Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,484 full-time undergraduates and 5,250 graduate and professional students. Ranked 35 among national universities, Boston College has 888 full-time and 1,281 FTE faculty, 2,711 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.5 billion.

The Associate Director, Pre-Award position is part of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) team and is responsible for the review and submission of proposals and the management of funded projects. This position will manage staff. It oversees the process of proposal building as well the review and submissions of proposals for external funding for BC's research community. This position also manages all responses and certifications to external sponsors as it relates to submitted proposals up to the time of award and progress reports for the life of the award. This position reports to the Director, Office of Sponsored Programs.

This position will be required to work closely with post-award operations integrating new audit guidance into OSP best practices. Guide faculty in navigating sponsor and University regulatory constraints. Facilitate the submission of multiple time-sensitive proposals. Oversee the JIT submissions with various externally dictated turnaround times. Support faculty/departmental administrators in the preparation of electronic submission materials. Mentor and guide Pre-Award staff to ensure swift, but efficient workflow.

This role's responsibility is university-wide, encompassing every school and institute as well most as many other units, including CDIL, Finance, HR, ITS, Advancement, Student Services, and Facilities. This role interacts with all the Directors in the VPR as well as Deans, Associate Deans and Directors in each school or institute.

The Associate Director, Pre-Award will perform the following:

* Assists faculty and staff to develop of proposals for externally funded projects.

o Assists staff and principal investigators with questions related to proposal guidelines and university policies and procedures;

o Develops proposal templates and provide guidance on completing sponsor proposal forms.

* Facilitates the assignment of OSP staff to assist with proposal building and proposal review.

o Ensures the timely assignment of proposal builders to aid in the creation of proposals both in internal and external systems, as needed, upon request from principle investigators utilizing the OSP proposal builders;

o Manages the assignment of OSP proposal reviewers to ensure balance workload for staff and adequate resources to meet the needs of the University research community.

* Conducts proposal review for externally funded projects and submits as an authorized official representative (AOR) of the University.

o Oversees the accurate and timely submission of University-wide sponsored research proposals;

o Reviews proposal applications to ensure compliance with sponsor guidelines and University policy and procedures;

o Serves as an AOR in sponsor systems and assigns and monitors roles for University employees within sponsor submission systems;

o Coordinates and ensures internal approvals are received;

o Submits proposals as the AOR on behalf of the University

* Reviews and approves University level certifications and other sponsor requests which require an AOR or signature.

* Facilitates the Just in Time (JIT) process by coordinating a response with faculty members, reviewing JIT documentation, and submitting to the external sponsor.

* Reviews and monitors daily workflow of proposals, manages proposal tracking, and progress reports.

o Provides guidance to Office of Sponsored Program staff on Pre-Award operational and routine activities;

o Maintains oversight of daily workflow of proposals, JIT's, and other administrative activities to ensure a balance portfolio of assignments among the Pre-Award staff.

* Assists and participates in Office of Sponsored Program leadership and team activities.

o Assists Director in developing policies, procedures and strategic planning related sponsored programs;

o Participates in research administration meetings and training;

o Identifies pressing issues related to proposal workflow and provide recommendations for improvement.

Bachelor's degree required, but Master's degree preferred. A minimum of seven years of professional level experience working in sponsored programs administration or corresponding experience in working in departmental administration is preferred. The ideal candidate will have a deep knowledge of federal regulations and proposal review and submission procedures. Excellent analytical skills and strong written and verbal communication skills. Strong problem-solving skills while keeping an eye on the big picture. A mindset of openness to change and the ability to mentor and develop staff.