Senior Sponsored Agreements Administrator

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff “for fit” makes significant contributions to Howard University’s overall mission.

At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth.

Here is what we offer: 

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match 
• Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

Join Howard University and thrive with us! 

https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellness

JOB PURPOSE:

The Senior Sponsored Agreements Administrator serves as a senior technical specialist for incoming sponsored agreements and award actions. The role independently reviews, drafts, negotiates, and coordinates the acceptance and modification of grants, cooperative agreements, research contracts, incoming subawards, clinical trial agreements, and other sponsored-program instruments; identifies and escalates institutional risk; and ensures each matter is documented, setup-ready, and handed off cleanly to the appropriate account setup, Post-Award, and central-office functions. The position reports to the Senior Director, Sponsored Programs Office, Pre-Award and is accountable for timely, accurate, policy-aligned management of an assigned portfolio.

SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY:

May provide technical guidance and informal mentorship to junior team members but does not have direct supervisory responsibility.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

This position reports directly to the Senior Director, Sponsored Programs Office (SPO), Pre-Award and is a key member of the incoming award and research agreement function. The role is focused on sponsored agreements and related award actions across federal, nonprofit, foundation, industry, and other external sponsors. The position manages matters from intake and triage through review, negotiation, execution or acceptance, modification, and documented handoff to the appropriate downstream function.

The Senior Sponsored Agreements Administrator collaborates closely with Pre-Award colleagues, Office of General Counsel, Compliance, Post-Award, Finance, principal investigators, academic departments, and other central offices. While this is a non-supervisory role, the position is expected to function as a senior technical resource, maintain clear ownership of assigned matters, support clean cross-functional handoffs, and contribute to process optimization, SOP refinement, and training.

The position requires demonstrated fluency in university or comparable sponsored research administration; an in-depth understanding of sponsored agreements and federal, sponsor, and institutional requirements (including 2 CFR 200 and applicable FAR/DFARS provisions); and disciplined use of research administration and enterprise systems. The incumbent must be able to independently research and apply requirements, distinguish among agreement and award-action types, manage multiple complex matters simultaneously, maintain accurate and audit-ready records, identify cross-functional dependencies, and escalate issues early with a clear analysis of the risk and recommended path forward.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Sponsored Agreement & Award Action Review
  • Independently review, draft, and negotiate a wide range of sponsored agreements, including grants, cooperative agreements, research contracts, incoming subawards, clinical trial agreements, and related amendments or modifications.
  • Analyze incoming award actions, including new awards, amendments or modifications, no-cost extensions, carryover or carryforward requests, cost share or other institutional commitments, prior approvals, and changes in scope, key personnel, or other award terms, to determine required review, approvals, routing, and documentation.
  • Interpret standard and non-standard terms to ensure alignment with university policy, sponsor requirements, and applicable federal requirements.
  • Apply approved fallback language and institutional positions; coordinate with leadership, Office of General Counsel, Compliance, Finance, or other responsible offices when deviations, legal issues, or material risk indicators arise.
  • Confirm the appropriate instrument or award-action classification and required institutional approvals before execution, acceptance, or downstream handoff.

• Portfolio Ownership, Timeliness & Workflow Control
  • Own assigned matters from assignment through execution or acceptance and documented handoff, maintaining a current status, next action, responsible party, dependencies, and expected timing in the designated institutional system of record.
  • Meet established SPO response and processing standards; proactively follow up on outstanding items, communicate material delays, and escalate aging or stalled matters before sponsor, institutional, or regulatory deadlines are jeopardized.
  • Do not report or close a matter as complete until required actions, approvals, documentation, system updates, and handoffs are complete and can be verified.
  • Maintain records sufficient for continuity and coverage, and identify and escalate cross-unit or system dependencies that prevent timely progress.

• Compliance Review & Risk Management
  • Conduct and document required compliance and risk screening, including issues related to foreign involvement, export controls, cost share, publication, intellectual property and data rights, financial commitments, and FFATA, as applicable to the action.
  • Identify and escalate high-risk clauses or requirements involving publication rights, indemnification, governing law, intellectual property, data rights, confidentiality, foreign involvement, financial exposure, or other institutional risk.
  • Research and apply 2 CFR 200, applicable FAR/DFARS provisions, sponsor terms, institutional policy, and established guidance to develop a recommended path forward; escalate matters with a concise issue summary, identified risk, and proposed options when authority or specialized review is required.
  • Coordinate with the appropriate responsible office to ensure deviations from institutional standards are reviewed and documented before execution or acceptance.

• Systems, Documentation & Data Integrity
  • Use the designated systems of record and workflow tools, including Cayuse, Workday, ticketing or case-management tools, and approved repositories, to maintain complete and current records for assigned matters.
  • Maintain version-controlled agreement files, sponsor and institutional correspondence, executed documents, approvals, compliance documentation, and material decision history in accordance with SPO standards.
  • Accurately enter, update, and reconcile award and agreement data so institutional systems reflect the executed instrument, current status, key terms, dates, sponsor information, and downstream management requirements.
  • Ensure material terms and obligations that affect account setup or Post-Award administration are clearly documented and transferred through the required handoff; email or personal tracking tools are not substitutes for the designated institutional record.

