Associate Director for Research Development and Pre-Award

American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges, internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world. Learn more about American University

Department:

School of International Service

Time Type:

Full time

Work Modality:

Hybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Union:

Excluded

Job Description:

Summary:

American University’s School of International Service (SIS) has a long history of interdisciplinary scholarship and research, addressing some of the world’s most complex problems, with niche expertise in translational research to affect policies and programs. We are looking to expand the impact of SIS research by increasing extramural funding, supporting more faculty to obtain extramural funding, developing relationships with key funders, and amplifying the results of research and scholarship. The Associate Director of Research Development and Pre-Award sits within the SIS Office of Research and supports research and pre-award development for the School. The position guides and assists faculty and project teams with the identification of research opportunities, and submission and securing of research grants and contracts.

The position reports to SIS’s Associate Dean of Research and works closely with the Office of Financial Operations (OFO). The Associate Director for Research Development and Pre-Award works with the Associate Dean of Research to link faculty and project teams to funding opportunities. Additionally, the Associate Director oversees the preparation of funding submissions, oversees budget preparation, and works with central American University offices to ensure development and submission of proposals that comply with funding calls and guidelines.

Faculty and project teams in SIS depend on funding from a variety of foundation, corporate, government, and international sources. The incumbent will read and interpret relevant funding guidelines, furnish sample proposal sections, draft supporting proposal sections where necessary, fully validate proposals for completion, and route proposals through the university’s central Office of Sponsored Awards and Research Administration approval processes. The Associate Director for Research Development and Pre-Award will work closely with SIS finance personnel and relevant school-level and university administrators to ensure compliance with university policies and procedures, as well as funder requirements.

The incumbent will supervise the Assistant Director for Research Promotion and help to formulate and implement strategies to raise the profile of faculty research and programming. The incumbent also directs the work of a student position, the SIS Research Program Assistant. The Associate Director for Research Development and Pre-Award is responsible for developing and implementing systems for tracking proposal and award activity and refining, tracking, and reporting on quarterly and annual performance assessment metrics. They are responsible for financial management of the SIS Research Office. The position will oversee the SIS Research website and will be responsible for maintaining assigned sections.

Essential Functions:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1.) Research Proposal Management

• The Associate Director for Research Development and Pre-Award directs all aspects of the proposal submission process, to include: providing guidance and support to PIs about funder requirements, submission procedures, and applicable university policies; preparing proposal budgets; producing supporting documents and contributing proposal content when needed.

• The incumbent is expected to stay current on pertinent federal guidelines and best practices in research administration.

• They will coordinate proposal submissions with the central Office of Sponsored Awards and Research Administration and