Director of the Research Administration Collaborative

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

3d•$210,000 - $246,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of the Research Administration Collaborative will lead a transformative realignment of research administration in support of the UW's research enterprise. In partnership with OR, SOM ABC, FPB, UW-IT, and academic units across UW, the Director will design, implement, and scale a centralized, grants management structure that elevates service quality, strengthens compliance, increases efficiency, reduces departmental administrative burden, and creates enterprise synergies, overseeing 6 teams and 8 functional areas with an estimated staff of 100 employees. The Director will serve on the OR Executive Committee and drive the vision to standardize award lifecycle business processes, from proposal development through award set-up, spend down, reporting, and closeout, ensuring operational continuity and responsiveness to the natural cycles of sponsored programs. This position will lead change management across schools, colleges, campuses, and research units, establishing tools, training, and metrics to sustain performance. Position Complexities The Director of the Research Administration Collaborative operates within a highly complex and evolving environment that requires navigating significant organizational, operational, and cultural change across the UW research enterprise. The role requires balancing strategic transformation with day-to-day operational demands and coordinating activities across multiple central units and decentralized academic units with varying practices, priorities, and resource levels. Key complexities include: -Leads a major institutional transformation to centralize and standardize grants management across diverse schools, colleges, and campuses. -Directs up to 100 employees organized into 8 functional areas and 6 teams who manage pre-award and post-award service delivery across UW schools, colleges, campuses, and research units. -Manages multi-stakeholder coordination with OR units, SOM ABC, FPB, UWIT, central offices, and academic departments, requiring shared governance and strong relationship building. -Operates within a highly regulated environment, ensuring compliance with rapidly evolving federal, sponsor, and institutional requirements. -Oversees complex, high-stakes operational workflows across the full award lifecycle, with significant consequences for faculty competitiveness, research continuity, and institutional risk. -Navigates cultural and organizational change, unifying decentralized processes, systems, and staff while maintaining service quality and fostering an inclusive, service-oriented culture. Position Dimensions and Impact to the University The Director of the Research Administration Collaborative oversees a high impact, institution wide transformation that reshapes how core grant and award lifecycle services are delivered across all UW schools, colleges, campuses, and research units. By standardizing processes, integrating systems, and centralizing staffing models, the role directly influences service quality, institutional compliance, operational efficiency, and the competitiveness of UW's $1.7B research enterprise. The Director's leadership ensures sustainable administrative structures that reduce costs, mitigate risk, and strengthen the University's long term research capacity.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in business, public, or health administration, or related field and 10 years of relevant experience.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in business, public, or health administration, or related field.
CRA, PMP, Lean/Six Sigma certification or equivalent experience.
Demonstrated success in partnering with IT and central finance to deploy tools/workflows. Experience with enterprise research administration systems and data/reporting tools.
Demonstrated success in building centralized or shared services involving diverse stakeholders.
Demonstrated success leading change initiatives and standardizing processes.
Skilled at fostering strong partnerships and engaging in shared governance to achieve enterprise-wide objectives.
Demonstrated ability to think strategically and design systems that align with institutional goals and future-state visions.
Deep knowledge of sponsor and federal regulations (Uniform Guidance/OMB, NIH policy, agency-specific requirements) and experience in risk mitigation within research administration.
Experience with pre-award and post-award operations, budget development, and compliance.
Strong people leadership: hiring, onboarding, performance management, professional development.
Experience in inclusive leadership and supporting talent development through coaching and professional growth.
Exceptional customer service, communication, and relationship management skills.
Proficiency with Lean/continuous improvement.
Experience with metrics, SLAs, and CAPA methodologies.
Prior leadership in a centralized or hybrid grants management environment.
Proven track record of operational excellence, including leading continuous improvement initiatives and implementing best practices for efficiency and quality.
Ability to make data-informed decisions with a commitment to transparency and accountability in reporting and communication.
Demonstrated resilience, sound judgment, and adaptability in managing complex issues and priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

Manage the design and execution of the centralized grants management model aligned to UW's future-state vision.
Lead operational strategy, implementation, and assessment in partnership with OR unit directors and campus stakeholders.
Serve as primary liaison with OR leadership, central HR, UWIT, central finance, and academic units for organizational restructuring and change management.
Translate strategic planning workgroup recommendations into actionable plans, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities.
Develop, build, and maintain the central research administration services model, including organizational structures, staffing plans, and service line definitions, in collaboration with university partners.
Evaluate cost models and alternative service delivery approaches. Engage with OR leadership on financial impacts and resource allocation.
Standardize processes, systems, and tools across the award lifecycle to eliminate silos and promote cross-coverage and resiliency.
Implement best practices for process workflows, systems, tools, and performance metrics in collaboration with UW-IT and other Directors.
Lead continuous process improvement and redesign using Lean principles and root-cause analysis (CAPA).
Establish and monitor service-level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs), developing and maintaining dashboards for real-time performance tracking.
Provide leadership for RAC, directing operations of up to 100 employees organized into 8 functional areas and 6 teams who manage pre-award and post-award service delivery across UW schools, colleges, campuses, and research units.
Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant execution aligned with sponsor, University, and system requirements, safeguarding faculty timelines, and research continuity.
Act as grants management subject matter expert (SME), guiding policy interpretation, and operational decisions in partnership with compliance and fiscal units.
Coordinate with OSP, Grant & Contract Accounting, Post-Award Fiscal Compliance, and sponsors to resolve complex issues.
In partnership with Office of Research Learning Programs, central offices, and campus, support a comprehensive training program for service personnel and academic unit partners to ensure onboarding and ongoing development are consistently delivered. This includes curriculum, SOPs, best practices, and reference materials aligned with evolving systems, tools, and policies.
Support professional growth and career development for team members.
Build and sustain collegial partnerships with OR, SOM ABC, FPB, UW-IT, and academic units, ensuring collaborative decision-making and shared accountability.
Establish and facilitate governance committees for the service (e.g., Service Advisory Committee, Faculty Oversight Committee).
Represent the service in UW research administration networks (MRAM, CoPRA, RAPN, RAPIT).
Develop and implement communication strategies (email, forums, newsletters, online postings) and maintain feedback channels (PI surveys, listening sessions).
Actively manage relationships with departments and central offices. Conduct semi-annual meetings and post-mortems to capture improvement opportunities.