Senior Director of Sponsored Projects Administration

Stony Brook University•Stony Brook, NY

13d

About The Position

The Senior Director acts as an Authorized Organizational Representative with delegated authority to sign proposals, negotiate agreements, and accept awards on behalf of the university and its key partner, the Research Foundation for SUNY. The Director is accountable for establishing and driving the overall strategy, goals, and objectives for SPA, ensuring operational excellence, and maximizing institutional competitiveness for over a $325M+ growing research portfolio. The Senior Director collaborates across all academic, administrative, and clinical units to advance Stony Brook’s research mission and serves as a key strategic partner to the Vice President for Research, Vice President for Research Operations, senior leadership, directly impacting the growth and compliance profile of the university's research enterprise. This role requires a seasoned executive with deep expertise in grants, contracts (including Federal Acquisition Regulations or FAR), clinical trials, and intellectual property terms. The Senior Director is charged with proactively conducting the highest-level analysis on changes in federal regulations (like Uniform Guidance), helping to set university-wide research administration policy, and leading organizational efforts to identify and mitigate high-level institutional risk of non-compliance and audit findings. The Senior Director champions a culture of high-quality service, ensures seamless integration between the university's central administrative units, and serves as a primary liaison and advocate for Stony Brook's research interests with major federal, state, and private funding agencies.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (foreign equivalent or higher) in Public Administration, Business, Research Administration, or a related discipline.
Seven (7) years of progressively responsible full-time experience in pre and post award sponsored research administration, preferably within an R1 or comparably complex research institution.
Comprehensive knowledge of federal grant and contract regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance, NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, USDA), as well as industry, foundation, and local government funding environments.
Demonstrated leadership experience overseeing diverse teams and managing operational functions in a multifaceted research organization.
Experience working with program officers and senior administrators across local, state, and federal agencies, with proven diplomatic and collaborative skills.
Strong budgetary, contract negotiation, clinical trial administration, and compliance oversight capabilities.
Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and analytical skills, with the ability to engage effectively across academic and administrative units.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (foreign equivalent or higher) in Public Administration, Business, Research Administration, or a related discipline.
Experience with electronic research administration systems (e.g., Cayuse, InfoEd Workday Grants, Huron Click, Oracle EBS, SAP, Banner).
Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or comparable professional credential.
Familiarity with technology transfer processes, data-use frameworks, and regulatory compliance in research settings.

Responsibilities

Serve as an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR), or delegate thereof, responsible for the final institutional sign-off and commitment on all grant proposals, contracts, and sponsored agreements.
Lead the development, promulgation, interpretation, and modification of organization-wide policies and procedures governing sponsored research to ensure proactive compliance with federal, state, and university requirements.
Assess strategic risks of research policies and procedures to identify areas of highest financial and regulatory exposure and implement necessary internal controls.
Direct the establishment of overall strategy, direction, goals, and objectives of Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) and allocate the office's annual operating budget and resources.
Establish, monitor, and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for all SPA operations to measure efficiency, cycle time, and service quality, reporting findings to the Associate Vice President and VP for Research.
Lead strategic efforts to optimize research operations and structure, including identifying and implementing best practices and technologies to enhance overall research productivity and compliance.
Serve as the primary high-level liaison to the Research Foundation for SUNY/Stony Brook, ensuring seamless operational alignment and effective financial stewardship of sponsored projects.
Represent the university's interests to senior administrators and program officers at major federal funding agencies, national associations (e.g., NCURA, SRA International), and peer R1 institutions.
Work collaboratively with University Development/Advancement to differentiate between gifts versus grants and ensure appropriate institutional administration for each.
Other duties as assigned.