Working Title: Assistant Director, Office of Sponsored Programs - Financial Administration

State Role Title: N/A

Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) - Financial Administration

Department: 539001 - Sponsored Programs Accounting

Pay Band: N/A

Pay Rate: Pay Range

Specify Range or Amount: 65,000 - 75,000 

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? Yes. This is a grant-funded position and is contingent upon continued funding.

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 06/05/2026

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

The Assistant Director for Sponsored Programs Financial Administration provides leadership, oversight, and operational management of post-award services supporting the institution’s research and sponsored projects portfolio. This role ensures compliant financial management, effective award monitoring, compliant spending on sub-awards, timely reporting, and exceptional service to faculty and project teams. With a customer service focus, support 'post award' analysis and monitoring functions for sponsored projects maintaining compliance with university, federal, state regulations in accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accounts generally accepted accounting policies and procedures. Maintain high level of customer satisfaction acknowledging that Principal Investigators rarely embrace compliance, administrative, or accounting issues.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Sub-recipient Monitoring: Monitor/Approve payments for sub-recipients as budgeted in sponsored programs.
Review and approve financial transactions as approved for payments to sub-recipients and adjust transactions that require higher-level scrutiny.
Work with JMU’s PIs to gain approval to pay submitted invoices.
Work with Finance to gain approval for pre-payments to sub-awardees as approved by external sponsors.
Work with sub-recipients to audit submitted invoices for compliance with the submitted budget and the written budget justification.

Communications: Provide guidance to principal investigators, research administrators, and departmental staff on post-award requirements and best practices.
Represent the office in cross-campus meetings, committees, and working groups.
Act as a liaison to sponsors on post-award issues, financial matters, and award modifications.

Financial Compliance & Reporting: Ensure compliance with federal regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance), sponsor requirements, institutional policies, and audit standards.
Oversee the preparation and submission of financial reports, invoices, drawdowns, and related documentation.
Oversee the financial and administrative management of sponsored awards, including budget setup, expense monitoring, and cost allocations.
Serve as an institutional resource for interpreting sponsor terms, allowable costs, and compliance requirements.
Monitor award spending and facilitate proactive communication with investigators and departments regarding financial status.
Partner with other internal units to ensure accurate and timely transactions and reconciliations.

Leadership & Management: Supervise, mentor, and evaluate post-award staff, promoting a collaborative, customer-focused, and compliance-driven work environment.
Provide training, guidance, and professional development opportunities to staff and campus stakeholders.
Assist the Director with strategic planning, workflow optimization, and operational improvements for post-award services.
Contribute to the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and automated tools to enhance efficiency and accuracy in post-award administration.
Identify and resolve process bottlenecks, compliance risks, and training needs.
Support system upgrades, testing, data integrity reviews, and workflow enhancements in research administration systems (e.g., ERP, grants management tools).

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting, public administration, or related field or equivalent work experience.
Experience in research administration or sponsored programs, with a strong focus on post-award management.
Demonstrated knowledge of federal regulations governing sponsored projects (e.g., Uniform Guidance, federal agency guidelines).
Experience with grant management systems, financial reporting, and audit processes.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
Highly developed time-management, problem resolution, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
Proficiency in multi-tasking and prioritizing assignments in a deadline driven environment.
Capability to work independently or as part of a team.

Preferred Qualifications:

Supervisory experience in research administration setting.
Experience in higher education or a large research organization.

Additional Posting Information:

JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.