Associate Director, Office of Research & Sponsored Programs

External Applicants: 

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Job Description Summary

The Associate Director supervises and manages the Grants and Contracts Managers (GCMs) on the Reynolda Campus of Wake Forest University, including Wake Downtown. This includes hiring, training, mentoring, and distributing workloads/assigning GCMs to university units (Schools, Programs, and College Departments). The Associate Director will appraise the GCMs’ performance based on input directly from faculty and staff, as well as information from unit administrative leaders such as Associate Deans for Research and Departmental Chairs. Additionally, the Associate Director serves as a GCM for faculty in units with lower proposal/grant activity as well as providing backup support and timely problem resolution for all GCMs.

Summary of GCM responsibilities. The GCM works independently and provides administrative and financial support to research active faculty and unit research administrative leaders; coordinates research staff and general administrative functions to include monitoring research program budgets, managing research personnel matters, and interpreting policies and procedures. Provides both pre- and post-grant support for individual faculty and is knowledgeable and responsive to faculty regarding budget and proposal preparation and award administration. Proactively reviews budgets and identifies issues or potential problems. Applies analytical and problem-solving techniques to all work duties including financial and human resource matters related to sponsored research.

Job Description

Essential Functions:

• Supervises and manages the Grants and Contracts Managers (GCMs; currently six). This includes hiring, training, and mentoring. Provides problem solving assistance and backup support. Ensures that GCMs review research expenses and provide reports for all grants in their assigned portfolios ideally on a monthly basis but at least on a quarterly basis.
• Monitors and evaluates WFU’s research funding portfolio in order to allocate/assign GCMs to units across the University in an equitable manner.
• Annually evaluates the GCMs’ performance, with input from department chairs, other administrative leaders, faculty, & staff. Assists the GCMs in goal setting and conducts mid-year reviews to monitor progress toward annual goals.
• Designs and prepare training materials such as checklists and instructions for routine research administration processes.
• Serves as GCM for departments with few active awards. Manages faculty grant, discretionary, and start-up funds. Maintains and reconciles budgets; advises and/or determines allowability of expenditures; informs management of irregularities and proceeds with corrective action. Using Workday, organizes and/or prepares financial summary reports; analyzes, summarizes, and interprets information; recommends course of action. Conducts forecasting and budget planning for year-end projections.
• Facilitates proposal writers as they identify grant opportunities. Aids in interpretation of guidelines and regulatory requirements. Prepares proposal budgets and other administrative sections of applications. Initiates or reviews proposal records in Cayuse. Performs general pre-award activities in academic units with fewer proposal submissions and/or without an assigned GCM.
• Provides ongoing analysis of existing accounting policies and procedures, recommends changes in processes, and/or develops new processes to increase the overall effectiveness of departmental research financial operations.
• Assists in compiling reports regarding study operations and progress for internal and ext