Associate Vice President, Research Administration & Sponsored Programs

Pay Grade: 36E

Context of Job:

The Research Administration and Sponsored Programs group within the UD Research Office provides central leadership for the University research enterprise. The Associate Vice President (AVP) oversees all pre-award and non financial post-award activities for extramurally sponsored projects, leading the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) in supporting faculty and staff to secure external funding, strengthen research administration, and promote efficient, responsible research practices.

Major Responsibilities:

Sponsored Programs Operations and Systems

• Provide leadership for all aspects of the administration of the Office of Sponsored Pro-grams, including fiscal compliance with federal regulations, oversight and support of the Grants Management system, and the development and implementation of business pro-cesses that support efficient and successful research administration.
• Provide leadership of the grants suite of central system offerings, including PeopleSoft, the Effort Certification Application, and third-party tools used for efficient processing. Successful leadership includes advocacy for and feedback to the end users of these systems.
• Supervise the systems and reporting specialists who perform this work and participate in a campus-wide team that oversees the integration of all enterprise data systems.
• Work closely with faculty and administrative leaders to develop leading-edge, burden-reducing business processes while maintaining compliance with all sponsor and University policies.

Financial Administration and Cost Accounting

• Provide leadership for the budgetary and grants administration of University institutes and core facilities, including the establishment and maintenance of appropriate recharge and cost accounting policies and procedures consistent with federal cost accounting regulations.
• Collaborate and partner with the Federal Cost Accounting department, which reports to the Vice President for Finance and Deputy Treasurer.
• Provide leadership and budget-planning guidance for the financial and administrative operations of the Research Office.

Compliance, Audit, and Regulatory Affairs

• Ensure that award terms comply with state and federal regulations and with other sponsor requirements as set out in the award document.
• Direct and oversee all audits related to the research enterprise and oversee any findings and recommendations to ensure compliance.
• Proactively review state and federal regulations and activities that affect the University's ability to participate in sponsored activity awards and solicitations and develop policies in response to federal mandates and good practices.

External Representation and Advocacy

• Represent the University at State agencies to establish and maintain relationships and to standardize contracting and billing through shared efficiencies, policies, and procedures.
• Represent the University at the Federal Demonstration Partnership and other external professional venues, chairing committees and participating in task forces as appropriate, and advocate at the national level for the University's needs across all areas of research administration.
• Represent the Vice President of Research, Scholarship and Innovation on various University task forces as needed, providing leadership for the overall administration of the University.

Research Office Leadership and Talent Development

• Serve as a member of the Research Office leadership team.
• Lead the design and delivery of training and professional development programs that build research administration capacity and strengthen compliance across a decentralized university environment.
• Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned by the Vice President of Research, Scholarship and Innovation.

Qualifications:

• A master's degree and eight years of relevant sponsored program administration experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Higher education experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership across the full sponsored programs lifecycle, including proposal and grant development, contract and grant preparation and management, post-award administration, and the identification of alternative funding and revenue sources.
• Advanced knowledge of the OMB Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), federal forms and processing systems, and the local, state, federal, and University regulations governing sponsored activity.
• Command of core research administration functions, including indirect cost (F&A) rate development and negotiation, cost and effort reporting, subrecipient monitoring, recharge and cost accounting, and external audit support.
• Demonstrated skill in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures and in formulating policy, with a consistent focus on efficiency and burden reduction.
• Ability to develop financial plans, manage resources, and establish and execute short- and long-range strategic goals, including program planning and evaluation.
• Knowledge of the goals, structure, and operations of major research universities.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead interdisciplinary teams and to mentor technical and professional staff in research administration.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across a diverse community, represent the University within the research and business communities, and develop and deliver presentations and training.
• Ability to develop, monitor, and report performance metrics and key performance indica-tors to support data-informed decision-making.
• Demonstrated energy and commitment to the role, a collaborative and team-oriented approach, and the ability to lead in service of shared institutional goals.