RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION SPECIALIST - University of Washington

Req #: 233661 Department: COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Job Location Detail: Hybrid Eligible Posting Date: 09/04/2024 Closing Info: Open Until Filled Salary: $6,700 - $8,000 per month Shift: First Shift Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-staff-20230701\_a11y.pdf ) As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. Together with world-class partners, the University of Washington's College of Engineering is developing a new generation of innovators. A national leader in educating engineers, each year the College turns out new discoveries, inventions, and top-flight graduates, all contributing to the strength of our economy and the vitality of our community. As a College of Engineering employee, you can help create a real impact for our students, faculty, friends, and fellow staff while joining a community of innovators committed to building a culture where all members thrive, are valued, and feel a sense of belonging. The CoE Office of Research is housed in the College of Engineering Dean's Office. The office manages ~ $170M in annual research expenditures for the College of Engineering. The office ensures that the College's research is conducted in a creative, efficient, and ethical manner and fosters best practices for integration research with the College's educational goals, as well as the College's commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As a departmentalized college, this position is expected to help support the mission of the CoE Office of Research to accelerate the translation of engineering discoveries into societal impact. Balancing compliance with service, this position helps promote the College's strategic commitment to engineering excellence for the public good. We develop critical resources and infrastructure to help faculty move their discoveries forward through partnerships both internally (with other UW colleges, schools, institutes, and centers), and externally (with other universities, industries, nonprofits, and national laboratories). The CoE Office of Research has an outstanding opportunity for a Research Administration Specialist position. Responsibilities include serving as the college's electronic grant certificate (eGC1) reviewer and approver, processing service agreements, contracts, and other non-award agreements, and managing various research administrative functions. The College of Engineering Research team actively promotes and supports research programs, facilitates the inception of new College research initiatives, and aids faculty in securing research funding by assisting with proposal review while providing support to the Vice Dean. This position will play a vital role in planning and implementing strategic initiatives aimed at reducing the administrative burden for researchers and creating new efficiencies for proposal and contract submissions. The position plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth functioning of the CoE Office of Research. This role is responsible for supporting various research activities and compliance efforts while they actively engage in contact and agreement reviews, ensuring that all legal and regulatory requirements are met. They will strategically assess current research activities and compliance efforts to identify areas for enhancement and efficiency gains. This will involve conducting regular audits to ensure adherence to legal and regulatory requirements, proactively identifying potential issues, and implementing corrective measures as needed. They will be charged to implement systems for tracking and analyzing data related to research and contracting activities and compliance metrics. This data will provide insights to inform decision-making processes for identifying opportunities for continuous process improvement. Administrative functions, such as organizing and maintaining records, managing schedules, and coordinating communication, are also part of their responsibilities The Research Administration Specialist plays a key role in monitoring the office's shared inbox, efficiently handling inquiries, and directing them to the appropriate channels. Their attention to detail and understanding of research administration processes contribute to the overall effectiveness of the COE Office of Research, allowing researchers and staff to focus on advancing their work while adhering to compliance standards. The College of Engineering is a departmentalized unit and oversees nine departments and one school. The College houses numerous engineering research facilities, IT services, and the Collaboration Core (an administrative unit to support interdisciplinary institutes, centers, and facilities), and partners broadly to serve a broad range of UW schools and colleges, external institutions, and industries. The College also provides educational programs and training to strengthen career development among faculty and other researchers. The Research Administration Specialist position plays a crucial role in liaising with researchers and grant administrators in all the CoE units and supports the Director of Research Administration with research administration and agreement processes. **DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES** Research Administration: + Review all CoE eGC1s through SAGE and approve on behalf of the Dean, College of Engineering. + Ensure proposals meet compliance standards for:- Significant Financial Interest- Conflict of Interest- Human Subjects- Animal Care- Export Control- Correct Facilities and Administrative (F&A) rates for activity locations, etc. + Support faculty and grant administrators on complex interdisciplinary proposals:- Consult with Principal Investigators (PI) on appropriate multi-unit cost sharing as needed.