Associate Director, Operations
Job Summary
The Associate Director for Operations provides senior leadership and operational oversight for the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) at the University of Utah. The position is responsible for coordinating and advancing core operational functions that support the Universityโs research enterprise, including postโaward administration, business operations, workflow management, compliance implementation, systems coordination, administrative infrastructure, and crossโunit operational alignment. This role serves as a key operational leader within OSP and works closely with institutional partners to support consistent, efficient, and compliant research administration processes. The Associate Director helps ensure operational stability, service quality, and organizational readiness in an increasingly complex and highly regulated research environment. This is a hybrid work opportunity.
Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership & Operational Oversight
- Team Management and Workforce Development (team of 5+)
- PostโAward Processing & Support for Faculty and Sponsors
- Research Administration systems governance
- Administrative Infrastructure
- Crossโunit Collaboration
- Operational Management & Workflow
- Staff Leadership & Development
- Metrics, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
Minimum Qualifications
EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelorโs degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).
Associate Director, Business Operations Analysis Management: Requires a bachelorโs (or equivalency) + 10 years or a masterโs (or equivalency) + 8 years of directly related work experience.
Preferences
- Significant experience in academic research administration, sponsored projects administration, or closely related higher education operational environments.
- Demonstrated experience leading operational, postโaward, or complianceโsensitive functions within a complex research enterprise.
- Experience supervising professional staff and managing highโvolume operational workflows in a serviceโoriented environment.
- Working knowledge of federal sponsored project regulations and frameworks, including Uniform Guidance, subrecipient monitoring, cost principles, audit requirements, and sponsor compliance expectations.
- Experience working with research administration systems and enterprise platforms, including electronic research administration (eRA) systems, workflow tools, financial systems, and reporting environments.
- Demonstrated ability to lead crossโfunctional coordination among administrative, financial, compliance, and research support offices.
- Experience developing or implementing operational process improvements, governance frameworks, metrics, service standards, or continuous improvement initiatives.
- Strong organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to navigate complex institutional environments and manage competing priorities.
- Experience supporting VAโrelated research administration activities, intergovernmental personnel agreements (IPAs), or other complex institutional collaborations is preferred.
- Advanced degree and/or professional certification related to research administration, business operations, compliance, public administration, or a related field is preferred.
Location and Compensation
Location: Campus
Full Time schedule: 8:00โฏam โ 5:00โฏpm, MondayโFriday
Pay Rate Range: $90,000โฏโโฏ$125,000
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