Manager – Research & Grants Office

Manager – Research & Grants Office

Classification: Institutional Support

Reports To: Assistant Vice President for Research

Location: Jahra, Kuwait

About The American International University

American International University (AIU) is a private institution in Kuwait, founded in 2019, offering undergraduate programs in Engineering and Computing, Architecture and Design, Business, Arts and Sciences, and Education. The programs are delivered in English and follow the American model of higher education. AIU serves a community of more than 4,000 students and is implementing the RISE Strategy 2026–2030, a five-year institutional transformation strategy anchored in research development, international accreditation, student success, employability, and community engagement.

For more information, visit: www.aiu.edu.kw 

Job Purpose

The Manager – Research & Grants Office supports the Assistant Vice President for Research by managing the operational, administrative, and grant-related functions of the Academic Research & Grants Office (RGO). The role ensures efficient coordination of research operations, grant administration, committee activities, faculty and student engagement, institutional reporting, research compliance, and external collaborations while supporting AIU's research strategy, institutional priorities, accreditation requirements, and research visibility.

Key Responsibilities

Research Office Operations

• Manage the daily operations of the Research & Grants Office, including workflow planning, calendars, project tracking, SharePoint, documentation, records management, forms, templates, SOPs, meeting coordination, action tracking, and continuous process improvement to ensure efficient and consistent service delivery.

Research Grants & Funding Administration

• Coordinate internal and external grant activities, including funding opportunity identification, proposal calls, submission tracking, review processes, award administration, grant documentation, reporting timelines, close-out activities, post-award monitoring, compliance requirements, budget coordination, expenditure tracking, procurement follow-up, and liaison with funding agencies including government, industry, KFAS, and institutional partners.

Research Ethics & Compliance

• Coordinate the administrative functions of the Research & Ethics Committee by maintaining ethics submissions, committee records, approvals, review documentation, compliance files, conflict of interest records, responsible research practices, publication support, research policies, institutional procedures, and awareness and training programs while ensuring audit-ready documentation.

Research Reporting & Institutional Effectiveness

• Prepare weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports covering research activities, grants, publications, collaborations, partnerships, events, faculty and student engagement, and institutional achievements. Maintain research KPIs, dashboards, executive reports, briefing notes, accreditation evidence, rankings data, research impact documentation, and institutional reporting while coordinating with Institutional Research, academic schools, and administrative departments to ensure data accuracy.

Faculty & Student Research Support

• Coordinate faculty research initiatives including grant writing support, workshops, publication support, research methodology programs, school-level research activities, and faculty engagement initiatives. Support undergraduate and graduate student research through internships, research showcases, poster competitions, publications, participation tracking, and research development while serving as the primary point of contact for research-related inquiries.

Research Partnerships & Institutional Visibility

• Coordinate research collaborations with local, regional, and international partners by supporting partnership development, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), collaborative projects, external visits, invited speakers, research forums, seminars, conferences, workshops, research days, grant information sessions, and stakeholder engagement. Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to promote research achievements through newsletters, website content, media releases, faculty highlights, and institutional communications while maintaining records supporting research visibility and institutional impact.

General Responsibilities

• Build effective working relationships with faculty, Deans, academic leaders, administrative departments, students, funding agencies, external partners, and senior leadership. Perform additional duties and special projects assigned by the Assistant Vice President for Research in support of University priorities.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of research administration, grants management, higher education operations, institutional reporting, research ethics, compliance, and research governance.
• Excellent project management, planning, organizational, analytical, documentation, and reporting skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to prepare executive reports, presentations, correspondence, committee documentation, and institutional summaries.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate effectively with faculty, academic leadership, administrative departments, students, funding agencies, external partners, and senior executives.
• High attention to detail, strong follow-up skills, professional judgment, confidentiality, and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, SharePoint, Excel, reporting tools, dashboards, project trackers, document repositories, and related technologies.

Education & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Research Administration, Science, Engineering, Health Sciences, Communication, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in research administration, grants management, academic administration, institutional reporting, accreditation support, project management, committee administration, or higher education operations.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating projects, maintaining documentation, preparing reports, managing stakeholders, and supporting institutional initiatives.

Preferred

• Master's degree in Research Management, Public Administration, Project Management, Education Leadership, Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience within a university research office, grants office, academic affairs, institutional effectiveness, accreditation, research centre, or similar higher education environment.
• Experience supporting research grants, ethics committees, faculty research, KPI reporting, external funding agencies, research compliance, and project management.
• Professional certifications in project management, grants management, research administration, compliance, ethics, or institutional reporting are considered an advantage.

Key Performance Indicators

Success in this position will be measured through the effective management of Research & Grants Office operations; timely grant administration and reporting; audit-ready ethics and compliance documentation; accurate institutional reporting and KPI management; successful faculty and student research engagement; effective coordination of research events, partnerships, and collaborations; maintenance of research evidence supporting accreditation and rankings; timely stakeholder support; and continuous improvement of Research & Grants Office processes and services.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the Job Opportunities section on our website and submit a resume and cover letter via: https://aiu.edu.kw/careers/jobs

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The successful candidate is expected to commence employment immediately.

AIU is an equal opportunity employer committed to academic excellence, professional integrity, and the principled governance of Kuwaiti higher education.