Sponsored Projects Administration is dedicated to providing excellent service to the contract and grant community. Sponsored Projects staff act as UCI's institutional officials in the review and submission of proposals to extramural sponsors for research, training and public service projects. Other institutional responsibilities include: negotiating and accepting awards on behalf of The Regents; drafting, negotiating and executing subcontracts; ensuring institutional compliance with Federal and State regulations, sponsor policy and University policy; representing the campus and The Regents when interacting with sponsors; coordinating pre-award and post-award actions that require either institutional or sponsor prior approval; and resolving problems related to sponsored projects.

Your Role on the Team

This position serves as a community-facing leader within Sponsored Projects Administration, engaging faculty, administrators, and external stakeholders through presentations, direct interactions, and representation at campus-wide, UC systemwide, and national research administration meetings and committees. As a key member of the Research Administration Management Team, the incumbent is responsible for short- and long-range planning for the Contract and Grant team, implementing strategic plans, and aligning operational priorities with Sponsored Projects Management to ensure effective and consistent service delivery. The role serves as the lead for complex sponsored project agreement negotiations involving federal, state, nonprofit, industry, and foreign sponsors, requiring in-depth knowledge of UC policy and demonstrated expertise in negotiating intellectual property, data use, confidentiality, publication rights, indemnification, and other compliance-related provisions. The incumbent partners with the Senior Director to continuously evaluate workload, procedures, and negotiation strategies to drive operational efficiency and effectiveness, and advises senior campus leadership - including Associate Vice Chancellors and the Vice Chancellor for Research - on policy impacts, compliance concerns, and operational improvements. This position provides oversight of proposal review, award administration, agreement negotiation and acceptance, clinical trial agreements, and subaward activities, ensuring all terms protect University interests while balancing sponsor and subrecipient requirements. The incumbent manages Contract and Grant staff through subordinate supervisors, overseeing recruitment, hiring, onboarding, performance management, workload distribution, and professional development to build and sustain a high-performing team. The role establishes team goals, workload metrics, productivity measures, and service standards, and continuously assesses staffing capacity and implements process improvements in response to growth and complexity in sponsored projects activity. As the primary institutional expert on sponsored projects policy, the incumbent analyzes federal, state, sponsor, UC, and UCI regulations, develops and maintains internal policies and procedures, and provides guidance to faculty, department chairs, deans, and other campus officials on complex compliance matters. The position exercises delegated authority on behalf of The Regents to review, approve, and execute sponsored project agreements, contracts, grants, and subawards, serving as an authorized institutional signatory for proposal submissions and award acceptance activities. Additionally, the incumbent develops and delivers training programs, workshops, and professional development initiatives for Contract and Grant staff and the broader campus community, addressing emerging issues in research administration and ensuring ongoing subject matter expertise across the team.

NOTE: This is primarily a remote position. Infrequently, this position may need, or be required, to work on campus.

What It Takes to be Successful

Total Rewards

In addition to the salary range listed below, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

The expected pay range for this recruitment is $108,100- $146,890 (Annual).

Required:

• Demonstrated ability to negotiate mutually beneficial agreements.
• Knowledge of industry and grant funding best practices and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently; excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Service orientation, strong management skills, leadership, sound judgment and decision making, critical thinking and creative problem solving.
• Demonstrated skills using common desktop / web applications; understanding of research enterprise databases.
• Ability to communicate clearly verbally and in writing to multiple constituencies.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
• 10+ years of related experience

Preferred:

• In-depth knowledge of the organization's operational, personnel, and financial transactions and systems related to administration of contracts and grants.

Conditions of Employment:

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks to provide a safe and healthy environment for the entire UCI community. As part of this commitment, all applicants who accept an offer of employment must comply with the following conditions of employment:

• Background Check and Live Scan
• Employment Misconduct*
• Legal Right to work in the United States
• Vaccination Policies
• Smoking and Tobacco Policy
• Drug Free Environment

*Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

• California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
• E-Verify
• Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page - https://hr.uci.edu/new-hire/conditions-of-employment.php

Consideration for Work Authorization Sponsorship

Must be able to provide proof of work authorization