Director, Federal and Non-federal Sponsored Projects

University of California, Irvine•Irvine, CA

2d•Remote

About The Position

Sponsored Projects Administration is dedicated to providing excellent service to the contract and grant community. Sponsored Projects staff act as UCI's institutional officials in the review and submission of proposals to extramural sponsors for research, training and public service projects. Other institutional responsibilities include: negotiating and accepting awards on behalf of The Regents; drafting, negotiating and executing subcontracts; ensuring institutional compliance with Federal and State regulations, sponsor policy and University policy; representing the campus and The Regents when interacting with sponsors; coordinating pre-award and post-award actions that require either institutional or sponsor prior approval; and resolving problems related to sponsored projects. This position serves as a community-facing leader within Sponsored Projects Administration, engaging faculty, administrators, and external stakeholders through presentations, direct interactions, and representation at campus-wide, UC systemwide, and national research administration meetings and committees. As a key member of the Research Administration Management Team, the incumbent is responsible for short- and long-range planning for the Contract and Grant team, implementing strategic plans, and aligning operational priorities with Sponsored Projects Management to ensure effective and consistent service delivery. The role serves as the lead for complex sponsored project agreement negotiations involving federal, state, nonprofit, industry, and foreign sponsors, requiring in-depth knowledge of UC policy and demonstrated expertise in negotiating intellectual property, data use, confidentiality, publication rights, indemnification, and other compliance-related provisions. The incumbent partners with the Senior Director to continuously evaluate workload, procedures, and negotiation strategies to drive operational efficiency and effectiveness, and advises senior campus leadership — including Associate Vice Chancellors and the Vice Chancellor for Research — on policy impacts, compliance concerns, and operational improvements. This position provides oversight of proposal review, award administration, agreement negotiation and acceptance, clinical trial agreements, and subaward activities, ensuring all terms protect University interests while balancing sponsor and subrecipient requirements. The incumbent manages Contract and Grant staff through subordinate supervisors, overseeing recruitment, hiring, onboarding, performance management, workload distribution, and professional development to build and sustain a high-performing team. The role establishes team goals, workload metrics, productivity measures, and service standards, and continuously assesses staffing capacity and implements process improvements in response to growth and complexity in sponsored projects activity. As the primary institutional expert on sponsored projects policy, the incumbent analyzes federal, state, sponsor, UC, and UCI regulations, develops and maintains internal policies and procedures, and provides guidance to faculty, department chairs, deans, and other campus officials on complex compliance matters. The position exercises delegated authority on behalf of The Regents to review, approve, and execute sponsored project agreements, contracts, grants, and subawards, serving as an authorized institutional signatory for proposal submissions and award acceptance activities. Additionally, the incumbent develops and delivers training programs, workshops, and professional development initiatives for Contract and Grant staff and the broader campus community, addressing emerging issues in research administration and ensuring ongoing subject matter expertise across the team.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to negotiate mutually beneficial agreements.
Knowledge of industry and grant funding best practices and procedures.
Demonstrated ability to work independently; excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
Service orientation, strong management skills, leadership, sound judgment and decision making, critical thinking and creative problem solving.
Demonstrated skills using common desktop / web applications; understanding of research enterprise databases.
Ability to communicate clearly verbally and in writing to multiple constituencies.
Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
10+ years of related experience
Must be able to provide proof of work authorization

Nice To Haves

In-depth knowledge of the organization's operational, personnel, and financial transactions and systems related to administration of contracts and grants.

Responsibilities

Serve as a community-facing leader within Sponsored Projects Administration, engaging faculty, administrators, and external stakeholders.
Lead short- and long-range planning for the Contract and Grant team, implementing strategic plans.
Align operational priorities with Sponsored Projects Management for effective and consistent service delivery.
Lead complex sponsored project agreement negotiations involving various sponsors.
Negotiate intellectual property, data use, confidentiality, publication rights, indemnification, and other compliance-related provisions.
Partner with the Senior Director to evaluate workload, procedures, and negotiation strategies.
Advise senior campus leadership on policy impacts, compliance concerns, and operational improvements.
Provide oversight of proposal review, award administration, agreement negotiation and acceptance, clinical trial agreements, and subaward activities.
Manage Contract and Grant staff through subordinate supervisors, overseeing recruitment, hiring, onboarding, performance management, workload distribution, and professional development.
Establish team goals, workload metrics, productivity measures, and service standards.
Assess staffing capacity and implement process improvements.
Analyze federal, state, sponsor, UC, and UCI regulations.
Develop and maintain internal policies and procedures.
Provide guidance to faculty, department chairs, deans, and other campus officials on complex compliance matters.
Exercise delegated authority to review, approve, and execute sponsored project agreements, contracts, grants, and subawards.
Serve as an authorized institutional signatory for proposal submissions and award acceptance activities.
Develop and deliver training programs, workshops, and professional development initiatives for staff and the campus community.