Director of Research Administration

Overview

The Director of Research Administration (D-RA) leads and manages the college’s research operations and compliance with federal regulations, state law, funding agency regulations, and related policies and regulations of NC State.

The Director oversees, guides, educates and assists administrative processes for faculty, staff and students in areas of research compliance which currently include: pre-award and post-award administration and proposal development services, responsible conduct of research, conflicts of interest, export control, and other related compliance areas.

The Director’s leadership role, which will involve 2 direct reports, comprises the establishment of strategies, priorities, policies and procedures for the administration of research, both pre- and post-award. The Director is expected, through strong leadership and mentoring, to provide access to professional development opportunities and growth to the research office team. This position is charged, in collaboration with the Associate Dean for Research, with maintaining standards that are essential for the conduct of legal and ethical research. In partnership with the Office of Research Innovation, the Director works closely with faculty and students to ensure compliance in all aspects of their research and scholarly projects. The Director serves as primary campus representative on the University’s Research Advisor Council.

The Director is a part of the Extended Dean’s Council for the college and reports directly to the Associate Dean for Research. The Director of Research Administration is key to leading a cross functional team to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to build customer-centric practices and framework via close collaboration with the Finance and Human Resources teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee the management of Contracts and Grants expenditures exceeding $5M dollars (for FY20).
• Administrative review and acceptance of proposals and solicitations of over $32M.
• Report quarterly and annual sponsored activity.
• Report to ASEE/US News & World and NSF HERD Reports annually.
• Review Testing/Fabrication Service Agreements and Service Orders.
• Manage proposal processing efforts, with Sponsored Programs and Regulatory Compliance Services SPARCS.
• Negotiate contracts.
• Oversee Employee Activity Reporting System (TEARS).
• Collaborate with other D-RAs and central offices to develop and implement best practices for pre and post award management.
• Maintain delegated signature authority for proposal submissions. Under this environment, continuing education is absolutely critical and NC State has made it mandatory for all signatory delegates.
• Develop and deliver training for both pre-award and post-award services to research active employees and students in the following areas: compliance, cost accounting standards, electronic research applications (both University and
• Federal applications) and interpretation of policies, laws, and activities of the college’s research office
• Ensure that new award meetings are set-up at the time of award notification, and that all necessary monitoring reports, college-level approvals, and justifications of grant and contract budgets are obtained in a timely manner in the appropriate electronic systems during the life of a sponsored project. This position will oversee the monitoring and tracking of cost share, effort certification, conflict of interest, and NSF Responsible Conduct of Research Compliance related to sponsored research to ensure timely and accurate close-out of awards.