Senior Director (Financial Admin Leader), Research Administration and Finance

Indiana University

$125K — $150K *
Finance & Insurance
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field.
  • 5 years of related functional experience.
  • 3 years of management experience in finance or a related field.
  • Strong grant experience preferred.
  • Knowledge of not-for-profit and GASB accounting standards preferred.

Responsibilities

  • Coordinate grant and funding distribution across IU Lab and IU Inc.
  • Translate executed agreements into financial systems for budget creation and fund distribution.
  • Collaborate with research administrators to ensure smooth funding processes.
  • Serve as the point of contact for external partners navigating university processes.
  • Manage the financial lifecycle of funds including allocation and reporting.
  • Ensure compliance with funding requirements and support audit readiness.
  • Develop scalable processes and internal controls for financial activities.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
  • Health savings account with generous IU contributions
  • Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
  • Tuition subsidy for employees and family members
  • Generous paid time off plans
Full Job Description
Job Summary

Indiana University is seeking a strong multidisciplined fiscal leader for IU Lab. This role will interact or lead many areas within finance including state, federal, industry, and philanthropic reporting, grant tracking, cash management, budgeting, forecasting, operating model development, procurement, internal control and fiscal policy development. IU Lab is a new organization and this role will help establish baseline policies and controls.

Department-Specific Responsibilities
  • Serves as the primary back-end point of coordination for grant, industry, and consortium funding flowing into IU Inc. and IU LAB, and its distribution throughout IU in accordance with the underlying agreements.
  • Translate executed agreements into IU's financial and research-administration systems - establishing accounts, budgets, subawards, and fund distributions across IU schools, departments, and units.
  • Partners closely with IU's Office of Research, sponsored programs (pre- and post-award), and school-level research administrators to ensure external funding is received, routed, and administered smoothly and in compliance.
  • Serves as the "IU-fluent" interface for external partners navigating university processes, offices, and approvals so that industry and consortium partners experience a clean, professional single point of contact rather than institutional complexity.
  • Manages the full financial lifecycle of funds passing through IU Inc. and IU LAB: receipt, allocation, subaward and subcontract setup, invoicing, indirect and administrative-fee handling, reconciliation, and reporting.
  • Coordinates execution of agreements across IU schools, departments, central offices, and capital planning - ensuring each unit's budgets, obligations, deliverables, and timelines are established and tracked.
  • Ensures compliance with funder requirements (federal grants/Uniform Guidance, industry contract terms), IU policies, and the specific terms of each agreement, and support audit readiness.
  • Builds and documents repeatable, scalable processes and internal controls for moving external funding through IU, anticipating the growing volume and complexity of an outside entity implementing in partnership with the university.
  • Provides financial reporting, forecasting, and analysis on funds administered through IU Inc. and IU LAB to leadership, external partners, and funders.
  • Operates under a dotted-line relationship to the IU Inc. Chief Administrative Officer, aligning fund flows, administrative-fee structures, and reporting with IU Inc. and IU central finance.
General Responsibilities
  • Directs the daily and long-term financial and/or administrative operations of multiple university units or an unusually large multi-faceted academic, research, and teaching department within a school or college.
  • Responsible for accuracy, timelines, and the general integrity of the Financial Administration family, and fiscal, policy, and internal control management.
  • Creates annual revenue and expenditure budget for a large school/college. Develops budgetary policies and procedures.
  • Develops models and provides recommendations to executive leadership for resource allocations and to enhance financial performance.
  • Develops and introduces growth strategies and identifies risks.
  • Monitors division and campus budgets and reports any significant deviations from approved budgets.
  • Controls all expenditures and statement of accounts to ensure regulatory compliance and fiscal integrity.
  • Directs the management of general appropriation, endowment, federal and non-federal grants and contracts, and gift funds.
  • Develops, plans, and directs special projects, which may include space renovations, space allocations, staffing, equipment purchases, long-range plans, leasing of off-campus space and services.
  • Provides leadership and direction through other managers.
Qualifications

EDUCATION

Required
  • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field.
WORK EXPERIENCE

Required
  • 5 years of related functional experience.
  • 3 years of management experience in related field.
Preferred
  • Strong grant experience.
  • Knowledge of not-for-profit and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) accounting standards.
SKILLS

Required
  • Proficient written and verbal communication skills.
  • Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
  • Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills.
  • Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
  • Excellent organizational skills.
  • Excellent collaboration and team building skills.
  • Effectively coaches and delivers constructive feedback.
  • Instills commitment to organizational goals.
  • Demonstrates excellent judgment and decision making skills.
  • Effective conflict management skills.
  • Builds and manages effective teams.
  • Effective leadership skills.
  • Ability to represent the company with external constituents.
  • Ability to drive multiple projects to successful completion.
  • Experience using large scale financial platforms in and/or for a variety of financial operations.
  • Advanced ability to interpret financial documents from an accounting, policy, and practice perspective.
  • Experience in project management, user-testing, and implementation and/or development of financial structures, policies, and procedures.
  • Intermediate accounting skills and an understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
  • Ability to mine data from multiple sources and integrate into usable formats.
  • Ability to clearly present material and make it accessible to a variety of audiences.
  • Ability to understand and interpret financial policies, regulations, and pertinent state/federal laws.
  • Advanced knowledge of financial statements and different budgetary models; ability to apply in different situations.
  • Knowledge of human resources laws and procedures as related to managing staff; knowledge and understanding of the importance of mentors and mentorships.
  • Demonstrates ability to create workable solutions from broad concepts and ideas, projections, forecasting, and long term planning.
Working Conditions / Demands

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

Regular travel required across Indiana University campuses (Bloomington, Indianapolis, and regional campuses), as well as to national conferences, partner corporate headquarters, and international destinations as needed.

Additional Information

The role will transition to the new IU LAB facility upon its completion in 2027.

Work Location

16 Tech Innovation District.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Benefits Overview

For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:
  • Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
  • Health savings account with generous IU contributions
  • Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
  • Basic group life insurance paid by IU
  • Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
  • Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
  • Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
  • Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
  • 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
  • Generous paid time off plans
  • Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
  • Employee assistance program (EAP)
Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure .

Job Classification

Career Level: Strategic

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Finance

Job Family: Financial Administration

Click here to learn more about Indiana University's Job Framework.

Posting Disclaimer

This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.

If you wish to include a cover letter, you may include it with your resume when uploading attachments.

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