| Duties & Responsibilities | Assistant Research Administrator School of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. All full-time university staff are eligible for our generous benefits package that includes choices for health, vision, and dental coverage, life-insurance, short and long-term disability coverage, retirement planning, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, flexible spending accounts, tuition benefits, significant paid-time off, 12 paid holidays, and more. Explore our benefits further here: https://hr.vcu.edu/current-employees/benefits/university-and-academic-professional-benefits/ As
a member of the Internal Medicine Division of Cardiology and Pauley Heart
Center’s administrative team, the selected candidate for this Assistant Research
Administration position will be responsible for providing pre- and post-award
administrative support to primary investigators, study teams, and the Cardiology
senior research administrator. The
selected candidate will assist with financial and administrative management of
funded research grants and contracts. This position provides an opportunity for
candidates with prior research administration experience to grow those skills
in a fast-paced, diverse environment. The position will also present
opportunities for career growth in the field of research administration for
those presenting a willingness and ability to work collaboratively with a
diverse group of faculty and staff across all School of Medicine departments. This
position is eligible for hybrid telework. Core Responsibilities: 1. Risk Management - Demonstrates commitment to risk assessment (considering cost, benefit, and impact)
- Utilizes identified internal control mechanism
- Practices routine verification of the accuracy of data
2. Post Award Research Administration and Compliance Monitoring Work
under direction of your supervisor and in consult with the SOM Research
Administration team, to provide post award research administration support
specific to the needs of units and faculty assigned. Ensure assigned awards are
managed and administrative reporting requirements are met in accordance with
SOM Research Administration Standard Operating Procedures and established
guidelines of both VCU and sponsoring agencies. Serve as
post award research administration support for Departments/Centers as assigned,
providing hands on day-to-day management of research portfolios in the assigned
area. Post
award duties could include: - Provides financial and administrative management of department sponsored
research portfolios as assigned to include: grants, cooperative agreements, and
contracts, including industry clinical trials. - Provides routine updates to supervisor, noting any potential issues that may
need to be elevated to a department/center’s administrative leadership. - Works
with investigators to establish new awards and initiate spending; ensures award
financial record and budget are accurate in university systems. - Meets
with investigators of projects assigned no less than quarterly to review
project statuses and financial projections. - Provides
financial and administrative management including monthly reviews of:
expenditures, projections, personnel allocations, cost share indexes. Ensures
expenses allocated to a project are allowable, reasonable, and allocable,
elevating compliance concerns to both PI and supervisor when needed. - Ensures
accurate labor distributions on sponsored and cost share indexes are
maintained. - Facilitate administrative components of progress reporting, work with Grants
& Contracts accounting for financial reporting and invoicing as necessary. - Facilitate administrative process for project amendments, continuations,
supplements, no cost extensions. - Alert
PI and supervisor of any actual or projected deficits when identified, determining
in advance means to rectify issues. - Maintains current and complete records and communications related to each award
managed. Provides supporting documentation to department fiscal personnel as
requested to support purchases, travel, or labor distribution changes to be
charged to a sponsored project. - Provide
data and assist supervisor as needed to prepare department level reporting for
active awards. - Performs other post award administrative duties as identified as necessary for effective
award management by supervisor.
3. Pre-Award Research Administration Work
under the direction of your supervisor, to provide pre-award research
administration support specific to the needs of SOM departments/centers and
faculty investigators. Work directly with investigators on assigned proposal
submissions to ensure proposals meet technical, administrative, and financial
requirements, deadlines are met, and all SOM Research Administration Standard
Operating Procedures and established policies/requirements of both VCU and
sponsoring agencies are followed. Will be
responsible for managing the proposal development process and establishing
necessary timelines with the investigators to ensure deadlines are met for all
submissions assigned. Pre-award
duties could include: - Follow all SOMRA SOPs related to pre-award submissions.
- Create a management plan and communicate clearly with the Principal Investigators on submission requirements and assignments, ensuring roles, responsibilities, and timelines are clear for each proposal assigned.
- Prepare non-technical components of submissions seeking PI input where needed: budget, budget narrative, coordinating administrative requirements for sub recipients, preparing RAMS-SPOT submissions, completing sponsor forms, etc.
- Ensure conformance of each submission with sponsor requirements and VCU policy.
- Prepare cost share authorizations and advance index requests, seeking department approvals as needed.
- Facilitate completion of compliance and training requirements with the PI.
- Review terms and conditions of awards and communicate special terms to
- investigators and department administration as needed.
- Provides data and department/center level pre-award reporting for areas assigned to team.
4. Other Research Administration Activities Participate
in SOM Research Administration team meetings and activities, provide input into
SOM Research Administration procedures, training, or website materials as
requested. Participate in school and university level training opportunities in
Research Administration. Stay current on NIH, other Federal, state, foundation,
and other
common sponsoring agencies policies, procedures, and regulations. Stay
current on VCU and School of Medicine policy, procedure, or guidelines related
to research administration. Other duties or special projects as assigned. |
| Qualifications | Minimum Hiring Standards: - VCU supports a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment. The candidate will demonstrate experience that shows their commitment to fostering such an environment.
- Education: High School diploma or equivalent.
- Experience: Some office experience and customer service experience.
- Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
- Other Requirements:
– Strong attention to detail.
– Good written and verbal communication skills.
– Ability to work independently under direct supervision and as part of a team.
Preferred Hiring Standards: - Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Business Administration, Research Administration, or a related field).
- Experience: Prior experience in research, academic, or administrative setting is highly desirable.
- Technical Skills: Familiarity with research administration software and compliance monitoring tools.
- Other Qualifications:
– Demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks and prioritize effectively.
– Experience in a hybrid work environment with the ability to manage tasks remotely
Additional Information: Open Until Filled. VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran’s period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual! Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability. Please note that if you are employed as a university employee working in any of the health system’s facilities, you will need to follow VCU Health System policies, which will include but will not be limited to, vaccination requirements. The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. |
