Senior Associate Director, Research Support Hub

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Posted Job Title

Senior Associate Director, Research Support Hub

Job Profile Title
Associate Director D, Research

Job Description Summary
About The Research Support Hub: The Research Support Hub (RSH) is a collaboration between the School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2), the Weitzman School of Design (Weitzman), Penn Carey Law (PCL), and the Annenberg School for Communication (ASC) to administer research support functions. The primary goals of the RSH are to: (1) streamline and strengthen research support services across participating schools; (2) create a center of excellence for implementing and disseminating best practices; and (3) achieve efficiencies by reducing duplication and consolidating administrative functions.

The Senior Associate Director plays a key leadership role within the Research Support Hub (RSH), providing operational oversight of research administration services supporting multiple schools across the University. Reporting to the Director of the Research Support Hub, the position provides operational leadership for post-award research administration and serves as the senior resource for diverse sponsored project administration, faculty financial planning, and compliance.

The Senior Associate Director maintains an assigned portfolio of faculty sponsored research programs and provides advanced pre-award and post-award research administration support for complex federally sponsored projects. The position partners with faculty, departmental administrators, Grants Managers, the Office of Research Services, and other central administrative offices to ensure the effective administration of sponsored projects and compliance with University and sponsor requirements. The Senior Associate Director works collaboratively with Grants Managers to establish consistent business practices, monitor completion of post-award activities, provide guidance on research administration issues, and develop standardized workflows and operational improvements that promote efficient and sustainable research administration across the schools served by the RSH. The position also leads the implementation of operational initiatives designed to enhance service delivery, strengthen internal controls, improve operational efficiency, and support the continued evolution of the Research Support Hub.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Provide advanced pre-award and post-award research administration support for an assigned portfolio of faculty with diverse sponsored research programs.

• Serve as the primary research administration contact for assigned investigators and provide expert guidance on proposal development, sponsor regulations, award administration, financial and non-financial post-award management, compliance, reporting requirements, prior approvals, and complex research administration matters.

• Provide operational leadership for post-award research administration activities across the Research Support Hub. Coordinate post-award workflows, establish standardized business practices, monitor completion of post-award activities, and collaborate with Grants Managers to promote consistent service delivery across multiple schools.

• Provide leadership for complex faculty financial planning activities associated with sponsored research portfolios. Oversee processes related to faculty compensation planning, effort reporting coordination, financial forecasting, and other post-award financial management activities. Partner with Grants Managers to ensure assigned faculty portfolios are effectively monitored, compliance requirements are met, and effort reporting and other institutional obligations are completed accurately and timely.

• Serve as the senior technical resource for Grants Managers and research administration staff by providing mentoring, training, consultation, and guidance on complex research administration issues. Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, operational documentation, and best practices. Support onboarding of new RSH staff. Promote consistent implantation of research administration processes, and contribute to the ongoing development of an effective and sustainable shared services model.

• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with faculty, school leadership, departmental administrators, the Office of Research Services, and other central administrative offices. Provide consultation on sponsored project administration, sponsor regulations, financial stewardship, and research administration best practices.

• Identify opportunities for operational improvement and support implementation of new processes, technologies, and shared services initiatives that enhance efficiency, consistency, and compliance.

• Represent the Research Support Hub on committees, workgroups, and institutional initiatives, fostering collaboration and promoting consistent research administration practices across supported schools.

• Perform additional duties as assigned and participate in special projects as assigned in support of the mission and objectives of the Research Support Hub.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree and 5 to 7 years of experience required.

• Strong grantsmanship, compliance, and research administration experience required.

• Exceptional knowledge and experience with financial analysis and forecsting, spreadsheets, Excel, and MS Office suite required.

• Experience in UPenn research and financial systems strongly preferred (PennERA, Penn GFM Research Portal/Cayuse, Research Other Support App, ERS, HS-ERA, RIS, PHS-FITS, BEN Financials, Markview/BEN, Business Objects/Data Warehouse, Concur, Penn + Box, Secure Share, Workday@Penn, etc.)

• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills in addition to outstanding customer service skills,

• Must exhibit the ability and desire to troubleshoot issues and demonstrate exemplary organizational and critical thinking skills.

• Must be timely and responsive to deadlines and adept at juggling multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Must be comfortable working independently and as part of a collaborative team.

• Must be reliable with strong interpersonal skills and possess a positive attitude and professional demeanor.

A resume AND cover letter must be submitted with the application to be considered.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Annenberg School for Communication

Pay Range
$80,891.00 - $120,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly