Assistant Director, Research Administration

About the Role

The Assistant Director, Research Administration oversees the combined pre-award and post-award research administration and financial management services supporting Principal Investigators (PIs) and their teams. The Assistant Director leads the full life cycle of sponsored project activity—from proposal development through award closeout—ensuring high-quality, responsive, and compliant service. In partnership with the Director, the Assistant Director coordinates the pre-award and post-award functions, serves as a subject-matter expert on sponsored research policy and compliance, and represents the department to central University offices.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Award / Research Administration:
  • Assist faculty, postdocs, fellows, and students with proposal and progress report development, review, submission, and renewal across all sponsor types.
  • Lead activities leading to the Notice of Grant Award and coordinate project setup handoff to post-award personnel.
  • Develop budgets, engage outside collaborators, establish subcontracts, and prepare grant/fellowship applications.
  • Assist with administrative sections of applications and secure institutional approvals via RASCAL.
  • Provide post-submission support, including JIT requests, rebudgeting, and proposal status monitoring.
  • Support NIH RPPRs, annual progress reports, grant transfers, training grant applications, and fellowship activations.
  • Review sponsor funding opportunity announcements and provide guidance on regulatory and compliance issues.
• Post-Award / Financial Management:
  • Prepare monthly PI portfolio reports and meet with PIs to review spending and projections.
  • Manage labor scheduling, salary distribution, and effort commitments.
  • Facilitate expense and effort certification processes.
  • Monitor project balances, initiate transactions, and review procurement transactions for compliance.
  • Set up new projects, finalize grant budgets, and manage project closeout.
  • Provide financial figures for progress and final reports.
• Compliance, Audit Oversight & Institutional Liaison:
  • Ensure compliance with financial, grants, and research administration requirements.
  • Coordinate audits, monitor compliance, and implement corrective actions.
  • Identify risks and strengthen internal controls related to sponsored funding.
  • Serve as liaison to central University offices and represent the department on institutional initiatives.
• Leadership & Coordination:
  • Coordinate pre-award and post-award functions and prioritize workload.
  • Provide guidance, training, and knowledge-sharing on pre- and post-award tasks.
  • Contribute to operational strategies, staffing, and organizational models.
  • Improve workflows, service delivery, and reporting.
  • Develop operational dashboards and performance metrics.
  • Evaluate and implement technology solutions for grants reporting and administration.
  • Lead monthly meetings with PIs, departmental administrators, and pre-/post-award personnel.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in education and experience.
  • Four years of related experience in research administration and/or sponsored-project financial management.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Knowledge of NIH, federal, state, and foundation grant regulations and the full sponsored-project life cycle.
  • Familiarity with Columbia systems (RASCAL, PAC, ARC, Budget Tool, PeopleSoft financials).
  • Proficiency in MS Excel and Word.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Salary Range: $125,000-$145,000. The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training.