Associate Director, Research Administrator at Rice University in Houston, Texas

Job Description:

Special Instructions to Applicants : All interested applicants must attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application in a PDF format . Please note that the applicant tracking system does not convert attachments in Word format successfully.
Location : Partial remote (hybrid) role.

Annual Salary: $90,000 to $95,000

Summary

This new Research Administrator IV position will be based in the Interdisciplinary Research Support Office (IRSO), a subgroup of the Office of Research whose mission is to provide administrative support for multi-departmental and/or multi-institutional projects at Rice University.

The ideal candidate for this role will have proven prior line management experience, a broad background in research administration, and deep specialist experience in at least one associated area (for example (but not limited to), federal funders and contracts, large scale research program management, research accounting and information systems, pre-award proposal development specialist etc.).

The primary responsibility of this new role will lie in the provision of excellent pre and post award support for designated customer centers and institutes. This shall be provided both personally, and through the line management of two research administrators.

In addition, this new role has a strategic focus to maintain and build the breadth and depth of skills across the team and its customers through a constant iterative process of training and conscious review. The post holder will collaborate with other IRSO colleagues who are systematically analyzing research administration-related data for the purpose of developing improved process efficiency, developing new reporting tools, and generating bespoke forecasting options to meet customer needs. The intention behind this continuous initiative is that service delivery will be optimized and if needs change, processes and reports will also change. It will be the responsibility of the post holder to arrange and be responsible for providing any associated customer or stakeholder training.

Minimum Requirements

• 
  Bachelor's Degree
  
  
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted
• Seven years of research administration experience or highly responsible administrative and/or accounting experience working on grants

• Responsible for the line management of departmental staff involved in pre and post award activity and operations to provide support to faculty, supported group staff, students, and programs.
• Oversees and manages a portfolio of grants and contracts. Identifies funding opportunities utilizing technical knowledge
• Oversees & manages grant proposal development & submissions
• Oversees compliance for financial and administrative regulation of external funding agencies. Interprets regulations and reviews compliance with proposal guidelines
• Collaborates with team members to identify and establish staff and stakeholder training needs
• Responsible for ensuring all IRSO team members and supported staff skill levels are maintained and improved upon. Leads on the creation and delivery of a program for corresponding development and skills training
• Collaborates with and contributes to campus-wide staff skills training initiatives and activities.
• Represents IRSO at the divisional and stakeholder departmental levels to be responsible for providing guidance on the interpretation, implementation, and compliance with policies and regulations, including making recommendations to faculty and other stakeholders.
• Collaborates with the IRSO Administrative Director to participate in short term budget planning and to support long term budget planning
• Develops budgets & budget justifications for proposals. Ensures Cost Share Approvals are obtained
• Tracks, monitors, and manages expenditures, responsibility for expenditure review and approval, processing payments, conducting analyses, creating forecasts and identifying trends
• Prepares monthly financial reporting instruments for supported faculty and groups that are tailored to meet their specific needs
• Acts as a point of expertise to provide accurate, timely, and actionable options and advice to supported faculty and groups
• Develops existing and new stakeholder relationships with a view to grow the activity and reputation of IRSO
• Performs all other duties as assigned

• Extensive knowledge in research administration, including specialist experience in at least one associated area (for example (but not limited to), federal funders and contracts, large-scale research program management, research accounting and information systems, pre-award proposal development specialist etc.)
• Extensive knowledge or ability with pre-award process and submission platforms (Cayuse424 or similar grants.gov equivalent)
• Ability to co/manage a research program, department, or center in an academic environment, (including line management experience in at least one of these settings)
• Superior knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and database software programs
• Superior knowledge of research administration guidelines, regulations, and policies
• Exceptional business management, leadership and supervisory skills
• Exceptional analytical, critical thinking and problem - solving skills
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills

• Experience with oracle ERP (or equivalent) business systems for post award management
• Skilled in financial accounting and the management of multiple accounts (e.g. managing fiscal records, creating and monitoring budgets, resolution of fiscal issues, and generating fiscal reports)
• Strong familiarity with organizational and management tools such as Trello, Box, Zoom, Slack, e-mail, that support a geographically distributed and highly networked and flexible team to communicate, assign and manage tasks, and to collaborate productively.
• Ability to generate and analyze spreadsheets and graphic presentations of data
• Familiarity with Rice University human resource functions for research personnel, and visiting and complimentary international and domestic visitors
• Must be able to work under pressure to meet specific deadlines

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies