Director of Research, YWCC

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