Assistant Director, Budget and Grants Management

Pay Grade: 31E

Context of the Job:

The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (de-) is a joint program of the National Science Foundation (NSF),several other federal agencies and 28 U.S. states and territories, including Delaware. Delaware EPSCoR includes five academic partners, University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College, Goldey-Beacom College and Wilmington University. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) is a regional association of partners that collect unique ocean and coastal data that is transformed into information products that support jobs, the economy, safety and well-being for the more than 78 million people living, visiting, and working in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Assistant Director, Budget and Grants Management serves as a key leader for developing and enhancing the internal organization processes and infrastructure of Delaware EPSCoR and MARACOOS. Under the limited direction of the EPSCoR Director, the Assistant Director independently manages projects on behalf of the EPSCoR and MARACOOS to enhance capacity. It is anticipated the level of effort in each unit will flux as workload changes. Changes to workload will be communicated during quarterly meetings between the units. The Assistant Director, Business Operations will be responsible for grant management, event coordination, and broader impact activities. A high level of sound judgment, initiative, attention to detail, and organizational skills are required to be successful in this position.

Responsibilities:

Grants Management

• Makes project allocations and programmatic decisions aligned with scope of work of the grant while serving the research, education and workforce development needs of partners and funding agencies.
• Manages all pre-award proposal development including the proposal preparation and submission process in PeopleSoft, Cayuse, and any other applicable grant submission software (e.g. timeline establishment, responsibility checklist, etc.); compiling supporting documents (e.g. bio sketches, current and pending support, internal letters of support, external commitment letters, tabulated data, etc.); conceptualization and development of management; facilitating collaborations both within the university and with other partners; facilitating proposal team meetings; interpreting funder guidelines and helping to articulate significance and impact to be responsive to funder goals; developing budget and draft justification (e.g. sponsor specific submission forms) and coordinating cost match.
• Coordinates filing of appropriate reporting for grants, manage subawards including PO initiation and billing, coordinates grant closeout procedures.

Budget Management

• Manages (controls, oversees, and ensures sound fiscal operations) EPSCoR/MARACOOS budgets and reserve budgets(s) of significant size and complexity ($10M per year; -$100M total).
• Analyzes accounting records for funding availability, accuracy and completeness.
• Monitors budgets, reviews charges on purpose codes, moves after-end charges, correct source code errors, processes journal vouchers, and handles all project closeouts.
• Develops long-range financial models for forecasting and planning, monthly budget reports.

Administrative Oversight/Procurement

• Develops and implements strategies for improving operations based on evaluations, strategic plans, surveys, and partnerships and identifies any challenges and provides recommendations for resolution.
• Initiates the purchases and/or sub-awards in UD Exchange.
• Assists with coordination and management of events and meetings.
• Prepares expense reports in Concur for Sr. staff.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in related field and five years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Advanced degree preferred in business administration or business-related discipline or relevant scientific field.
• Experience in program development, management, evaluation, and proposal and scientific report writing.
• Experience in research/education/grants administration and knowledge of federal funding processes and of federal agency missions and objectives; project management.
• Familiarity with all stages of the grant process from the request for proposal through implementation, evaluation, and closeout including preparing the final report.
• Ability to work with multiple partners to establish effective working relationships with internal colleagues and external partners, including excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills (building relationships, trust, conflict resolution, the ability to develop and strengthen partnerships).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact effectively and diplomatically with a wide range of individuals both within and outside the organization.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently, and skill in organizing resources and establishing and adjusting priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Experience interacting and leading discussions with state and federal agencies.
• Mastery of office software and ability or willingness to try new technologies that support communication, including social media and data visualization/presentation.
• Knowledge of University accounting procedures, including procurement, travel and/or employment.
• Ability to think strategically and to recognize new opportunities; demonstrates understanding of academe to achieve results across disciplines, units/divisions, and functions; in-depth knowledge of missions and objectives and programs of federal funding agencies and prior management and supervisory experience
• Familiarity with all stages of the grant process from the request for proposal through implementation, evaluation, and closeout including preparing the final report.