Director, Grants & Contracts

Urban Institute•The Urban Institute (DC), DC

6d•$116,302 - $207,050

About The Position

The Urban Institute’s Grants and Contracts (GC) Department seeks an experienced Director to lead the Prime Awards team and oversee the management of all incoming funder awards. This position offers an exciting opportunity for a strategic and innovative leader with deep expertise in contract negotiation, risk management, business partnership, contracting strategy, and regulatory compliance. The ideal candidate will bring a solutions-oriented mindset and a demonstrated ability to develop practical, compliant approaches to complex challenges while helping the Institution adapt to an evolving funding, regulatory, and technology landscape. This role is not simply focused on maintaining existing processes; it is an opportunity to help shape the future of operations for the Prime Awards team at Urban. The Director will drive organizational change, modernize practices, identify opportunities for continuous improvement, and develop new approaches that support the Institution’s long-term success. As research funding, regulatory requirements, and technologies—including AI—continue to evolve, the Director will play a key role in positioning the Prime Awards team to meet emerging challenges and opportunities. Serving as a strategic partner to research divisions and operational departments, the Director translates Institutional priorities into effective grants and contracts strategies that support growth, innovation, and compliant project delivery. The Director provides risk-informed guidance that balances opportunity and compliance, enabling sound decision-making across a complex funding environment, and promotes a collaborative, advisory, and customer-focused approach to partnership across the organization. The Director oversees the full lifecycle of grants and contracts administration—from opportunity identification and proposal development through award negotiation, implementation, and closeout—while driving process improvements that enhance efficiency, consistency, and mission delivery. The portfolio includes a diverse range of funders and award types, including federal, state, and local governments, foundations, and private-sector entities. Working closely with senior leadership, the Director advances institutional priorities and collaborates with other GC teams, including Subawards, Purchasing, and Pricing/Budget Review, to ensure integrated and consistent service delivery. The Director leads a team of at least five staff members, providing strategic vision, guiding complex cross-functional decisions, and ensuring the high-quality execution of pre-award and post-award activities. As a hands-on leader, the Director sets clear priorities, fosters a high-performing and collaborative team culture, and strengthens GC’s role as a trusted enterprise-wide partner.

Requirements

Demonstrated success leading teams and delivering organizational priorities in complex, fast-changing environments.
Proven ability to drive organizational change, improve business processes, and develop innovative, compliant solutions.
Strong people leadership experience, including setting direction, developing talent, fostering accountability, and building high-performing teams.
Ability to serve as a trusted advisor, providing risk-informed guidance that supports sound decision-making and institutional objectives.
Experience establishing enterprise-wide service standards and driving consistent, customer-focused service delivery.
Demonstrated use of performance metrics and data to improve team effectiveness, operational efficiency, and outcomes.
Proven ability to build strong cross-functional partnerships and lead through regulatory, funding, and technology changes.
Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree, MBA, JD, or other advanced degree preferred.
Minimum of 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in grants and contracts administration, including experience in a leadership role overseeing pre-award and post-award functions.
Extensive knowledge of federal, state, local, and private funding regulations and requirements, including the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Uniform Guidance, contract compliance, risk management, and audit requirements.
Demonstrated experience negotiating and administering a diverse portfolio of grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other funding instruments across government, foundation, university, and private-sector funders.
Proven ability to lead complex negotiations, assess and mitigate risk, and develop compliant solutions that support organizational and business objectives.
Experience overseeing the full award lifecycle, including opportunity assessment, proposal development, budgeting and pricing, negotiation, award administration, modifications, compliance monitoring, and closeout.
Demonstrated success developing and implementing policies, standard operating procedures, service standards, and process improvements that enhance operational effectiveness, consistency, and customer service.
Strong strategic planning, problem-solving, and change management skills, with the ability to lead teams through evolving funding, regulatory, and technology environments.
Experience building collaborative partnerships and effectively advising senior leaders and stakeholders on grants and contracts strategy, risk, and compliance matters.
Ability to interpret and review complex budgets, pricing proposals, financial analyses, and cost applications.
Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Proficiency with grants and contracts management systems, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, workflow tools, and Microsoft Office applications.

Nice To Haves

Professional certification in contract management, grants management, research administration, or a related field (e.g., CPCM, CFCM, CGMS, CRA, or CFRA) preferred.
Experience working in a nonprofit research organization, higher education institution, think tank, or other mission-driven organization preferred.

Responsibilities

Ensure all proposals and signed agreements are consistent with Urban’s funding principles, practices and rules of engagement, as well as compliant with funder regulations.
Actively oversee the GC Prime Awards team participation in the proposal process by reviewing requests for proposals, providing risk assessments and translating proposal requirements into sound contracting strategies and advice.
Facilitate solutions that balance compliance with business needs to contract and grant negotiations, requests for information, proposal processes, teaming arrangements, uniform guidance and FAR interpretations, disputes, and special circumstances.
Work closely with GC Subaward, GC Purchasing and GC Pricing/Budget Review team leaders to facilitate internal GC department partnership, collaboration and integration.
Strengthen internal coordination and handoffs between operational departments across the award lifecycle to improve efficiency, reduce silos, and enhance overall service delivery.
Serve as main point of contact and trusted partner to other GC team leaders, operational department leaders and research division leaders concerning specific grant/contract questions, issues, and risk mitigation strategies related to prime awards.
Collaborate with Urban’s research divisions and operational departments to build internal infrastructure, process and culture that ensures GC is proactively engaged early in the business development cycle to shape successful outcomes and reduce last-minute risk.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration, ensuring team members are equipped to manage complex grants/contracts and adapt to evolving federal, state and local and foundation funder requirements.
Engage agency contracting, grant-making and procurement executive counterparts to develop and cultivate relationships.
Develop and implement strategies for staff growth and professional development, including succession planning, mentoring, and training programs to build a high-performing grants and contracts team.
Proactively manage deadlines and fairly allocate workload across the Prime Awards team.
Ensure appropriate coverage in times of staffing shortages and assess ongoing staff capacity needs.
Provide tailored training to new and existing GC team members, as well as Urban research and management/operational staff, regarding grants/contracts management and compliance.
Perform quality assurance reviews and verify accuracy of work products for the GC Prime Awards team.
Engage with new and existing business intelligence and enterprise-wide systems and tools to understand Urban’s current funding pipeline, business model and GC’s role in sustaining and growing Urban’s work.

Benefits

Generous paid time off
Nine federal holidays
Medical (including prescription) insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Transit benefits
403(b) retirement plan participation immediately
Generous employer contribution to 403(b) after six months of service and 500 hours, with immediate vesting
Health advocate
Personal finance coaching
Employee Assistance Program
Educational assistance for undergraduate and graduate degree programs