Assistant Director of Contracts, Office of Sponsored Projects
The University of Texas at AustinAbout the role
Job Posting Title:
Assistant Director of Contracts, Office of Sponsored Projects----
Hiring Department:
Office of Sponsored Projects----
Position Open To:
All Applicants----
Weekly Scheduled Hours:
40----
FLSA Status:
Exempt----
Earliest Start Date:
Immediately----
Position Duration:
Expected to Continue----
Location:
AUSTIN, TX----
Job Details:
General Notes
The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) serves as the coordinating office for externally funded research and sponsored projects at The University of Texas at Austin. The mission of OSP is to assist faculty and professional research staff in their efforts to secure and ensure proper stewardship of external funding. We do that by assisting research faculty and staff with the following: proposal review, authorization, and submission; award negotiations and acceptance; account management; close-out, reports, audits, collection; professional development and education; export control, and research compliance.
UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
100% employer-paid basic medical coverage
Retirement contributions
Paid vacation and sick time
Paid holidays
Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered.
Purpose
Support the research community at the University of Texas at Austin in the capacity of Assistant Director of Contracting. This position will have responsibility for oversight of daily operations and management of the team, and general oversight of the portfolio of agreements negotiated by the Contracts & Agreements team. Provide support to faculty and staff with contractual matters involving research and sponsored project agreements.
Responsibilities
MANAGEMENT OF CONTRACTS & AGREEMENTS STAFF
Provide strong direction, support, and evaluation of the Contracts & Agreements team. Oversight of day-to-day operations for efficient and effective negotiation of agreements, both financial and non-financial.
Develop staff by providing day-to-day work planning, organization, monitoring, and ensuring accuracy and completeness of work products.
Establish overall annual goals for the team and individual team members, and monitor metrics to gauge success.
Provide ongoing coaching and mentoring to ensure individual and team success. Training opportunities on relevant topics, such as contract negotiation (drafting, editing, and review of contract and agreement requirements, terms and conditions, redlining, etc.), federal contracting, research administration, among others.
Coordinate with the Associate Director of Contracting to identify candidates, conduct interviews, document results, and make thoughtful and justifiable hiring decisions in accordance with UT policies and procedures and leadership best practices, as needed.
Manage personnel matters for the Contracts & Agreements team, including but not limited to: work assignments, professional development, leave approvals, development and delivery of performance evaluations, and progressive discipline.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Proactively assess the needs of the contracts team and prepare accordingly. Identify potential problems and take action to resolve issues. Take the initiative to find resolutions based on the best practices of contract negotiation and management. Leadership in response to critical situations related to complex contract negotiations.
Works closely with Associate Director of Contracting to develop, pilot, and implement process improvement plans for the effective and efficient processing of research contracts and agreements.
Review constituency lists and volume of incoming contract actions for team members and make recommendations for changes aimed at improving contract processing.
Use internal reports to review staff workload, progress and success. Identify areas for improvement and facilitate adjustments, as needed.
Participates in OSP leadership meetings and thoughtful contribution to group initiatives. Work closely with leadership to establish new workflows and business practices, taking volume, service excellence and team structure into consideration
CONTRACTUAL ADVICE AND COMMUNICATION
Apply for this role
Generate a tailored application kit with a matched cover letter, interview prep, and CV highlights — in under 60 seconds.
Apply Now →Generate Application KitFree account required — sign up in 30s