Administrative Director

UConn Health; Farmington (CT); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

UConn Health seeks an Administrative Director to lead the School of Dental Medicine Research Office. You will oversee pre-award and post-award sponsorship activities, coordinate budgets, and ensure compliance across the portfolio.

The role requires strong supervisory experience, expertise in NIH/other sponsor rules, and the ability to develop strategic operational priorities. This is a full-time, on-site position at our Farmington campus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years in sponsored research administration.
• Experience preparing and submitting grant applications to federal funders.
• Supervisory or managerial experience required.

Responsibilities

• Directs staff and operations of the School of Dental Medicine research Office.
• Oversees pre-award and post-award sponsored research activities.
• Develops multi-year budgets and justifications for grant submissions.
• Collaborates with faculty investigators to facilitate funding opportunities.
• Administers post-award activities including contracts and subawards.
• Establishes policies, procedures, and controls for tracking sponsored projects.

Skills

Sponsored research admin

Budget management

Financial reporting

Staff supervision

Stakeholder engagement

Public speaking

Policy development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

eRA Commons

Job description

Administrative Director

Why UConn Health

UConn Health is a vibrant, integrated academic medical center that is entering an era of unprecedented growth in all three areas of its mission: academics, research, and clinical care. A commitment to human health and well-being has been of utmost importance to UConn Health since the founding of the University of Connecticut schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine in 1961. Based on a strong foundation of groundbreaking research, first-rate education, and quality clinical care, we have expanded our medical missions over the decades. In just over 50 years, UConn Health has evolved to encompass more research endeavors, to provide more ways to access our superior care, and to innovate both practical medicine and our methods of educating the practitioners of tomorrow.

At UConn Health, this class is accountable for directing the administrative operations of the School of Dental Medicine Research Office, including pre-award and post-award sponsored research administration, compliance, financial coordination, and related research support function. This role establishes operational priorities, oversees resources and staff, and ensures effective, efficient, and compliance administration of the school's sponsored research portfolio.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

Receives administrative direction from the Associate Dean for Research.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:

Directs staff and operations of office, as assigned.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:

• Directs staff and operations of the School of Dental Medicine research Office;
• Plans, coordinates, and oversees pre-award and post-award sponsored research activities;
• Prepares, reviews, and submits complex grant applications including development of multi-year budgets, budget justifications, and other required submission components;
• Collaborates with faculty investigators and other institutional partners to facilitate funding opportunities, timely proposal submissions, and effective sponsored project administration;
• Administers post-award financial and administrative activities, including purchasing, contracts and subawards, travel, personnel actions, effort commitments, payroll allocations, and other transactions;
• Establishes and maintains systems, policies, procedures, goals, service standards, and controls for tracking sponsored projects;
• Makes recommendations regarding long-term departmental strategy and organizational priorities;
• Analyzes sponsored research portfolios and prepares financial, operational, performance, accreditation, audit, and other reports for school and institutional leadership;
• Develops and administers departmental budget, allocates resources, and advocates for future resource needs;
• Evaluates operational and compliance risks, resolves complex administrative issues, and implements process improvements;
• Provides employee coaching, training, and performance improvement;
• Leads the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview, and selection;

• Performs related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL & ABILITY:

• Considerable knowledge of
• o Professional and technical practices applicable to sponsored research administration;
• o Relevant federal state, institutional, and non-federal sponsor requirements and grant regulations;
• o And ability to apply management principles and techniques;
• Considerable skill in
• o Financial management, budget development, financial modeling, and financial reporting;
• o Interpersonal, oral, and written communication;
• o Negotiation and consensus building;
• o Public speaking and formal presentations;
• o Developing and maintaining internal and external partnerships;
• Ability to
• o Develop departmental strategy and align resources to organizational priorities;
• o Influence senior stakeholders and negotiate complex issues;
• o Anticipate future departmental needs and develop long-range plans;
• o Utilize electronic research administration systems and tools;
• o Interpret, apply, and communicate complex federal, state, institutional, and sponsor regulations and requirements;
• o Analyze complex grant, financial, personnel, and operational information and make sound administrative recommendations.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING:

GENERAL EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor's degree and five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in sponsored research administration, including preparation and submission of grant applications to federal funding agencies and post-award grants management.

SPECIAL EXPERIENCE:

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been in a supervisory or managerial capacity.

SUBSTITUTION ALLOWED:

A master's degree in a related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of General Experience

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Incumbents in this class may be exposed to disagreeable conditions, stress, and demands for critical or urgent actions.
• Work is performed primarily in a professional office environment and requires use of computer systems and standard office equipment.
• Work may involve periods of prolonged sitting, standing, walking, and the ability to review detailed information on computer screens.
• The position may require work beyond normal business hours to meet operational needs

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) designation.
• Experience within an academic health center or dental/medical school environment.
• Experience with NIH Assist, eRA Commons, and My NCBI.

SCHEDULE:

This position is full-time, 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

SALARY:

The salary range for this position is $100,000 - $120,000.