Assoc. Director, Research Administration (Pre-Award)

University of Miami; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Miami's Office of Research Administration seeks an Associate Director of Research Administration to lead pre-award services, analysis, and proposal review for sponsored programs. The role oversees a team delivering compliant submissions and budget negotiations with sponsors.

You will partner with faculty, departments and sponsor representatives, ensure adherence to policies and regulations, and drive continuous improvement of research administration processes to support UM's

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Master’s degree in a relevant field preferred.
• CRA or CFRA or CHRC certification preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of research administration and financial principles.
• Ability to analyze complex information and improve processes.

Responsibilities

• Ensure timely, accurate and compliant proposal submissions.
• Negotiate research contracts and grants budgets with sponsors.
• Oversee staff responsible for billing grids for clinical projects and billing compliance.
• Analyze contracts and ensure terms align with university policies.
• Collaborate with PIs, departments, and sponsor reps to manage research initiation.
• Provide leadership, training and mentorship to assigned team.

Skills

Team leadership

Research administration

Data analysis

Financial principles

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Job description

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) has a great job opportunity for an Associate Director of Research Administration to work at the University of Miami.

CORE JOB SUMMARY

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) is the University's institutional office responsible for reviewing, endorsing and submitting proposals to extramural sponsors for research, clinical trials, training, instructional and other sponsored activities. As a leader in the Office of Research Administration (ORA), the Assoc. Director, Pre-Award Services, is integrally involved in the review and analysis of complex sponsored projects and provides research administration services to a portfolio of academic departments and research units, including acting as one of the institutional liaisons with external sponsors. The Assoc. Director supervises a team responsible for reviewing and endorsing research proposals and conducting a comprehensive analysis of various award types. Ensures that sponsored projects are consistent with sponsors and University policies and guidelines, while providing outstanding customer service to faculty and support staff.

CORE JOB FUNCTIONS

• Ensures timely, accurate and compliant proposal submissions.
• Conducts comprehensive analysis and negotiates all research agreements, evaluating terms and conditions of research grants and contracts involving awards from various sources, including: government, foundation, corporate and, engaging in negotiations to establish the financial, legal, and other contractual terms.
• May be required to oversee staff responsible for creating compliant billing grids for clinical research projects to maintain billing compliance.
• Conducts comprehensive analysis and negotiates all applicable research contract and grant budgets, focusing on clinical care pricing, fair market value, from various sources, including: government, foundation, corporate and industry.
• Interacts with other ORA personnel, Principal Investigators and study teams, Compliance, IRB (Human Subject Research Office), Technology Transfer, Risk Management, and other relevant offices to ensure that research initiation is managed in an efficient and effective manner consistent with UM policies and procedures, and that applications are compliant and fiscally sound.
• Maintains advanced knowledge of applicable OMB circulars, NIH Policy Statement and other applicable regulations.
• Leverages real-time dashboards to monitor team performance, ensuring the team consistently meets or exceeds Service Level Agreement Key Performance Indicators.
• Drives a culture of accountability by basing team performance assessments on measurable data.
• Identifies process inefficiencies through data analysis and suggest/implement improvements.
• Provides updates and status reports to senior management on a regular basis by track relevant data using University systems and other tools and provides leadership with metrics, including through output and turnaround time.
• Oversees, trains, and mentors staff in assigned team.
• Partners with other departments to facilitate transparent and accountable research administration and coordinate documentation and approval processes.
• Maintains effective relationships with sponsor representatives to facilitate communication.
• Establishes and continuously assesses the effectiveness of the internal controls within the unit and compliance with University policies and procedures.
• Ensures employees are trained on controls within the function and on University policy and procedures.
• This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities as necessary.

CORE QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in relevant field.
• Master’s degree in relevant field preferred.
• Experience: Minimum 10 years of relevant experience, ideally in an academic setting.
• Appropriate combination of relevant education and/or experience may be considered.
• Certification and Licensing: CRA or CFRA or CHRC certification preferred
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Knowledge of business and management principles.
• Extensive knowledge of research administration, preferably in academic institution clinical research.
• Extensive knowledge of financial principles, Medicare regulations, healthcare reimbursement principles, laws and regulations guiding clinical research.
• Ability to efficiently research complex information and use it for establishment and improvement of work processes, reporting and data analysis.
• Ability to direct, manage, implement, and evaluate department operations.
• Ability to effectively plan, delegate and/or supervise the work of others.
• Ability to lead, motivate, develop, and train others.

The University of Miami is recognized as one of the nation’s premier research institutions and academic health systems and is among the largest employers in South Florida. With more than 20,000 faculty and staff, the University is committed to excellence and guided by a mission to positively impact the lives of students, patients, and communities locally and globally. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where every individual feels valued and empowered to contribute meaningfully. United by shared values, the University community works together to build an environment defined by purpose, collaboration, and service.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.

Job Status: Full time Employee Type: Staff

The mission of the University of Miami is to transform lives through education, research, innovation, and service. A vibrant and diverse academic and healthcare community, the University of Miami and the University of Miami Health System ("UHealth") have rapidly progressed to become one of the nation’s top research universities and academic medical centers in the nation. The University comprises 12 schools and colleges serving undergraduate and graduate students in more than 350 majors and programs. Visit welcome.miami.edu/about-um to learn more about our points of pride. The University ranks No. 55 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges list and ranked No. 49 in the 2022 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is ranked the #1 eye hospital in the USA and offers some of the nation's premiere eye doctors to treat every eye condition for adults. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer, part of the Miller School of Medicine, received the prestigious National Cancer Institute designation in 2019. The University of Miami and UHealth have also ranked among the Forbes Best Employers and Best Employers for Women on several occasions, most recently in 2022. With more than 17,000 faculty and staff, the University strives for excellence, and is driven by a powerful mission to transform and impact the lives of its students, patients, members of the community, and people across the globe.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.