Associate Director - Research Financial Administration

Position Summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. In line with UAE regulations, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint an Associate Director, Research Financial Administration reporting to the Director of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs.

The Associate Director, Research Financial Administration leads the post-award financial administration of NYU Abu Dhabi’s research enterprise within the Office of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs.

Reporting to the Director, the position provides strategic and operational leadership across internal and externally sponsored research funding, including grants, contracts, gifts, faculty research programs, research centers and research infrastructure. The Associate Director is responsible for effective financial stewardship throughout the post-award lifecycle, including award establishment, budgeting, expenditure monitoring, forecasting, financial compliance, sponsor reporting, receivables and closeout. The portfolio includes the Research Institute — the multi-year sponsored research centers — which represents a substantial share of the office’s research financial administration workload and is managed by this position.

The position leads the Research Financial Administration team and serves as a key financial partner to Principal Investigators, faculty, Deans, research leadership and University administrative offices. The role works closely with the Office of Research Administration and Services to ensure effective transition from pre-award to post-award administration and with Finance and NYU New York partners on research financial matters.

The pre-award function remains with the Office of Research Administration and Services. This position ensures seamless transition of externally funded awards into active management and coordinates with the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Research, the Finance and Budget Office, and relevant NYU New York entities.

Key Responsibilities:

Research Financial Administration

• Lead the post-award financial administration of NYUAD’s research portfolio, including externally sponsored awards, internal research funds, contracts, gifts, faculty research programs, research centers and research infrastructure.
• Oversee the financial lifecycle of research awards from activation through monitoring, reporting and closeout, ensuring compliance with sponsor requirements and University policies.
• Lead the financial administration of the Research Institute portfolio, including multi-year center budgets, commitments, staffing costs, projections, renewals and wind-downs.
• Provide financial advice and guidance to Principal Investigators, faculty, research centers and academic leadership on the management of research funding.
• Oversee the financial administration of research service agreements and other emerging research funding arrangements.
• Oversee financial monitoring of sponsored awards, including expenditure review, budget management, cost allocation, financial reporting and resolution of award-related issues.
• Serve as team lead for central research financial services from project inception through close-out.
• Oversee the faculty research fund award cycle, including submission of dockets to the Research Financial Advisory Committee, endorsement routing, and issuance of award letters.
• Build effective relationships with academic Deans and provide advice on research financial administration matters; provide high-quality service to faculty conducting sponsored research.
• Collaborate with the pre-award team in the Office of Research Administration and Services to ensure seamless transition of externally funded grants into active management.
• Coordinate with the Controller’s Office and other University functions on sponsor invoicing, receivables, cash reconciliation and research fund balances.
• Maintain the Business Continuity and Risk Management plan for the research administration function.
• Represent the office as the research financial administration representative in internal and external initiatives and forums.
• Ensure alignment and collaboration with parallel organizations and units at NYU New York, including the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Office of Grants, Gifts and Research Finance Support and Compliance.
• Use the office’s project and task tracking platform to manage, track and complete team deliverables through the year.
• Proactively flag issues to the Director and provide solutions to ensure uninterrupted operations.

Research Budgeting, Forecasting and Portfolio Oversight

• Lead the development and ongoing financial management of the research portfolio budget in partnership with the Director and research leadership.
• Lead research financial forecasting and monitor expenditures, commitments, balances and utilization across the research portfolio.
• Provide portfolio-level analysis and projections to the Director, research leadership, Deans and other senior stakeholders. Distribute quarterly and annual budget reporting and projections to leadership, the Deans and external funding partners using the reporting templates.
• Ensure carry-forward treatment is explicit and consistently disclosed at every stage of every projection and report.
• Monitor financial performance across research funds and identify significant risks, funding pressures, underutilization and opportunities for resource reallocation.
• Support multi-year financial planning for research centers, infrastructure, staffing and strategic research initiatives.
• Partner with the Budget Office and the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Research to ensure the research budget reflects institutional growth and supports academic strategy.
• Identify opportunities for cost efficiencies and reallocation of resources to support emerging strategic initiatives.

