Details **Open Date** 02/13/2026 **Requisition Number** PRN44281B **Job Title** Grant Development Management **Working Title** Director, Pre-Award Office **Career Progression Track** M00 **Track Level** M6 - Director **FLSA Code** Administrative **Patient Sensitive Job Code?** No **Standard Hours per Week** 40 **Full Time or Part Time?** Full Time **Shift** Day **Work Schedule Summary** The schedule for this role will typically be Monday-Friday & standard VPR business hours of 8:00am-5:00pm. This position leads an external grant assistance team. Some nights and weekends may be required based on deadlines of external grants and needs of the business. This is a hybrid position with a required 2-3 days in office, on campus. No fully-remote option is available. **VP Area** President **Department** 02111 - Pre-Award Research Support **Location** Campus **City** Salt Lake City, UT **Type of Recruitment** External Posting **Pay Rate Range** $75,398 - $128,889 **Close Date** 04/13/2026 **Priority Review Date (Note - Posting may close at any time)** **Job Summary** The Vice President for Research ( VPR ) Office in partnership with the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Office seeks a Director to lead the University of Utah Pre-Award Office, a centralized unit that supports investigators across main campus and the health sciences in the preparation and submission of extramural funding proposals. The mission of the Pre-Award Office is to assist investigators with the preparation and submission of applications for extramural funding. Services include researching funding opportunities; initiating and managing applications; providing instructions and compliance checklists; assisting with budget development; reviewing proposal materials for accuracy, clarity, and compliance; and coordinating with the Office of Sponsored Projects for submission. The Pre-Award Office serves select departments and colleges across both main campus and the health sciences and continues to expand its scope of support in response to institutional growth. The Director of the Pre-Award Office provides strategic and operational leadership for a growing, high-volume pre-award organization, ensuring consistent, compliant, and investigator-centric services while scaling support to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding research enterprise. Reporting jointly to the Associate Vice President for Research ( AVPR ) and the Executive Director for the Health Sciences Research Office, the Director partners closely with research leadership and administration (example: OSP ), colleges, and departments to advance institutional research goals. Within the first 12-24 months, the Director will be expected to scale pre-award services in line with growth opportunities, strengthen relationships with colleges/units, advance consistent training and best practices, and continue to position the Pre-Award Office as a trusted strategic partner in proposal preparation and submission across the University. **Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu** **.** **Responsibilities** **Primary responsibilities of this role include, but are not limited to, the following:** + **Provide strategic and operational leadership** for pre-award services across main campus and the health sciences, including defining service models, workflows, staffing structures, performance standards, and scalable processes that support a growing research enterprise. + **Direct and manage the Pre-Award Office team** , including recruitment, onboarding, training, mentoring, workload balancing, and performance management, to ensure a high-functioning, professional, and sustainable organization. + **Oversee the preparation, review, and submission** of foundation-, and government-sponsored extramural proposals, ensuring accuracy, compliance, competitiveness, and timeliness across a broad sponsor portfolio. + **Guide proposal planning and feasibility assessment** , including review of sponsor guidelines, timelines, and institutional requirements, and advising investigators and units on submission readiness and risk mitigation. + **Ensure high-quality review of proposal components** for compliance, clarity, and alignment with sponsor and institutional expectations, while establishing clear boundaries and expectations regarding scope of service. + **Serve as a key liaison** between research leadership, colleges, departments, faculty, administrators, the Office of Sponsored Projects, and other central offices to ensure alignment of pre-award operations with institutional strategy. + **Cultivate investigator-centric service models** that balance high-quality support with transparent expectations, consistent service delivery, and sustainable workloads. + **Inform and advance University best practices** in pre-award operations, including the development and delivery of training programs for research administrators and campus partners. + **Advise university leadership** on pre-award operations, and emerging issues related to research growth, regulatory complexity, and service expansion across academic and health sciences environments. + **Assess and report on service effectiveness** , including conducting periodic service satisfaction surveys of research leadership, colleges, departments, investigators, and administrators, and developing reports and recommendations as requested. + **Perform related duties in support of the University’s research mission** , as assigned by the AVPR . **Minimum Qualifications** **EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT :** 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor’s degree = 4 years of directly related work experience). **Director, Grant Development Management:** Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) + 12 years or a master’s (or equivalency) + 10 years of directly related work experience. **Preferences** + Experience leading pre-award services at the departmental, unit, college, or institutional level within a research-intensive university. + Demonstrated success managing and developing professional staff, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and change leadership. + Experience working across broad sponsor portfolios, including federal agencies (e.g., NIH , NSF , DoD, NEH , DoT), foundations, and industry. + Strong organizational, analytical, and process-improvement skills, with the ability to manage fluctuating proposal volumes and competing deadlines. + Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with faculty, administrators, and research leadership. **Type** Benefited Staff **Special Instructions Summary** **Additional Information** _The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students from diverse backgrounds and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education for historically underrepresented students._ _Individuals from historically underrepresented groups, such as minorities, women, qualified persons with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply. Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities._ _The University of Utah is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both._ _To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action:_ _Director/ Title IX Coordinator_ _Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action ( OEO /AA)_ _383 University Street, Level 1 OEO Suite_ _Salt Lake City, UT 84112_ _801-581-8365_ _oeo@utah.edu_ _Online reports may be submitted at_ **oeo.utah.edu** **_For more information:_** **https://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/** **_To inquire about this posting, email:_** **employment@utah.edu** **_or call 801-581-2300._** _The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801) 581-7447 for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801) 366-7770 or (800) 695-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801) 581-7447 if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules._ _This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen._ _https://safety.utah.edu/safetyreport This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South._