Position Summary

The Associate Director of Sponsored Projects is a mid-level leadership role in the Office of

Sponsored Projects at Long Island University. The Associate Director is responsible for

managing pre-award and non-financial post-award functions, enhancing research proposal

development services, and supporting faculty and administrators throughout the grant lifecycle. This individual helps implement institutional policies and procedures, ensures regulatory compliance, and advances research administration in alignment with LIU’s strategic goals.

Principal Responsibilities

• Serve as a key resource and daily operational lead for proposal submissions and
  
  

sponsored research support.

• Supervise pre-award specialists and administrative staff; ensure timelines, quality, and
  
  

compliance in proposal preparation.

• Assist with complex proposal review, budget development, and interpretation of agency
  
  

guidelines.

• Collaborate with faculty to identify funding opportunities and guide them through
  
  

proposal development and submission processes.

• Maintain and update internal systems, templates, tools, and tracking databases for
  
  

sponsored programs.

• Provide quality assurance reviews of submissions for compliance with sponsor and
  
  

university policies.

• Support contract and subaward preparation, including risk assessments, budget review,
  
  

and routing for internal approvals.

• Lead internal training for faculty and staff on proposal development, budget preparation,
  
  

and sponsor requirements.

• Liaise with Post-Award staff to ensure smooth transitions from pre-award to post-award
  
  

processes.

• Coordinate with university offices including Legal Affairs, Compliance, Human
  
  

Resources, and Finance as needed.

• Stay informed on updates to federal regulations (Uniform Guidance/2 CFR 200), sponsor
  
  

policies, and internal procedures.

• Represent the OSP at faculty meetings, workshops, and research development activities.
• Contribute to institutional reporting, performance tracking, and annual audit preparation.
  
  

Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain access to sensitive personnel and budgetary data with the highest level of
  
  

confidentiality.

• Serve as acting Senior Associate Director when necessary and represent OSP in their
  
  

absence.

• Participate in working groups or strategic initiatives focused on enhancing the
  
  

university’s research infrastructure.

• Assist with external communications, outreach, and visibility efforts for sponsored
  
  

projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in sponsored research administration, with direct
  
  

Pre-award responsibilities.

• Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, and private funding agency policies and
  
  

procedures (NIH, NSF, DOD, etc.).

• Experience reviewing complex proposals, preparing budgets, and submitting through
  
  

systems such as Grants.gov, Research.gov, and eRA Commons.

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) preferred or willingness to obtain certification
  
  

within one year.

• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and collaborate with diverse internal and external
  
  

stakeholders.

• Proficiency in grants management systems (e.g., PeopleSoft) and Microsoft Office Suite
  
  

LIU is an equal opportunity employer. LIU is committed to extending equal opportunity in

employment to all qualified candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of our academic community. LIU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital or parental status, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship status, veteran or military status, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal laws. Hiring is contingent on eligibility to work in the United States