Department
BSD ADM - Research Administration
About The Department
The University of Chicago is an intellectual community and a globally renowned research institution dedicated to fostering innovative and impactful research in various domains, including the Biological Sciences. The Biological Sciences Division is at the forefront of cutting-edge research and the Research Administration Office plays a pivotal role in supporting and facilitating the faculty who conduct research.
Job Summary
The job manages multiple related teams of managers and professional staff responsible to administer pre-award and/or post-award activities relating to grant and contract proposals/funding within a department or unit.
The Director of Training Grants for the Biological Sciences Division (BSD) provides strategic leadership and expert guidance to strengthen and expand the University of Chicago's portfolio of federally and privately funded research training programs. This role supports faculty across BSD departments and institutes in developing, submitting, and managing complex training grants—including NIH T32, T35, F31/32, K12, NSF training mechanisms, and foundation-sponsored programs.
The Director serves as the Division's primary resource for training and education grant administration, ensuring that UChicago maintains the highest compliance to institutional and agency policy.
Responsibilities
Partner with faculty, department chairs, graduate training program chairs, the Office of Graduate Affairs, and the Postdoctoral Affairs Office to strengthen training environments across the Division.
Identify emerging funding opportunities and advise departments, graduate programs, and institutes on long-term planning for new and renewed training programs.
Lead and oversee teams of pre/post professionals within the Biological Sciences Division.
Oversee creation and quality control of NIH training tables, data summaries, and outcomes documentation.
Develop and maintain boiler plate language for T and F awards to meets general requirements for RCR, Rigor & Reproducibility, Data Management, Resources & Facilities, Vertebrate Animal Use, Human Subjects Use, and any additional 'other documents' that may be required.
Work with training grant directors, their local administrators, and BSD's faculty training grant coordinator to ensure competing new and renewal applications are fully meeting all agency requirements.
Provide oversight for active training grants, including progress reports, appointments, reappointments, terminations, trainee tracking, and coordination with departmental and graduate program administrators.
Ensure compliance with NIH and other sponsor requirements, including trainee eligibility, appropriate use of TRE and travel allocations, RCR training, appointment processes, RPPRs, and financial reporting.
Develop and maintain divisional policies, procedures, and resources to standardize training grant operations across BSD.
Help identify potential opportunities to apply for new awards and work with BSD's faculty training grant coordinator to advise potential training grant directors regarding preparation of new proposals.
Partner closely with the Dean of Students Office to align training programs with BSD-wide goals.
Serve as BSD's subject matter expert on training grants and represent the Division on relevant University committees and working groups.
Participate in national and regional professional networks to stay current on evolving sponsor expectations, best practices, and benchmarking opportunities.
Manages managers and professional staff. Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates.
Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates. Ensures service and communication to PIs, standardized information, best practices development, and that all faculty and research staff are aware of any new grant policies and changes.
Maintains knowledge of industry trends and remains current with agency and regulatory changes. Plans for department/ unit compliance with University, Divisional and Department policies and procedures and implements corrective actions for issues identified.
Performs other related work as needed.
Education:
Minimum Qualifications
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Certifications:
Preferred Qualifications
Education:
College or university degree in related field.
Experience:
Minimum 10 years of experience in research administration, training grant development, graduate or postdoctoral program management, or related roles.
Extensive knowledge of NIH training mechanisms and federal sponsor policies.
Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-investigator grant submissions.
Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives and synthesize scientific content.
Strong analytical, organizational, and project-management abilities.
Ability to collaborate effectively with faculty, administrators, trainees, and central offices.
Demonstrated commitment to fostering diverse, equitable, and inclusive training environments.
Experience with higher education administration within a research-intensive institution.
Familiarity with UChicago administrative structures, especially URA, BSD Dean's Offices, and divisional academic units.
Experience with trainee tracking systems, data analytics, or program evaluation.
Preferred Competencies
Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives and synthesize scientific content.
Strong analytical, organizational, and project-management abilities.
Ability to collaborate effectively with faculty, administrators, trainees, and central offices.
Experience with trainee tracking systems, data analytics, or program evaluation.
Working Conditions
Full-time position located within the BSD Research Administration Office.
Remote position.
Occasional after-hours work may be required during major proposal deadlines.
Application Documents
Resume (required)
Cover Letter (preferred)
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Financial Management
Role Impact
People Manager
Scheduled Weekly Hours
40
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Pay Rate Type
Salary
FLSA Status
Exempt
Pay Range
$140, $200,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.
Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.
Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
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