Associate Vice Chancellor, Research Administration

AgUpdate; Raleigh, Northern (NC, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

North Carolina State University seeks an Associate Vice Chancellor, Research Administration (AVC-RA) to lead sponsored programs, pre-award, contracts, systems, and data governance.

Reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, the AVC leads a high-performing team and partners with faculty, centers, sponsors, and administrators to advance the university's research mission with integrity and resilience.

Qualifications

• Requires extensive leadership experience in sponsored programs or research administration.
• Experience negotiating complex research agreements and managing institutional risk.
• Ability to develop strategy, guide organizational change, and drive operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the university's sponsored programs enterprise.
• Oversee pre-award operations, research agreements, and program administration.
• Ensure compliance with federal regulations, sponsor requirements, and university policies.
• Lead governance and business practices to strengthen research administration.
• Foster collaboration and accountability across OSP and broader research community.
• Represent the university in complex sponsor negotiations and external engagements.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Sponsored programs

Contract negotiations

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder management

Education

Post-baccalaureate degree

Undergraduate degree with substituted experience

Job description

Associate Vice Chancellor, Research Administration

About the Department

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is NC State's central administrative hub for institutional research administration. OSP provides enterprise-level leadership and operational support across three core institutional areas:

• Institutional Pre‑Award Services
• Institutional Contract Negotiations
• Institutional Research Systems & Reporting

OSP oversees all institutional pre‑award and non‑financial post‑award activities, including proposal review, submission, negotiation, acceptance, and award management for more than 3,700 annual actions and over $500M in sponsored funding. The office leads the configuration, governance, and reporting infrastructure for the university's research administration systems and partners closely with OPAFS, the Office of Research Commercialization, the Office of Information Technology, General Counsel, and academic units to ensure that NC State's research enterprise operates with integrity, efficiency, and resilience.

Essential Job Duties

The Associate Vice Chancellor, Research Administration (AVC-RA) serves as the university's senior executive leader for sponsored programs and institutional research administration, providing strategic oversight of enterprise-wide pre‑award services, sponsored project administration, research contracts, research administration systems, and research administration data governance. Reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, the AVC leads a high-performing leadership team that includes the Director of Institutional Research Systems & Reporting, the Director of Research Administration & Campus Liaison, and additional OSP directors. Working collaboratively with university leadership, colleges, research centers, faculty, federal sponsors, and administrative partners, the AVC ensures a coordinated, compliant, and service-oriented research administration enterprise that advances NC State's research mission while strengthening institutional stewardship and operational excellence.

As the AVC RA, you will shape the future of research administration at one of the nation's leading public research universities. Your leadership will influence how investigators secure external funding, how research operations evolve to meet an increasingly complex regulatory environment, and how institutional systems, data, and policies support innovation at scale. Success in this position comes from balancing strategic vision with collaborative leadership-building trusted partnerships across the university, championing continuous improvement, and fostering an environment where faculty and research administrators have the resources, guidance, and infrastructure needed to expand NC State's research impact.

Key Responsibilities

Key responsibilities fall within the following functional areas.

Strategic Leadership & Research Administration

Provide strategic leadership for the university's sponsored programs enterprise, aligning research administration priorities with institutional goals and the evolving external funding landscape. Advise the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and university leadership on research administration strategy, sponsored programs, regulatory compliance, institutional risk, and operational effectiveness. Lead the development and implementation of university-wide policies, governance, and business practices that strengthen research administration and support faculty success. Foster a culture of collaboration, service excellence, continuous improvement, and accountability across the Office of Sponsored Programs and the broader research community.

Enterprise Oversight & Risk Management

Provide executive oversight of institutional pre‑award operations, research agreements, and sponsored programs administration to ensure consistent, compliant, and customer-focused service delivery. Safeguard the university's legal, financial, and operational interests through effective risk management, contract oversight, and compliance with federal, state, and sponsor requirements. Lead the university's response to significant regulatory changes, audits, investigations, and other matters impacting the research enterprise.

Research Systems, Data & Operational Excellence

Provide executive sponsorship for research administration systems, institutional data governance, and modernization initiatives that enhance operational effectiveness and decision-making. Champion technology, process improvement, and analytics strategies that strengthen research administration services and support institutional growth. Ensure research administration infrastructure evolves to meet the changing needs of faculty, sponsors, and the university.

University & External Engagement

Build trusted partnerships with university leadership, faculty, colleges, and research administrators to advance the institution's research mission. Represent NC State in relationships with federal agencies, industry, nonprofit organizations, and national research administration associations. Serve as the university's senior institutional representative for complex sponsor negotiations, strategic collaborations, and matters requiring executive-level consultation.

Minimum Education and Experience

Requires a relevant post-Baccalaureate degree with a minimum of three (3) years or greater of related professional experience, or a relevant undergraduate degree and a minimum of five (5) years or greater of relevant experience may be substituted for the advanced degree.

Other Required Qualifications

• Extensive progressively responsible leadership experience in sponsored programs, research administration, or a closely related function within a large, complex research institution.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-wide research administration operations, including developing strategy, guiding organizational change, and advancing operational excellence.
• Experience negotiating complex research agreements and managing institutional risk while ensuring compliance with federal regulations, sponsor requirements, and university policies.
• Proven ability to lead organizational transformation through process improvement, technology modernization, or implementation of enterprise research administration systems.
• Demonstrated success building collaborative partnerships, influencing executive and academic leaders, and leading high-performing teams within a decentralized organization.
• Exceptional communication, strategic decision-making, and relationship management skills with the ability to represent the institution in complex, high-impact matters.

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal degree (e.g., PhD, JD, or equivalent) in a relevant discipline.
• Executive leadership experience within an R1 university or similarly complex research-intensive organization.
• Experience leading enterprise-wide research administration technology, data governance, or institutional modernization initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing senior leaders within a large, decentralized organizational environment.