Associate Director of Research Administration-Sponsored Projects

Why Work at BYU

As the flagship higher education institution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young University (BYU) strives to be among the exceptional universities in the world. At BYU, we are devoted to our faith and to our students. We take an active role in the University's Mission: "To assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.”

Our unique mission, deeply rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provides countless ways to serve and make an impact. This, along with our remarkable culture of belonging, weekly devotionals, and endless opportunities for learning and growth—all situated within a beautiful and historic campus—make it hard to imagine a more inspiring place to work.

Brigham Young University strongly prefers to hire faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Job Description

Associate Director of Research Administration-Sponsored Projects

This position is responsible for the day to day operation of the university wide electronic research administration software programs including coordination, implementation, updates, campus-wide training, and managing ongoing helpdesk resolution. In addition, this role is responsible for supervising external research proposal submissions, contract negotiation and award set-up management for all colleges and performs research administrator tasks for select colleges.

What you will be doing in this position

Administration of University-wide software for Research Compliance & Contracts

• Coordinate configuration, testing and implementation of Grants and Contracts Management software (Kuali Research). An on-site expert in both software solutions and a myriad of configuration options.
• Ongoing Training of students, faculty, and BYU administration.
• Triage End User Help Desk requests (Compliance or Contracts or Navigational issues) and BYU point of contact for unique software problem escalation/resolution with software vendors.
• Manage ongoing software updates and continual coordination with stakeholders to synchronize software configurations and internal BYU processes as regulations evolve and software vendors enhance function.
• Manage software testing in Sandbox and Stage environments and push to Production when ready.
• Coordinate with the Grants and Contracts Accounting Office (GCA) in process/workflow decisions between RAO and GCA.
• Coordinate with the Faculty Development Office in process/workflow decisions between Kuali Research and Faculty Profile systems.
• Oversee creation and delivery of monthly, annual, and ad hoc reporting of RAO proposal and award activity between Kuali Research and university faculty, chairs, deans, and VPs.
• Participate in all software vendor user group meetings - Pre Award, Award, S2S, Hosted SaaS.

Negotiation and administration of grants and contracts for external sponsored research

• Negotiate contracts with industry and government sponsors.
• Work with external sponsors on grant and contract language.

• Assist faculty in preparation of research proposals, one on one (in person, via phone, via email or via zoom), and via training workshops.
• Ensure proper submission of research proposals via the appropriate submission mechanism (various federal on-line systems or BYU’s System to System submission) and ensure that all proposals are within Federal regulations and BYU policy.
• Educate faculty members of the approved methods and policies for accomplishing their research objectives.
• Consult with university legal counsel on issues that arise in grants and contract language.

Federal Compliance

• Keep current on changes and trends in federal research regulations and initiate appropriate changes to RAO procedures to ensure compliance.

Management of Sponsored Projects (SPO) staff

• Train/re-train all SPO staff (students, part-time, research administrators) on grants management software as there is staff turnover or new modules/features implemented.
• Assist staff with trouble shooting when issues arise during proposal submission or award processing and all other aspects of grants and contracts management.
• Ensure accuracy in grant management tasks via software reporting functions – proper proposal submission and award processing - and advise staff of needed corrections to system entries.
• Strive to aid in the success of and conduct PDP’s with those under the Associate Director’s stewardship – presently a ½ time administrative assistant (award processing), 2 research administrators.
• Conduct weekly staff meetings with direct reports.
• Ensure sufficient grants and contract services coverage with time-off requests

Financial Responsibilities

• Back-up support for RAO Director’s administrative/financial responsibilities.

What qualifies you for this role

Minimum Education/Experience Required:

• Master’s Degree in the business related fields required (such as, MBA, MPA, MAcc, or JD) and three (3) years’ experience in research administration

Preferred Education/Experience:

• Have technical expertise in web-based electronic proposal submission and electronic grant and contract administration.
• Five (5) years’ research administration experience in a university setting.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA).

Skills, abilities, knowledge, licenses, certifications:

• The position must have a background in research administration, intellectual property law, and a good working knowledge of the array of federal regulations that govern all aspects of research.
• The position must have highly developed emotional intelligence skills, interpersonal skills, particularly in contract negotiation.
• The position requires patience and foresight as the requirements of the position and the resources do not often meet.

Applicants should include:

• cover letter
• resume
Name and contact information for 2 professional references

Required Documents:

All Staff positions require a resume.

Refer to the Job Posting for any additional required documents.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must hold and be worthy to hold a current temple recommend.

Brigham Young University is an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

Brigham Young University (BYU) is widely recognized not just for its world-class education, but for its deep commitment to inspired religious values. Gathered together in a Christ-centered atmosphere, BYU employees are a vital part of a community of belonging, where we value the experiences, perspectives, and talents of each individual. If you share in our devotion to faith and to excellence, we have a place for you here at BYU!