Research Compliance and Financial Stewardship

• Ensure post-award financial administration complies with sponsor terms, University policies and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Provide leadership and guidance on the financial application of US Federal Uniform Guidance and other sponsor requirements affecting research awards.
• Monitor research expenditures for allowability, allocability, reasonableness and consistency with award terms and approved budgets.
• Identify and resolve complex financial and compliance issues affecting sponsored research in partnership with Principal Investigators and relevant University offices.
• Support audit, sponsor review and other assurance activities relating to research funding.
• Escalate significant financial, compliance and operational risks to the Director and recommend appropriate corrective action.

Team Management and Institutional Capability

• Lead and develop the Research Financial Administration team, establishing clear responsibilities, performance expectations and service standards.
• Provide professional leadership, coaching and development to staff responsible for divisional and portfolio research financial administration.
• Ensure appropriate allocation of portfolios, workload and backup coverage across the team to maintain continuity of service.
• Establish consistent post-award financial administration practices across academic divisions and research portfolios.
• Develop team capability in grants management, research finance, sponsor compliance and faculty service.
• Partner with the Director in strengthening research financial administration capability and professional standards across the institution.
• Cultivate a collaborative team culture supporting innovation, trust and shared ownership of outcomes.

Research Financial Processes and Institutional Partnerships

• Lead improvements to post-award financial processes to strengthen compliance, service quality and administrative efficiency.
• Partner with research administration, Finance, Budget, the Controller’s Office, academic units and NYU New York offices on research financial matters.
• Define business requirements for research financial systems and reporting in partnership with the office’s analytics and systems function.
• Develop and maintain procedures and guidance supporting consistent administration of research funding.
• Represent Research Financial Administration on institutional initiatives, committees and working groups as required.
• Support faculty and research stakeholders in resolving complex financial and administrative issues affecting research activity.

Research Funding and Policy Advisory

• Provide financial analysis and advice on research funding requests, faculty research allocations and other research resource decisions.
• Contribute to the development and review of research financial administration policies, procedures and institutional standards.
• Assess the financial and operational implications of changes in sponsor, University or regulatory requirements affecting research.
• Advise the Director and research leadership on emerging issues and risks affecting the financial administration of the research enterprise.
• Participate in the review of University financial policies that impact research operations.

Qualifications

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Research Administration or a related field.

Required Experience:

• More than 3 years of progressively responsible experience in post-award grants administration, research finance or sponsored research financial administration within a university or comparable research-intensive academic institution.
• Demonstrated experience managing the post-award financial lifecycle of externally sponsored research awards, including award setup, budgeting, expenditure monitoring, forecasting, sponsor financial reporting and closeout.
• Demonstrated experience administering complex research portfolios involving multiple Principal Investigators, awards, sponsors and funding sources.
• Working knowledge of US Federal Uniform Guidance and demonstrated experience applying sponsor regulations, award terms and institutional policies to post-award financial administration.
• Experience providing financial guidance directly to Principal Investigators, faculty and academic or research leadership.
• Demonstrated experience with research financial reporting, grants accounting, financial compliance and resolution of complex sponsored-research financial issues.
• Strong understanding of the research administration environment within a university, including the relationship between pre-award, post-award, academic units, research leadership and central financial functions.
• Strong analytical, communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to translate complex sponsor and financial requirements into practical guidance for faculty and research administrators.
• Exceptional technical, accounting, and communication skills a must. Full competence and high-level proficiency with Microsoft Excel is essential
• Interpersonal skills with diverse populations at all levels in a professional manner.
• Ability to quickly learn and understand University policies and procedures, and disseminate information to faculty and staff regarding pre and post award management.
• Ability to work independently, under supervision, and as part of a team.
• Ability to work effectively with other administrative offices of the university, in particular Finance, Budget and Office of Academic Appointments

Preferred Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance, Management or other related field.

Preferred Experience:

• Willingness to work flexible hours at times to ensure an effective working relationship between New York and Abu Dhabi offices

Additional Information

About NYUAD

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU’s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.