Director of Grants and Contracts - Department of Psychiatry

Mount Sinai Health System•New York, NY

11h•$127,044 - $190,565

About The Position

The Director of Grants and Contracts for the Department of Psychiatry provides strategic and operational leadership for research administration across a complex, multidisciplinary portfolio of basic, translational, and clinical research. Reporting to the Vice Chair for Administration and working closely with the Chair and Vice Chair for Research, the Director oversees the infrastructure, processes, resources, and personnel that support the Department’s research enterprise. The Director is a strategic partner to departmental and institutional leadership, positioning the research enterprise for growth while supporting financial stewardship, regulatory compliance, operational effectiveness, and high-quality faculty service. The position leads sponsored research administration, research finance and portfolio management, investigator support, compliance and risk management, process improvement, and development of research administration staff.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in health care finance or administration.
Experience in strategic planning and execution, policy formulation, financial plan development, resource management, and leading successful teams.
Core competencies include strategic leadership and organizational vision; research administration expertise; financial acumen and business judgment; data-driven decision making; operational excellence and process improvement; regulatory and compliance knowledge; faculty partnership and customer service; relationship management and collaboration; change management; team leadership and talent development; executive communication; and effectiveness in a complex matrixed academic medical center.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree, preferably in healthcare administration or health science; applicable leadership experience and education may be considered.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a research administration strategy aligned with the Department’s academic, clinical, and research priorities.
Advise departmental leadership on research administration, research finance, sponsored programs, compliance, infrastructure, and operational strategy.
Partner with departmental and institutional leaders to identify opportunities and address barriers to research growth.
Develop policies, procedures, organizational structures, and scalable infrastructure that support an efficient and sustainable research enterprise.
Represent the Department on institutional committees and initiatives related to research administration and sponsored research.
Oversee pre-award and post-award research administration, including proposal development and submission, award setup, subawards, modifications, and closeout.
Set standards and service expectations for grant administration and monitor performance.
Partner with institutional sponsored research offices to support timely, compliant submission and management of sponsored projects.
Improve proposal development capabilities and develop strategies to increase external research funding and competitiveness.
Oversee the Department’s sponsored and non-sponsored research financial portfolio.
Monitor research revenues, expenditures, projections, commitments, financial performance, grant balances, effort commitments, salary support, cost sharing, subawards, and indirect cost recovery.
Establish financial reporting and forecasting mechanisms and develop plans to address financial risks and opportunities.
Support faculty and leadership in developing sustainable research programs and understanding the financial implications of research activity.
Create a high-quality research administration model that improves the submission pipeline and supports research growth.
Promote shared accountability and proactive engagement between investigators and research administrators; serve as an escalation point for complex issues.
Develop resources, tools, training, and educational programs to help faculty understand research administration requirements and opportunities.
Support investigators in navigating institutional policies, sponsor requirements, and regulatory obligations.
Ensure research administration practices comply with applicable federal, state, institutional, and sponsor requirements.
Partner with compliance, legal, research integrity, IRB, institutional research administration, and other offices on regulatory and operational issues.
Develop and maintain internal controls for sponsored research and research finances; monitor emerging requirements and coordinate departmental responses to audits and compliance reviews.
Evaluate research administration infrastructure and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, and scalability.
Establish performance indicators and dashboards, and use data and analytics to identify trends, bottlenecks, resource needs, and improvement opportunities.
Lead process redesign and technology implementation; promote automation, standardization, and effective use of institutional research systems and technology.
Lead, develop, and oversee departmental research administration staff and applicable matrixed or shared resources.
Assess organizational structure, staffing, roles, and capabilities to align with the research portfolio and strategic priorities.
Set performance expectations and provide professional development opportunities and career pathways for staff.
Foster accountability, collaboration, customer service, continuous improvement, innovation, and effective partnerships with research administration teams.