Director of Sponsored Research and Foundation Relations

Williams College•Williamstown, MA

18h•Hybrid

About The Position

Williams College is seeking a Director of Sponsored Research and Foundation Relations to oversee the Grants Office and support faculty in securing external funding for research and creative work, while broadening the college’s institutional grant funding portfolio. Working with the Grants Office team, the Director oversees the full grants lifecycle, including pre-award assistance, review of faculty grant applications for compliance, competitiveness, and completeness, post-award support, negotiation of award terms and conditions, and issuance of sub-awards. The Director serves as an authorized organizational representative for signing grant agreements and contracts, stays current on federal regulations, and ensures compliance throughout each award. The Director strengthens foundation and corporate support by working with the Dean of Faculty’s office, the Development office, and Senior Staff to identify college priorities, initiatives, and projects suitable for foundation funding. The role also stewards relationships between grantors and college representatives, establishes fundraising goals and solicitation calendars, develops and submits proposals, and prepares reports for institutional funders. This is a full-time, year-round, in-person administrative staff position based on the Williams College campus in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with frequent interaction with faculty and staff across campus. Hybrid arrangements may be available for up to one remote workday per week for employees based in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, or Vermont, following a fully in-person onboarding period. The Director reports to the Dean of the Faculty and works closely with the Office of College Relations, the Provost’s Office, and the Finance Office. The Director directly supervises the Associate Director and Grants Office Coordinator.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
At least 5 years of highly relevant professional experience.
Skill in fundraising techniques, particularly proposal development from conception to submission, and budget development and analysis.
Superior writing and editing skills.
Confidence representing Williams through written and oral communications.
Ability to work within the hierarchical structure of the faculty, respect faculty autonomy as teachers and scholars, and foster commitment to institutional programs and initiatives.
Ability to effectively manage faculty during individual grant application processes while respecting their autonomy.
Familiarity with the goals and traditions of liberal arts education and with the structure and operation of academic institutions.
Ability to discuss and describe issues and topics across a variety of academic disciplines.
Familiarity with Microsoft Office products, Google Suite, web-based databases and documents, budgeting systems, and online application portals such as research.gov and eRA-Commons/ASSIST.

Nice To Haves

Certified Research Administration Certification (CRA).
Master’s degree in Research Administration.

Responsibilities

Oversee pre-award faculty grant support, including identifying funding sources, developing application strategies, and preparing and reviewing applications and budgets.
Ensure that appropriate research compliance infrastructure is in place.
Oversee post-award faculty grant support, including negotiating award terms and conditions, accepting awards, and managing sub-awards.
Serve as an authorized organizational representative for signing grant agreements and contracts, remain current on federal regulations, and ensure compliance throughout the award lifecycle.
Collaborate with the Dean of Faculty’s office, the Development office, and Senior Staff to identify college priorities, initiatives, and projects suitable for foundation funding.
Establish annual fundraising goals and solicitation calendars.
Develop, write, and submit competitive grant proposals supporting college initiatives and resources and responding to funder requests for proposals and college priorities.
Write reports for institutional funders and facilitate communication between grantors and college representatives.
Design and implement outreach activities to foster a strong campus grant culture.
Maintain active engagement with the academic and administrative life of the college.
Network with peer institutions and attend industry conferences to stay current on best practices.
Directly supervise, evaluate, and manage the performance of the Associate Director and Grants Office Coordinator.