economic Development Administration (EDA) requirements.
Track record of office leadership in an institution of higher education.
Knowledge of trends, issues, and accepted practices relevant to the position.
Knowledge of complex regulatory statutes related to government grants and contracts.
Strong understanding of best practices in sponsored programs.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
Demonstrated success in leading, planning, and implementing change, and adapting to change.
Fluency in understanding and effective use of information technology.
Proven strong focus on the student experience and student success.

Responsibilities

Oversee the policies, processes, and operations of the Office of Sponsored Programs, including records, policies, and services that support institutional sponsored programs.
Design, lead, and oversee a university-wide public and private grants administration program aligned with institutional needs, priorities, and faculty and staff competencies.
Research and interpret funding opportunities and requests for proposals from government agencies and foundations, evaluate their appropriateness, and recommend how the university should respond.
Review and update information on changes in federal regulations, agency requirements, and funded-award administration procedures.
Provide oversight, staff development, and support for grant and sponsored program activities, including contract and subcontract preparation, negotiation, execution, administration, and compliance.
Coordinate contract and agreement processes from initiation through execution and ongoing compliance with appropriate university offices and stakeholders.
Confer regularly with the system-wide office of sponsored projects compliance.
Serve on institutional and system-level external-funding committees, including the Institutional Review Board, Federal Relations Team, Conflict of Interest Committee, and Research Services Council.
Provide oversight for the integrity and accuracy of university sponsored programs.
Provide strategic input and recommendations for technology applications that improve services for project investigators, administrators, faculty, and staff.
Work collaboratively with principal investigators and project teams on sponsored project planning, coordination, monitoring, reporting, compliance, and resolution of administrative issues.
Lead or coordinate special projects and assigned administrative initiatives, identify needs, develop solutions, coordinate stakeholders, and ensure timely completion.
Supervise, manage, evaluate, and develop office staff.
Hire employees, schedule work hours, grant time off, evaluate performance, develop, coach and counsel employees, take disciplinary actions, and recommend handling of employee grievances and complaints.
Perform other related duties as assigned.