Director of Grants & Sponsored Projects

Georgia College & State University (GCSU) is the state's designated public liberal arts university, where students learn the essential skills to compete in a fast-paced and technology-driven global society. The university prepares students for successful careers, leadership in communities, problem solving and life-long learning through personalized attention in a residential setting with opportunities for a variety of transformational experiences through its award-winning, high-impact practices. One of only three selective universities within the University System of Georgia and a top 10 ranked public university in the Southeast, GCSU offers undergraduate degrees in more than 40 majors, more than 30 graduate programs, doctorates in education and nursing, professional certificates, and continuing education programs.

As a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), GCSU is committed to fostering a liberal arts environment that values academic preeminence, interdisciplinary inquiry and an inclusive learning community. GCSU enjoys a strong reputation for academic excellence and nationally ranked programs according to US News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Colleges of Distinction - among other ranking sources.
Georgia College & State University takes great pride in combining the educational experience of a private liberal arts college with the affordability of a public university. Faculty and staff are dedicated to student engagement and experiential learning through high-impact practices such as internships, service- and community-based learning, leadership development, study abroad opportunities, mentored undergraduate research and a capstone project that fosters intellectual curiosity, reasoned inquiry and critical thinking.

The university's beautiful and historic campus is located downtown in Milledgeville, Georgia, a charming college town of approximately 19,000 residents in Central Georgia, and only 90 miles southeast of Atlanta. Milledgeville is also the home of noted American author and alumna, Flannery O'Connor, '45, and the college community enjoys many exciting literary arts programs at O'Connor's former home, Andalusia, a National Historic Landmark owned by the university. Milledgeville is located on the banks of beautiful Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee, allowing faculty, staff and students to take full advantage of the environmental and recreational benefits of being part of a lake community. For cultural, educational and leisure opportunities beyond Milledgeville - Macon and Atlanta are located within easy driving distances.

Georgia College & State University is dedicated to protecting academic freedom in addition to supporting freedom of expression as outlined in the University System of Georgia's Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom policy and its Ethics Code of Conduct. For more information, visit us online at gcsu.edu.

The Director of Grants and Sponsored Projects works to significantly expand the level of external support for the University's instructional programs, research, creative activities, and public service. The Director is responsible for promoting and stimulating a robust grant portfolio, supervises all operational matters related to pre-award and non-financial post-award administration and ensures and maintains compliance with all federal, state, local, and private sector funding sources. The Director links grant initiatives to university goals, seeking operational performance improvement and effective fiscal strategies, including the diversification of funding support, and helps strengthen community and regional ties through programs, partnerships, research, and service that enhances economic and educational opportunities. The Director cultivates collaborative relationships with faculty, administrators, and other key campus stakeholders to stay informed of current programmatic activities, scholarly and/or creative interests, and upcoming initiatives. The Director provides formal and informal training and working sessions for faculty and manages the team within the Office of Grants & Sponsored Projects (OGSP) unit.

Directing - 30
- Serves as a campus-wide champion in stimulating robust grant activity.
- Develops and maintains procedures to encourage grant proposal writing and submission.
- Identifies potential funding sources and opportunities.
- Makes recommendations for departmental consideration.
- Works with faculty and academic departments to identify fundable research and program ideas and to locate sources of funding for these activities.
- Provides university-wide leadership for all aspects of pre-award and non-financial post-award grant activity.
- Researches and disseminates funding opportunities.
- Offers workshops on proposal and budget development.
- Assists with proposal editing and design and provides oversight for grants management and compliance.
- Reviews and proofreads funding applications for completeness, accuracy and quality.
- Aligns grant services with the needs of the university.
- Make improvements in grant-related services as necessary.

