Senior Director of Grants and Contracts Administration - Law Center

Georgetown University • Washington, DC

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director of Grants and Contracts Administration provides strategic, financial, and operational leadership for the full lifecycle management of funding supporting the Law Center’s interdisciplinary centers and institutes and faculty research. The Senior Director oversees a diverse and complex portfolio, which includes publicly and privately funded grants and contracts, and ensures sound financial stewardship, regulatory compliance, and consistent service delivery across multiple research units. Serving as the primary institutional authority for sponsored research administration within centers and institutes, the Senior Director partners closely with center and institute leadership, faculty, the Law Center’s Office of Finance, central research administration, legal counsel, finance, and compliance offices. The role also supports the full lifecycle of sponsored projects, from proposal development and contract negotiation through award management and closeout, while aligning administrative practices with institutional priorities and sponsor expectations. The Senior Director is responsible for overseeing a complex and diverse research portfolio that includes both hard and soft money funds, encompassing federal, state, foundation, philanthropic, and industry-sponsored grants and contracts. The position ensures that all sponsored and institutionally supported activities are conducted in accordance with sponsor requirements, university policies, and applicable laws and regulations, while enabling centers and institutes to pursue ambitious and interdisciplinary research agendas.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., finance, business administration, public administration, research administration, or a related discipline).
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in research administration, grants management, contracts administration, or sponsored programs within a higher education or comparable research-intensive environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing a large, complex portfolio of publicly and privately funded grants and contracts, including federal, state, foundation, and industry sponsors.
• Demonstrated experience monitoring expenditures, burn rates, and financial performance and developing multi-year forecasts.
• Expert-level knowledge of federal regulations and compliance requirements, including Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), FAR, agency-specific rules (e.g., NIH, NSF, DoD), and applicable state and private sponsor requirements.
• Proven ability to negotiate, review, and execute complex research agreements, including grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, subawards, MOUs, NDAs, data use agreements, and industry-sponsored research agreements.
• Strong leadership experience managing and developing professional staff, including setting priorities, mentoring, performance management, and fostering a culture of accountability and service.
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with faculty, senior administrators, legal counsel, finance, compliance offices, and external sponsors.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple high-stakes deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with experience translating complex regulatory and contractual issues for non-expert audiences.
• High degree of integrity, judgment, and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive matters.
• Proficient with software products including Workday, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, and MS Word.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or terminal degree in a relevant field (e.g., MBA, MPA, JD, or advanced degree in research administration or a related discipline).
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or other relevant professional certification (e.g., CPRA, CFRA).
• Experience serving in a director or associate director-level role within a university Office of Sponsored Programs, Contracts Office, or equivalent research administration unit.
• Demonstrated success leading process improvements, system implementations, or organizational change, including electronic research administration (eRA) or financial systems.
• Experience advising senior leadership on research strategy, risk management, and compliance trends.
• Familiarity with accreditation standards, audit processes, and responding to internal or external audits related to sponsored programs.
• Commitment to fostering inclusive, service-oriented, and collaborative research administration practices in support of the university’s research mission.

Responsibilities

• Providing strategic direction and expert guidance on grants and contracts administration tailored to the unique operational and funding needs of interdisciplinary centers and institutes as well as individual faculty research endeavors.
• Leading, supervising, and developing a team of grants and contracts professionals supporting pre-award, post-award, and contract negotiation activities.
• Monitoring hard and soft money fund expenditures, burn rates, and overall financial performance; developing multi-year forecasts; and advising center and institute leadership on portfolio health, long-term sustainability, and financial risk.
• Serving as a trusted advisor to center and institute directors, faculty leaders, and senior administrators on funding strategies, compliance risks, financial stewardship, and operational best practices.
• Overseeing the negotiation and administration of complex agreements, including industry-sponsored research, cooperative agreements, multi-institutional collaborations, subawards, and philanthropic research funding.
• Ensuring consistent, efficient, and compliant grants and contracts administration practices across diverse units while balancing institutional standards with the operational realities of semi-autonomous centers and institutes.
• Identifying opportunities for process improvement, standardization, and scalability as centers and institutes grow, launch new initiatives, or engage new sponsors.
• The Senior Director plays a critical role advancing the Law Center’s research mission by integrating grants and contracts expertise with rigorous financial management, ensuring that Georgetown Law’s centers and institutes are positioned for long-term success while maintaining sponsor confidence and institutional compliance.

Benefits

• Georgetown University offers a comprehensive and competitive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, retirement savings, tuition assistance, work-life balance benefits, employee discounts and an array of voluntary insurance options.
• You can learn more about benefits and eligibility on the Department of Human Resources website.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees