Manages the day-to-day activities of the Research Contract Group within University Research Administration, staff oversight to ensure consistency, equitable workloads, and assistance, as needed and provides daily guidance to staff on operational issues.
Supervises professional staff members, including hiring/firing, training, conducting annual performance evaluations, and recommending salary increases. Trains and mentors new office staff members and monitors day-to-day activities for extended periods.
Provides assistance to University personnel on policies and procedures for Contract management.
IsaccountablefortheperformanceandresultsofmultipleResearchContractTeams (Grantsand Contracts / Industry). Establishes performance goals, conducts training sessions, allocates resources and assesses policies for the related teamsmanaged.
Maintain departmental compliance with all policies regarding departmental personnel, sponsored award activity, accounting, and individual and federal restrictions onexpenditures.
Reviews contract and agency guidelines including intellectual property, publication, communication, financial and indemnification terms to assure they comply with sponsor and University regulations and policies.
Reviews and interprets language in sponsor-initiated agreements and contracts to determine their conformity and/or conflict with University policies.
Negotiates award terms and conditions acceptable to the University. Confirms commitments made in proposals can be honored, which will protect the University from harm, loss of income, or liability from potential claims that might arise against the University from work done under a sponsored agreement.
Ensures that a high level of service support is provided to principal investigators and departmental, Center, school and central administrators. Ensures overall quality of customer service for Research Contract Group.
Develops and monitors internal performance metrics to ensure high levels of service and accomplishment of objectives. Optimizes staff skills and organizational structure and staff development and continuing education.
Addresses and resolves issues and concerns from URA staff, campus administrators and faculty and sponsors related to all research-related agreements. Resolves issues both internally and with third parties.
Provides institutional endorsement on documents, on behalf of the Associate Vice President for Research Administration.
Safeguards University interests with respect to publications, liability, intellectual property, effort reporting, and compliance issues. Ensures fiscal integrity of proposal submissions and appropriated awards.
Represents the office whenever appropriate regarding issues that relate to research contracting and related compliance. In the absence of one of the staff members who reports to the position, the Director is responsible for assigning or handling the workload.
Is accountable for the performance and results of multiple sponsored programs departments.
Maintains departmental compliance with all policies regarding departmental personnel, sponsored award activity, accounting, and individual and federal restrictions on expenditures.
Performs other related work as needed.
Preferred Qualifications
Education:
Law degree.
Experience:
At least seven years of relevant experience drafting complex research or commercial agreements.
Experience working in a university contracts-management environment, law firm, or in-house legal department.
Experience with demonstrated supervisory responsibilities working with leadership across a large, complex organization, influencing action.
Technical Skills or Knowledge:
Proficient in review and documentation of business processes and policy development.
Skilled in developing and conducting staff training related to contracting issues.
Work within a complex organizational structure
Demonstrated experience in the management and/or negotiation of complex contracts.
Proven ability to grasp complex legal and business issues.
Proven ability to work effectively in support of business development and/or research administration and technology transfer professionals.
Knowledge of academic research principles and research integrity policy (conflict of interest, IRB, IACUC, etc.).
Knowledge of intellectual property law (copyright, patent).
Experience with regulatory compliance issues of sponsored program administration and the communication of compliance policies to faculty and staff.
Comfortable with scientific concepts and terminology; able to understand the significance of various agreement terms in view of the nature of the materials/confidential information to be transferred and proposed research.
Rapid proficiency in the use of University of Chicago systems such as AURA and a high level of proficiency in Excel.
Strong computer skills including word processing, database management and spreadsheet skills (Microsoft Office suite and Adobe suite a must).
Preferred Competencies
Must possess superior communication, drafting, and negotiationskills.
Excellent management and collaboration skills with a strong customer focused approach.
Possess strong reading and analytical abilities and be detail oriented and organized.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Demonstrated maturity and sensitivity to the needs of multiple constituencies in a complex academic environment.
Ability to prioritize across responsibilities, manage varied commitments, competing deadlines, and shifting priorities.
Proactive and solution-oriented, with exceptional communication, written, verbal and analytical skills necessary to review and negotiate a sponsored award agreement and establish accordingly per departmental and agencies guidelines.
High level of creativity, energy, integrity, thoughtful judgment and problem solving, decision-making, and teamwork.
Willing to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and ability to effectively interact and collaborate with all levels of university administrators and faculty members.
Customer service is a high priority of the office; exhibit civility and professionalism at all times.
Direct contact with faculty and administrative staff at the University, and close collaboration with all staff within the office of University Research Administration.
Excellent planning, problem-solving, organizational, project management and customer services skills.
Develop and manage interpersonal relationships.
Make decisions independently that will have downstream impacts on the management of sponsored projects.
Manage detail-oriented workload, to organize and prioritize workload during high-pressure, high-volume workload periods and to manage stress.
Interact by phone, email or in person with faculty and administrative staff at the University and occasionally with staff of federal government, non-federal sponsors, and other institutions and organizations.
Sit for 4 hours or more.
Use computers extensively for 4 hours or more.
Travel to various on-campus locations on a daily basis.
Use standard office equipment.
Occasional travel.
Application Documents
Resume/CV (required)
Cover Letter (preferred)
References Contact Information (3) (preferred)
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