Director of Grants & Sponsored Programs/Grants Specialist IV

Kentucky Community and Technical College System • Cumberland, KY

2d • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as the college’s central coordinating resource for grants development and sponsored program administration across all campuses and divisions. The Director is responsible for identifying funding opportunities aligned with institutional priorities, coordinating proposal development, overseeing post-award administration and compliance, managing institutional grant systems and reporting processes, and supporting principal investigators (PIs) and project directors throughout the lifecycle of grant-funded initiatives.

This position serves all six Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College campuses—Cumberland, Harlan, Knox, Middlesboro, Pineville, and Whitesburg. Travel is required to all six campuses. The designated home campus may be reassessed and adjusted as institutional needs determine.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong leadership, organizational, and relationship-building abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and projects simultaneously.
• Strong attention to detail and institutional compliance.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and campuses.
• Ability to analyze funding opportunities and align them with institutional strategy.
• Ability to lead project teams and coordinate cross-functional initiatives without direct supervision authority.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and grant/project management systems.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in a related fields.
• Experience in higher education, community colleges, government, or nonprofit organizations.
• Experience managing federal, state, and private foundation grants.
• Knowledge of federal grant regulations, Uniform Guidance, and sponsored program compliance requirements.
• Experience developing institutional systems, procedures, or operational workflows.
• Experience working with workforce development, rural initiatives, education partnerships, or economic development projects.
• Ability to occasionally travel throughout the college’s service area and attend occasional evening meetings or events.

Responsibilities

• Research, identify, and evaluate grant opportunities aligned with institutional strategic priorities, workforce development initiatives, student success goals, academic programming, and regional needs.
• Coordinate institutional grant development efforts across all campuses and divisions.
• Compile, write, edit, and submit competitive grant proposals, narratives, budgets, and supporting documentation in accordance with sponsor requirements and deadlines.
• Assist faculty, staff, administrators, and project teams in developing project concepts, measurable outcomes, implementation plans, and budgets.
• Collaborate with college leadership to align external funding opportunities with institutional strategic priorities and emerging regional opportunities.
• Develop and maintain relationships with funding agencies, foundations, government entities, and community partners.
• Coordinate institutional oversight of all grant-funded projects and sponsored programs.
• Monitor grant deliverables, timelines, budgets, compliance requirements, and reporting obligations.
• Maintain centralized systems for grant tracking, award management, reporting calendars, compliance monitoring, and institutional documentation.
• Coordinate grant implementation activities among project directors, finance staff, leadership, human resources, and external partners.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, sponsor, KCTCS, and institutional policies and procedures.
• Prepare or coordinate required programmatic and financial reports, grant modifications, continuations, and closeout documentation.
• Support institutional audits, monitoring visits, compliance reviews, and data requests related to sponsored programs.
• Develop standardized procedures, templates, timelines, and reporting practices to strengthen institutional grants management capacity.
• Serve as the primary administrative liaison between principal investigators/project directors, finance, leadership, and external funders.
• Develop and administer principal investigator onboarding, expectations, and compliance procedures.
• Coordinate PI and project director training related to grant administration, reporting requirements, allowable expenditures, procurement, personnel procedures, branding/publicity requirements, and institutional processes.
• Develop and implement PI agreements, reporting expectations, and grant management workflows to ensure institutional accountability and successful project implementation.
• Coordinate grant kickoff meetings and ongoing project review meetings.
• Monitor project progress and provide technical assistance and intervention support when projects encounter implementation or compliance challenges.
• Develop and implement grant-related policies, procedures, and best practices.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on grants and sponsored programs administration.
• Participate in institutional planning efforts, strategic initiatives, and cross-functional committees as assigned.
• Support collaboration among academic affairs, workforce development, student services, finance, institutional research, advancement, and community partners.
• Coordinate or support institutional grants advisory or project coordination groups as needed.
• Assist with institutional reporting related to grants, sponsored programs, and external funding outcomes.
• Support the communication of grant-funded successes, outcomes, and impact stories in collaboration with the Advancement & Communications team.
• Maintain accurate institutional records related to grants activity, awards, proposals, and compliance documentation.
• Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.

Benefits

• Exceptional health care, vision, and dental coverage for you and your family
• Tuition reimbursement/waiver for you, your spouse, and dependents
• 403(b) retirement plan: a 5% employee contribution receives a 10% employer match
• Vacation/Sick Time
• Work-Life Balance
• 9.5 Paid Holidays
• 2 Weeks Institutional Closing Pay (Last 2 weeks of December) for qualifying positions
• Employee Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director