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Title:

Director of Research, YWCC

Department:

Office of Research & Development

Reports To:

Senior Director of Pre-Award Services

Position Type:

Staff

Position Summary:

The Director of Research for the Ying Wu College of Computing (YWCC) will manage the administrative aspects of sponsored research activities across multiple departments within the YWCC, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and a flexible mindset. Working closely with the Senior and Assistant Directors of Pre-award Services in the Office of Research and the Associate Dean for Research for YWCC, this role will support faculty in navigating the administrative and financial components of sponsored research processes, including project budget creation and compliance.

Essential Functions:

Pre-Award Support:

-Manages day-to-day operations related to proposals and administratively sponsored research activities, ensuring compliance with university policies and funding agency requirements.

-Provides the YWCC faculty, staff, and students with pre-award support in assembling proposal packages that may include a project budget that aligns with policies under NJIT, YWCC, and state and federal regulations, with special attention to compliance in collaboration with sponsors.

-Initiates and oversees the preparation and submission of proposals for external funding, assists faculty in developing budgets, narratives, supporting documents, and all duties related to the pre-award process, utilizing NJIT’s Streamlyne platform for proposal development and approval routing system.

-Monitors and tracks proposal submissions to ensure they progress efficiently through NJIT’s approval process. Supports and documents the submissions with compliance in mind using various platforms designated by the sponsor. Maintains the status of submissions through available means for key tracking metrics.

-Assists transitioning from pre-award in collaboration with NJIT’s post-award management team when the external sponsor awards proposals. This can include reviewing award documentation for reporting requirements, rebalancing the budget if it’s different from the initially proposed budget, collaborating with NJIT’s General Counsel Office for their consent on legally binding terms, and collating the documentation needed for administrative compliance.

Collaborative Engagement:

-Fosters a culture of collaboration to simplify research processes and increase the visibility of research initiatives.

-Serves as administrative liaison between the Office of Research, YWCC Dean's Office, and various university departments, including finance, compliance, and legal teams, to facilitate effective communication and optimize research administration practices.

-Provides ongoing support to faculty in understanding regulations and policies governing sponsored research, including grant compliance, reporting requirements, and financial management.

-Builds productive relationships with external funding agencies and partners, representing NJIT’s research interests in collaborations and consortia.

-Coordinates regular meetings with faculty to identify research needs, guide funding opportunities, and share best practices for successful proposals.

-Utilizes various platforms, such as Pivot-RP, to locate unique funding opportunities across an extensive portfolio of topics.

-Develops methods to collaborate with prospective principal investigators directly or map out a communication plan for funding opportunity notices.

-Assists relevant YWCC personnel in preparing and presenting summaries, analyses, and documents identifying research trends and opportunities to promote faculty engagement and funding maximization.

-Participates in YWCC, NJIT, external committees, and task forces focused on research administration as needed.

Flexibility and Adaptability:

-Collaborates with faculty and administrative units to identify innovative solutions and streamline processes in research administration.

-Continuously updates skill sets and certifications, such as regular certification compliance with platforms like the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Program.

Monitoring and Reporting:

-Tracks and analyzes research activities, funding trends, and performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and support strategic planning.

-Prepares reports and updates for the Associate Dean for Research, highlighting accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities to enhance sponsored research efforts.

Prerequisite Qualifications:

-Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.

-Six to eight years of experience in sponsored research administration, research finance, or related services within a relevant industry.

-Ability to work effectively under tight deadlines while maintaining strong attention to detail.

-Exceptional collaborative skills, demonstrating a capacity to work well with diverse teams and stakeholders.

-Mastery of essential office software, including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and communication applications.

-Excellent written and verbal communication skills, as evidenced by application materials.

-Ability to be flexible and adaptive to changing priorities and complex challenges in a fast-paced research environment.

-At the university's discretion, the education and experience prerequisites may be exempted where the candidate can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the university, an equivalent combination of education and experience specifically preparing the candidate for success in the position.

Preferred Qualifications:

-A graduate degree, preferably in a science related to areas of research, business administration, or Project Management.

-Knowledge of the processes, online systems, and operations of the leading federal funding agencies, such as NSF, NIH, DARPA, DoE, and DoD.

-Experience developing and delivering training sessions and workshops to enhance faculty knowledge and expertise in research administration and proposal development.

-Certification in Research Administration (CRA, CPRA, CFRA, or similar).

Bargaining Unit:

PSA

Range/Band:

26

FLSA:

Exempt

Full-Time