Director, Sponsored Programs

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The University of Miami/UHealth Department of SCCC has an exciting opportunity for a Full Time Director of Sponsored Programs to work at the UHealth campus in Miami, Fl. 

• Oversees the post-award administration of all sponsored programs for the University.
• Develops and maintains the post-award database for sponsored programs.
• Monitors, keeps current with, interprets, and directs proper application of government and other external funding organizations' rules and regulations.
• Interacts with various university departments for system implementation design, and planning.
• Participates in the University's fiscal year-end tasks and other mandated year-end requirements.
• Hires, mentors, and trains staff, and conducts performance evaluations and corrective actions.
• Provides advice to leadership and staff regarding sensitive, critical, and highly complex issues, and interprets a broad range of sponsor policies and government regulations.
• Supervises staff review of grant and contract award terms and negotiation of sensitive and complex sponsored programs issues and awards.
• Establishes and continuously assesses the effectiveness of the internal controls within the unit and compliance with university policies and procedures. Ensures employees are trained on controls within the function and on university policy and procedures.
• This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities as necessary.

• →Provide day-to-day leadership of the Sponsored Programs Office, ensuring alignment with strategic direction established by the Executive Director of Research Operations.
• →Lead and integrate Pre-Award and Post-Award functions to deliver coordinated and consistent operational support across the research lifecycle.
• →Supervise and mentor functional leaders, establishing clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards.
• →Identify and escalate operational risks, resource constraints, and compliance concerns, with recommendations for resolution.
• →Coordinate operational alignment with institutional partners (e.g., Office of Research Administration, Finance, HR) to support effective execution of sponsored programs activities.

• Implement strategic and operational priorities established by Cancer Center leadership across sponsored programs.
• Define, monitor, and report on key performance indicators for pre-award activities, including submission timeliness, proposal volume, award success rates, and proposal issues and corrections, to ensure efficient, consistent, and high-quality proposal development across the Cancer Center.
• Define, monitor, and report on key performance indicators for post-award activities, including timeliness of award setup, expenditure management relative to project timelines, financial reporting accuracy, subrecipient monitoring, volume of cost transfers and payroll allocation adjustments, and closeout performance, to ensure effective, compliant, and high-quality award management.
• Translate performance data into actionable process improvements and operational enhancements.
• Ensure appropriate staffing models, workload distribution, and resource planning to support a high-volume, complex research portfolio.
• Oversee the implementation and optimization of systems, tools, and workflows supporting sponsored research administration.

• Establish and maintain operational frameworks to support the effective development, review, and submission of grant and contract proposals.
• Ensure consistent execution of sponsor and institutional requirements through standardized processes, quality controls, and team-level accountability.
• Provide oversight of complex, multi-component proposals, including program project, training, and center-level submissions.
• Support identification and dissemination of funding opportunities aligned with Cancer Center priorities.
• Provide oversight and accountability for post-award financial management processes, including budget implementation, expenditure monitoring relative to project timelines, financial reporting accuracy, subrecipient oversight, and project closeout.
• Ensure consistent execution of sponsor and institutional requirements through standardized processes, internal controls, and team-level accountability.
• Ensure effective coordination and handoffs between Pre-Award and Post-Award functions across the project lifecycle.

• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and internal controls to strengthen compliance and operational consistency.
• Lead internal reviews and support institutional readiness for audits, site visits, and sponsor evaluations.
• Serve as an operational liaison with institutional stakeholders and external sponsors, as appropriate.
• Provide input to leadership on emerging risks, compliance trends, and operational impacts related to sponsored research.

• Ensure the development and delivery of training, guidance, and communications related to sponsored programs processes and requirements.
• Promote a service-oriented approach to faculty and research teams, ensuring consistent and high-quality administrative support across the Cancer Center.

• Bachelor’s or master's degree in business administration, Public Administration, or related field.

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) certification preferred.

• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in research administration, including supervisory experience.
• Deep knowledge of federal regulations (e.g., NIH, NSF, DOD), Uniform Guidance, and institutional compliance frameworks.
• Demonstrated success in managing complex teams and sponsored research portfolios.

• Experience in an academic medical center or NCI-designated cancer center preferred.
• Familiarity with enterprise systems such as Huron Research Suite, Workday, and eRA Commons.

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The University of Miami offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, tuition remission and more.

UHealth-University of Miami Health System, South Florida's only university-based health system, provides leading-edge patient care powered by the ground breaking research and medical education at the Miller School of Medicine. As an academic medical center, we are proud to serve South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. Our physicians represent more than 100 specialties and sub-specialties, and have more than one million patient encounters each year. Our tradition of excellence has earned worldwide recognition for outstanding teaching, research and patient care. We're the challenge you've been looking for.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.