Research Compliance Officer

Why should you work at UCA?

We are excited that you are considering joining the UCA Family—the faculty, staff, students and alumni—who make the University of Central Arkansas a great place to work!

At the University of Central Arkansas, we value our employees striving to maintain a work-life balance. We realize that this affects the overall well-being of employees while learning to prioritize challenging work and the ability to make a difference. Participation in university-wide flexible work schedules may be available for certain positions. Training is provided on systems or job-specific software, and tools are available supporting professional and personal development.

The benefits package allows you to customize your benefits to meet your current needs, with the ability to adjust them as your priorities change. This includes university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance, 80% tuition waivers for employees and their families, 12 official holidays, immediate leave accrual, and a retirement program with university contributions of 10% of employee salary.

Also available are health and wellness incentives, as well as access to sports and cultural activities on campus for the family, free gym membership and equipment rentals.

The RCO oversees all aspects of research compliance in the areas of human subject protection, animal care and use, financial conflicts of interest, export control, and the responsible conduct of research, and supports the Research Integrity Officer in matters involving allegations of noncompliance or research misconduct. The RCO serves as the Institutional Review Board administrator, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee administrator, and the university’s Export Control Officer.

The RCO establishes and maintains working relationships with individuals at all levels of the institution’s research community, educates the UCA community on the policies and procedures governing the review of research, and keeps current on the regulatory landscape through professional development, including regional and national conferences.

• Administers the human subjects protection program and serves as IRB administrator, managing protocol intake and review, committee support, continuing review, post-approval monitoring, and the institution’s federal assurances and reliance agreements.
• Administers the animal care and use program and serves as IACUC administrator, coordinating protocol review, semiannual program review and facility inspection, and the institution’s animal welfare assurance.
• Serves as Export Control Officer, conducting restricted party screening, evaluating the applicability of the fundamental research exclusion, and developing technology control plans as needed.
• Administers the financial conflict of interest program, including disclosure review, management plans, training verification, and required agency reporting.
• Supports the Research Integrity Officer in matters involving alleged noncompliance or research misconduct, including receiving allegations, sequestering and maintaining custody of research records, and providing administrative support to inquiry and investigation committees. The Research Integrity Officer retains decision-making authority.
• Develops and delivers compliance education, training, orientation, guidance documents, and individual consultation for faculty, staff, and students, and administers the university’s online research ethics training program.
• Administers the university’s electronic research compliance platform, maintains audit-ready records consistent with federal retention requirements, and prepares compliance reports for institutional leadership, the University Research Council, and external agencies.
• Reviews institutional research compliance policies and procedures and recommends revisions as federal and state regulations change, and serves as a resource during audits and federal site visits.

• Working knowledge of the federal regulatory framework governing research, including human subjects protections, animal welfare, export control, financial…