Position OverviewThe Associate Director position is on the Research Fiscal Affairs team in the Office of Research, and will represent the KU Center for KUCR, a separate legal entity affiliated with KU. The Associate Director's primary responsibilities include: 1) Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex contracts with a variety of vendor and client types on behalf of KUCR/KU, and working with KU General Counsel as needed; 2) Implementing policies and procedures to ensure compliance with Uniform Guidance and KUCR procurement policies; 3) Overseeing requisitions for the acquisition of goods and services for University research. This position also serves as a resource for the KU research community on matters related to negotiation or acceptance of terms and conditions in contracts. This position will supervise the staff in the research contracting and purchasing functions.
Due to complex state employment laws, the University of Kansas may be unable to hire fully remote workers for this position outside of Kansas. Specifically, we cannot currently offer employment to candidates residing in the following states: California, Delaware, Idaho & Minnesota. We appreciate your understanding and invite interested individuals from eligible states to apply.Job Description60% | Contract Administration - Lead the review, drafting, negotiation, execution, and administration of complex agreements for KUCR, including business service agreements, fee for service agreements, master service agreements, statements of work, consulting agreements, hotel and event agreements, research consortium agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other assigned contracts.
- Evaluate contractual terms, identify legal, financial, operational, compliance, and reputational risks, and negotiate terms consistent with KUCR and University requirements.
- Identify when a proposed service arrangement may constitute sponsored activity and coordinate referral to the appropriate office.
- Coordinate appropriate due diligence and compliance review when applicable.
- Determine and apply appropriate escalation and review pathways and/or coordinate with the University of Kansas Office of General Counsel and other subject-matter experts when agreements include nonstandard, high-risk, or specialized terms.
- Ensure negotiations, approvals, revisions, and final documents are appropriately documented and maintained in searchable contract records and workflow systems.
- Oversee contract intake, assignment, status tracking, quality control, and workload management to support timely and consistent service.
- Maintain and improve standard templates, guidance, negotiation resources, systems, controls, and procedures for contract execution and administration.
- Serve as a primary resource to faculty, staff, administrators, and external organizations regarding contract requirements, processes, and terms and conditions.
- Supervise, coach, and develop contracting staff; establish expectations and review work to promote accuracy, consistency, sound judgment, and responsive service.
20% | Procurement, Purchase Orders, and Subcontract Invoice Administration- Lead staff responsible for procurement support and the administration of subcontract purchase orders and invoice workflows, including purchase order issuance, invoice coordination, issue resolution, and closeout.
- Ensure procurement and payment documentation is complete and compliant with applicable federal requirements, University policies, and KUCR procedures, including competition, quotation, bid, and sole-source documentation when required.
- Advise researchers and research administrators on acquiring equipment, supplies, and services through the University's procure-to-pay systems.
- Resolve complex payment and procurement issues in collaboration with Post Award, principal investigators, vendors, and other University offices.
- Establish cross-training and business-continuity practices to support timely processing and appropriate segregation of duties.
10% | Procurement Policy, Compliance, and Training- Monitor developments in research procurement, contracting, and federal compliance and recommend policy and procedural updates to the Director of Budgets and Financial Services.
- Develop, implement, document, and periodically assess procurement policies, procedures, internal controls, and desk guides.
- Serve as a subject-matter expert for research procurement and business contracting matters.
- Develop and deliver training, tools, and outreach that help faculty and staff understand and effectively use KUCR procurement and contracting processes.
- Use operational data, stakeholder feedback, and risk assessments to identify and implement process improvements.
5% | Risk Management and Insurance- Provide oversight and coordination for contractual and financial risk-management matters affecting KUCR research operations.
- Coordinate with the Office of Risk Management and other stakeholders regarding insurance requirements, coverage limits, certificates of insurance, claims, applications, audits, and related reporting.
- Negotiate or support negotiation of insurance provisions and recommend practical risk-mitigation strategies.
5% | Leadership, Reporting, Systems, and Other Duties- Develop performance measures, reports, and dashboards to monitor workload, timeliness, service quality, compliance, and operational efficiency.
- Provide functional ownership and ongoing administration for assigned contract-management and workflow systems.
- Lead or participate in special projects and perform other related duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications- Master's degree or Juris Doctor and three years of related experience, or bachelor's degree and five years of related experience.
- Two years of experience supervising, leading, or formally directing the work of staff.
- Experience reviewing, negotiating, or administering contracts, procurement transactions, or related business agreements.
- Experience applying policies, regulations, or internal controls to business or financial processes.
- Experience using Microsoft Excel and Word, as demonstrated in application materials.
- Demonstrated attention to detail and accuracy, as evidenced in application materials.
- Demonstrated written communication skills, as evidenced in application materials.
- Experience working independently and collaboratively with customers and cross-functional partners.
This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.Preferred Qualifications- Experience applying 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance) to procurement, subaward or subcontract payment, or other research-administration activities.
- Experience drafting or negotiating complex commercial, service, fee-for-service, equipment-use, confidentiality, consortium, license, lease, or event agreements.
- Experience in a university, nonprofit research foundation, sponsored-research, or research-administration environment.
- Experience with Oracle Financials or another enterprise financial or procure-to-pay system.
- Experience with contract-lifecycle, workflow, ticketing, or document-management systems.
- Experience developing policies, procedures, training, metrics, dashboards, or process improvements.
- Experience with grant accounting or sponsored-project administration.
Additional Candidate InstructionIn addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:
- A cover letter addressing how required and preferred qualifications are met.
- Resume or curriculum vitae.
- Contact information for three (3) professional references.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.Application review begins Monday, November 9, 2026, and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants is identified.
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