Associate Vice President, Research Administration & Sponsored Programs

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.

Pay Grade: 36E

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.

• 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 People Soft, 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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…