- Certifications (Certs) and Representations (Reps)- Non-standard intellectual property (IP) waivers- F&A Waivers- PI approval requests, etc. + Review PI exemption and eligibility requests then route to CoE HR and Vice Dean for approval. + Partner with CoE Human Resources to provide support as needed for requests for Outside Work for Compensation (1460s) and potential conflicts of interest. + Proactively communicate potential research funding opportunities available on the UW Corporate & Foundation Relations (CFR) website and the UW Office of Research website, including "limited submission" opportunities. + Support CoE-related proposal activities for the College of Engineering Dean's Office including preparing eGC1s for the Vice Dean for college-wide Master Research Agreements or other Non-Award Agreements. + Develop and implement strategic planning initiatives tailored to enhance efficiency in pre-award grant submission processes for CoE, incorporating comprehensive best practices and guidelines for researchers and staff. + Regularly review and refine content on the CoE Office of Research & Faculty Affairs website.Agreements & Contracts: + Serve as the CoE Agreements Manager. + Oversee risk management and meticulously review non-award agreements (NDAs, DUA, bailments, etc.), sponsored research agreements, master agreements, and service agreements and contracts within CoE, ensuring compliance with UW, State, and Federal regulations. + Work closely with the Attorney General, Office of Sponsored Programs, CoMotion, and other central offices to review agreements as appropriate. + Provide recommendations and actively engage in negotiations with external customers and entities across diverse sectors including industry, federal, and state organizations, ensuring compliance for agreements, contracts, and/or partnerships. + Advise researchers on the CoE Prolific use policy and user agreement. + Manage the review and approval process for service agreements. + Collaborate with faculty, grant managers, and/or other unit fiscal staff to determine applicable rates and revenue handling strategies. + Manage the routing of agreements for signatures via DocuSign, ensuring all relevant parties are included as per the Agreement Request Form, and ensure timely distribution of signed agreements to all designated signatories and contacts. + Coordinate with the grant manager and/or unit fiscal contract to confirm invoice and billing details with Service Providers and customers. + Oversee the completion of invoices within the CoE Engineering Shared Environment, ensuring accuracy and adherence to fiscal protocols. + Monitor the receipt of payments and arrange fund transfers of overhead and fiscal support fees as necessary. + Perform continuous process improvement on the CoE Agreements guide, templates, and request forms.Other Duties as Assigned: + Manage CoE Office of Research shared email inbox and online form responses. + Provide event support for communities of practice, workshops, and other training events hosted by the Director of Research Administration & Development. + Serve as the back up to the Senior Director of Research during leaves. + Participate in college and campus-wide meetings as appropriate. + Other related duties as assigned. **MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS** + Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, or a related discipline. + Three years' experience in administration, higher education, and/or fiscal management. **Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.** **ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS** + Flexibility and willingness to work under pressure of frequent deadlines and changing priorities in a high-volume academic setting. + Excellent oral and written communication skills. + High level of professionalism, organization, scrupulous attention to detail, and the ability to manage workload, prioritize effectively, and work as part of a team. + Experience establishing new processes and/or independently managing administrative or financial processes. + Ability to exercise independent judgment and work independently to resolve problems. + Ability to work collaboratively and independently with a high degree of reliability, accuracy, and productivity. + Demonstrated experience supervising, mentoring, and/or training employees. + Demonstrated commitment to diversity and equity and ability to form productive working relationships with students, staff, and faculty from diverse backgrounds. + Equivalent education/experience will substitute for minimum education except when there are legal licensing requirements to perform minimum job duties on the first day of work. **DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS** + Strong organizational and problem-solving skills; administrative creativity and strong initiative. + Experience working on a team, working in an academic institution, working with faculty across departments or in an interdisciplinary unit. + Working knowledge of UW systems, including SAGE, Workday, and My Financial Desktop. **Application Process:** The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select "Apply to this position". Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your "My Jobs" page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are access ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed. University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.