• Stakeholder Communication & Handoffs
  • Serve as a key liaison among Pre-Award, Post-Award, Office of General Counsel, Compliance, Finance, department administrators, principal investigators, and external sponsors for assigned agreement and award actions.
  • Communicate clearly, accurately, professionally, and within established service standards regarding outstanding items, review status, compliance holds, sponsor questions, expected timing, and required next steps.
  • Provide proactive status updates when a matter is delayed or dependent on another office, and ensure affected stakeholders understand ownership, dependency, and next action.
  • Complete and document required handoffs to account setup, Post-Award, Compliance, Office of General Counsel, or other responsible offices, including confirmation that required information and supporting documentation have been provided.
  • Lead or co-facilitate internal kickoff or transition meetings for complex or high-risk awards when required.

• Process Support, SOPs & Training
  • Follow approved policies, SOPs, workflows, checklists, and documentation standards; raise ambiguity or conflicts through the established escalation path rather than relying on undocumented workarounds.
  • Recommend workflow, system, or governance improvements based on recurring delays, sponsor patterns, audit findings, data-quality issues, or internal pain points.
  • Contribute to SOP updates, job aids, training materials, and knowledge resources for sponsored agreement review, award actions, risk escalation, and documentation.
  • Provide technical guidance and informal mentorship to junior staff consistent with the responsibilities of a senior-level individual contributor.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Deep knowledge of university or comparable sponsored research administration and the sponsored award lifecycle.
• Working knowledge of 2 CFR 200, applicable FAR/DFARS provisions, sponsor-specific requirements, and institutional policies governing sponsored programs.
• Demonstrated expertise reviewing and negotiating federal and non-federal sponsored agreements, including the ability to identify non-standard terms and institutional risk.
• Ability to distinguish among sponsored-program instruments and award actions and identify associated approvals, compliance requirements, and downstream implications.
• Independent research, analysis, judgment, and escalation skills, including the ability to frame an issue, identify the governing requirement, assess risk, and recommend a path forward.
• Strong portfolio and queue management skills, including prioritization, aging control, follow-through, status accuracy, and deadline protection.
• Demonstrated systems and data discipline using electronic research administration, contract-management, and/or ticketing/case-management systems; experience with Cayuse and Workday is preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including sponsor-facing communication, faculty service, expectation-setting, and cross-functional coordination.
• Commitment to audit-ready documentation, version control, accurate institutional records, and complete handoffs.
• Initiative, adaptability, professional judgment, and a continuous-improvement mindset appropriate for a high-accountability research administration environment.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• At least five years of progressively responsible sponsored research administration experience in a higher education institution, academic medical center, nonprofit research institute, or comparable sponsored research environment.
• The required experience must include direct responsibility for incoming sponsored agreement or award review, negotiation, acceptance, modification, or administration; at least three years independently managing complex federal and non-federal sponsored agreements or award actions is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting and applying federal and non-federal sponsor requirements, including 2 CFR 200 and relevant FAR/DFARS provisions, within a sponsored research environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a concurrent portfolio of complex matters while maintaining accurate status, documentation, system records, and timely stakeholder communication.
• General procurement, commercial contracting, or federal acquisition experience may complement the required background but does not substitute for direct sponsored research administration experience.
• Demonstrated ability to perform the core duties of the position independently after standard institutional onboarding and systems training, while recognizing matters that require escalation or specialized review.

KEY SUCCESS INDICATORS:

• Timeliness and portfolio control: assigned matters progress within established SPO service standards, aging is actively managed, and material delays are communicated and escalated before they become avoidable crises.
• Technical quality and judgment: agreement terms, award-action requirements, classifications, approvals, and risk issues are accurately identified and handled at a level consistent with a senior technical role.
• Systems and documentation integrity: designated systems contain current, accurate, and complete status, documentation, approvals, correspondence, and material decision history sufficient to support continuity, reporting, and audit readiness.
• Ownership and follow-through: assigned matters have a clear next action and responsible party; completion is reported only when required actions and handoffs are verifiably complete.
• Communication and stakeholder service: internal and external communications are timely, accurate, professional, policy-grounded, and sufficiently clear to support informed action by investigators, sponsors, and partner offices.
• Risk management and escalation: material issues are identified early and escalated with a concise analysis, supporting information, and a recommended path forward.
• Independence and institutional contribution: following standard onboarding, the incumbent performs core responsibilities with the level of independent judgment expected of a senior administrator and contributes constructively to SOP, training, workflow, and continuous-improvement efforts.

*Hybrid flexible preferred*

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure

Compensation Range: $110,000 - $125,000