Compliance and Project Management - 25
- Designs, prepares, and seeks funding for university eligible projects and programs.
- Leads the development of policies, procedures, and guidelines to improve the Institution's grants infrastructure and promote a campus climate supportive of sponsored research activity.
- Interprets and applies state, federal, university and BOR policies and procedures regarding sponsored research including the submission of applications, acceptance of awards, monitoring of project activities and expenditures, preparation of reports, and compliance with sponsor and University terms and conditions.
- Protects the interests of GCSU through careful review, negotiation, and approval of terms and conditions of sponsored project awards and ensures university compliance through effective post-award procedures.

Leading - 20
- Promotes links between funding opportunities and faculty, staff, and internal and external partners with complementary interests.
- Works with faculty and staff on proposal development; and facilitates the coordination and integration of interdepartmental research.
- As appropriate, leads and manages grant development activities including initial research, creation of timelines, identification of resources, proposal and report writing, data collection and aggregation, university and agency review processes, and submission of grant proposals to potential funding agencies.
- Develop and implement team strategies within OGSP staff (pre-award and post-award grant managers) to empower efficiency and productivity for robust organizational goals.

Strategic Planning - 15
- Develops and implements a strategic plan for enhancing the growth of external funds building on the strengths of the university, working with appropriate university groups and individuals in evaluating goals, objectives, and programs.
- Provides management and leadership for all aspects of departmental operations including budget oversight, strategic planning, staff supervision, professional development, and customer/support services.
- Ensures OGSP staff have the training and resources necessary to carry out their functions in an effective and efficient manner and serves as an expert in the resolution of issues.
- Oversees ongoing training and written materials for principal investigators, faculty, department administrators and research support staff.

Professional Development - 5
- Keeps abreast of current trends and policy changes relating to external funding and participates in related national and regional conferences and meetings.
- Maintains contact with funding agencies and serves as the University liaison with state, regional, and national organizations having special interests in funding scholarly activities.
- Encourages professional development among office staff to ensure current knowledge of policies and procedures related to grants and sponsored research activity.

Other - 5
- Contributes to the overall success of the OGSP by performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Educational Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field.

Required Experience
5-7 years of progressive experience in grants management, public funding administration, or related field
3+ years of supervisory/management experience
Demonstrated experience with federal, state, and local grant programs

Preferred Educational Qualifications
Masters Degree

Preferred Experience
Higher education experience
Certified Research Administrator (CRA)
Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS)
Project Management Professional (PMP)

This position is a pay grade 12. The available salary range is $60,868 to $90,571 . Starting salary within this range is based on relevant years of experience.

For more information about GCSU compensation practices, click here: https://www.gcsu.edu/humanresources/pay-grade-structure.

ABILITIES
- Strong administrative, planning, organizational, communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to think creatively to solve problems.
- Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with individuals including faculty, staff, students, and departmental and senior administrators.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality of records and information.
- Ability to work under pressure and with deadlines, multi-task, and handle many major projects at once.
- Ability to provide vision, shape policy, and oversee the accurate implementation of procedures in support of requests for external funding and administration of awards.
- Possess outstanding technical writing ability and strong ethics and integrity with highly sensitive material.
- Analytical abilities to identify and review problem situations, make independent decisions and/or recommend solutions.
- Demonstrated ability to provide a positive influence and bring expertise, team building and consensus-building with office staff.
- Ability to manage respective budgets and indirect revenue.

KNOWLEDGE
Extensive knowledge of pre-award and post-award functions, OMB Uniform Guidance, and compliance requirements related to university research and sponsored programs.

SKILLS
Excellent judgment, vision and leadership, decision-making, strategic planning, and sound reasoning skills.

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of the University System of Georgia (USG). The Board of Regents prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual's age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status ("protected status"). No individual shall be excluded from the participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation under, any USG program or activity because of the individual's protected status; nor shall any individual be given preferential treatment because of the individual's protected status, except that preferential treatment may be given on the basis of veteran status when appropriate under federal or state law.

This is a supervisory position.
This position has financial responsibilities.
This role is considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position does not require security clearance.

• Criminal Background Check
• Credit Report
• Education Verification