Manager - Cooperative Research Program Quality, Compliance, and Training

Job Description Summary:

** NOTE A COVER LETTER IS REQUIRED FOR CONSIDERATION **

Serves as a centralized resource and manages activities supporting contractor compliance, subaward oversight, relationship management, and training across CRP programs. The position works closely with program directors and managers, technical project managers, financial partners, the Office of Contracts and Grants (OGC), Procurement Services, contractors, and external stakeholders to monitor CRP contracting activities, ensure regulatory and institutional compliance, and promote operational consistency and risk mitigation.

Leads the development, coordination, and delivery of training and guidance for research proposal submitters, contractors, sub-awardees, and other external entities engaged in CRP programs. The role engages external vendors to design and deliver scalable, high-quality training solutions and collaborates with contractors and stakeholders to identify programmatic and process improvement opportunities that enhance efficiency, compliance, and the overall CRP participant experience.

Establishes processes and procedures to ensure the effective and efficient operation. Has authority to take whatever action deemed advisable or necessary, subject only to organizational and departmental policies and rules. Has full supervisory responsibilities, including hiring, training, and performance management for assigned staff.

Job Description:

Responsibilities

Contractor Compliance and Relationship Management

• Collaborates with the Office of Contracts and Grants (OGC) for responsibilities related to management of contracts and subawards.

• Monitors activities of sub-awardees to confirm that subawards are in compliance and used for authorized purposes; reviews required financial and performance reports.

• Monitors CRP contracts from initiation through closeout; reports infractions and reviews contract issues for possible risks and liabilities.

• Contributes to drafting, negotiating, and executing contracts and other legal agreements.

• Serves as a point of contact for contractors, partners, and staff to address contractual issues in collaboration with CRP management and project managers.

• Maintains records of contracts and legal agreements, with a focus on monitoring ongoing compliance.

• Develops risk management strategies to address contractor underperformance.

• Designs control systems to document and address cases of CRP/NAS contract terms and policy violations.

• Ensures that CRP activities align with institutional policies, regulations, and ethical standards.

• Provides a consistent, high-quality contractor experience and support contractors in understanding compliance requirements.

• Develops collaborative partnerships with technical project managers, Procurement Services, and Subaward Administration to support effective contractor engagement.

Training Development and Delivery

• Leads the development and delivery of training and orientation programs for research proposal submitters, contractors, sub-awardees, and other external entities participating in CRP programs.

• Designs and implements ongoing training programs for technical project managers and external CRP participants to ensure understanding of CRP processes, compliance requirements, performance expectations, and proposal standards.

• Develops guidance materials, toolkits, instructional resources, and process documentation to clarify proposal requirements, contracting expectations, and compliance obligations.

• Engages and manages external vendors to design, enhance, and deliver training programs in multiple formats, including in-person, virtual, and on-demand learning platforms.

• Evaluates training effectiveness using participant feedback, performance indicators, and compliance trends; implement improvements as needed.

• Collaborates with internal stakeholders to identify knowledge gaps and compliance risks that can be mitigated through targeted training and clearer process guidance.

Program and Process Improvement

• Gathers feedback from contractors, proposal submitters, and other CRP stakeholders to identify recurring operational challenges and improvement opportunities.

• Partners with contractors and program leadership to identify programmatic and procedural enhancements that strengthen efficiency, compliance, and participant experience.

• Analyzes compliance trends, audit findings, and contractor performance data to recommend process improvements.

• Creates, modifies, updates, and implements CRP procedural guidance and ma