Executive Director - Research Administration

This Executive Director of Research Administration position is responsible for the administrative oversight of New York Blood Center Enterprises research and sponsored programs. He/she will provide comprehensive support to maximize productive use of time by the investigators and will coordinate and expedite the administrative, budgetary, and clerical requirements to support research.

In this role, the Executive Director will oversee pre/post awards, overall grant administration sub-awards supported by a variety of sponsors including local, federal, national, international, private, non-profit, public and for-profit organizations. He/she will assume the role of institutional officer (IO) and authorize Signing Official (SO) for all awards including in NIH's electronic systems (eRA Commons).

The Executive Director reports to the Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer with a dotted-line to the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and SVP/Executive Director of Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute (LFKRI).

Core Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Provide vision and direction for the Office of Sponsored Programs, aligning its operations with NYBCe's research mission and growth objectives.
• Serve as the institutional signatory (Authorized Organizational Representative) for all grant and contract submissions.
• Serve as institutional liaison during federal audits.
• Advise senior leadership, department heads, and principal investigators (PIs) on sponsored program strategy, funding opportunities, and research compliance.
• Develop and implement OSP policies, procedures, and standard operating guidelines aligned with federal regulations.

Pre-Award Administration

• Oversee review and submission of all grant and contract proposals.
• Ensure compliance with sponsor requirements (NIH, NSF, DoD, NYS, NYC, foundations).
• Validate budget development, IDC calculations, subrecipient budgets, effort commitments and salary caps.
• Maintain electronic research administration systems (eRA Commons, Research.gov, grants.gov, etc.).
• Support multi-PI, multi-site, and consortium applications.

Post-Award Administration

• Oversee award acceptance and account establishment.
• Ensure proper budget allocation and expense coding.
• Coordinate with finance to ensure timely invoicing, drawdowns and reporting.
• Monitor burn rates and financial projections.
• Ensure compliance with all sponsored guidelines and Federal Regulatory agencies, including Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200).

Portfolio & Awardee Management

• D-Fund budgeting, management and distribution.
• Manage contracts, cooperative agreements, state programs, and philanthropy-supported awards.
• Conduct monthly and quarterly portfolio reviews.
• Support institutional forecasting models for 3-5 year financial planning.

Staff Management & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of grants and contracts administrators, financial analysts, and support staff.
• Set performance expectations, conduct evaluations, and support professional development.
• Foster a customer-service culture within the OSP.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, public health, life sciences, or a related field.
• Master's degree or advanced certification (CRA) strongly preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10-12 years of progressively responsible experience in sponsored research administration, with at least 3-5 years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• Demonstrated expertise in federal grant regulations, including NIH grant mechanisms and OMB Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200).
• Experience with electronic research administration systems (eRA Commons, Grants.gov, ASSIST, Cayuse, Coeus, or similar).

Compensation:

For applicants who will perform this position in New York City or Westchester County, the proposed annual salary is $170,000 to $180,000. Salary will reflect local market rates and be commensurate with the applicant's skills, job-related knowledge, and experience.

About New York Blood Center Enterprises:

Founded in 1964, New York Blood Center (NYBC) has served the tri-state area for more than 60 years. NYBCe spans 17+ states and delivers one million blood products to 400+ U.S. hospitals annually. NYBCe's Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute is a leader in hematology and transfusion medicine research.

New York Blood Center Enterprises is an equal employment/affirmative action employer.