The Assistant Dean for Research Administration in the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering (VUSE) will serve as the primary resource for the school regarding all contract and grant administration related activities, support the activities of the Associate Dean for Research, and will report directly to the Chief Business Officer (CBO) for the school.

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to school-level pre-award coordination, review and approval; school-level effort certification coordinator; training of pre and post-award grants managers; assisting in post-award matters, including closeouts and support for units that have staffing level dips or unanticipated work volume; providing assistance to the Associate Dean for Research in conflict-of interest matters and the school Summer Research program; and other special projects as assigned by the Dean, Associate Dean or CBO.

The School of Engineering is internationally recognized for the superior quality of its research and education programs in selected fields of engineering. The school includes six major Departments, two Institutes, and the Division of General Engineering. Esteemed biomedical engineering Krishnendu "Krish" Roy joined Vanderbilt in the fall of 2023 as the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor. "My goal is to ensure that Vanderbilt School of Engineering is a diverse, inclusive, and equitable place that has a profound impact on the advancement of society and the human condition, locally and globally, and that it trains the most impactful engineering leaders of the future." Dean Roy is leading VUSE into the future focused around a growing research portfolio and expanded educational programs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership

• In conjunction with the Senior Associate Dean of Research, develops and implements policy, procedures, operations, and strategic initiatives for the research activities of the School of Engineering.

• Coordinating pre-award resources across the school to ensure efficient utilization of resources and support to faculty submitting proposals, including implementing the new model for pre-award support for the school.

• Provide strategic leadership and advise the deans and department chairs on research activities relative to space planning, faculty recruitment and start up, conflicts of interest, and staff support levels.

• Provide leadership, training, and oversight of pre- and post-award grant managers and other VUSE staff.

• Foster collaboration and partnership with internal and external stakeholders to promote interdisciplinary research initiatives.

• Represent and advocate for the VUSE in various venues including university-wide committees and working groups focused on research.

• Be proficient in reviewing and interpreting sponsor guidelines for multiple agencies and multiple types of proposals and awards.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge and implement changes in research administration, including new sponsor and university procedures and systems; modify and document workflows accordingly.

• Take a project management approach with respect to the annual space certification process.

• Develop presentations, track activities, and assess the performance of various programmatic activities.

• Lead monthly or quarterly meetings with all grant management personnel in the school.

• Review/approve retroactive transfer requests.

• Under the Associate Dean for Research, support the school’s Summer Research Grants program.

Grants Team Supervision and Management

• Through subordinate managers, oversee the work of school level pre- and post-award grants managers and overall administration support related to sponsored research.

• Develop and implement a new model for school-wide pre-award support to better allocate resources for faculty submitting proposals. This might include a matrix allocation of pre-award grants managers or centralization of pre-award grands managers.

• Develop and implement VUSE policies and processes for pre-award submittal.

• Support the Grants team in problem-solving and coordination with counterparts within departments, to ensure compliance with funder requirements and all internal and external requirements, standards, and deadlines.

• Develop and maintain clear and transparent systems for enforcing proposal submission timelines and timely post-award finance and reporting processes.

• Support and provide professional development for team members as needed.

Reporting, Compliance, and Strategic Support

• Develop analytics and reports on School-wide research funding and expenditure trends and projections for leaders (primarily Associate Dean for Research, CBO, and Dean).

• Advise the Dean and department chairs on research trends, including potential gaps in PI funding, changes in space needs, school financial commitments, and personnel needs. Be a thought partner for the Dean and Senior Associate Dean for Research on all sponsored research related activities within the school, providing valuable analysis, data and insights for leadership to make informed strategic and operational decisions.

• Forecast multi-year research expenditure projections for VUSE for use in school-wide financial modelling and projections.

• Provide a set of consistent and standardized reports related to the Engineering research portfolio to leaders on a regular basis.

• Respond to requests for data and information from college and university leaders.

• Monitor compliance with agency and University regulations.

• Support the College and University in regards to strategic initiatives related to sponsored research, including representing VUSE for issues and meeting with Sponsored Projects Administration and Research Finance. Represent VUSE and the Dean on university committees related to faculty research.

• Implement the new college

• Provide support to the Senior Associate Dean for Research in managing the school’s Conflict of Interest reporting and internal review processes, including conflict of interest disclosures, PI management plan implementation and internal reviews of individual management plans.

Other responsibilities

• Assume responsibility for high-level research administration decision-making and approval processes when the Associate Dean for Research is absent or unavailable.

• Attend research administrative-related campus presentations, workshops, and training.

• Participate in professional development opportunities.

• Communicate to all faculty regarding opportunities, news releases, changes to proposal or award guidelines, and changes to rules and regulations.

• Communicate with VUSE departmental grants managers regarding changes to processes and procedures.

• Assist units with any issues arising from effort certification.

• Create a resources page on the school’s website.

• Other related duties as assigned and necessary to support the college research portfolio.

Supervisory Relationships: This position does have supervisory responsibility over multiple subordinate direct reports and provides indirect oversight of all grants managers in the school. This position reports administratively and functionally to the VUSE Chief Business Officer.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in a STEM field, public administration, business administration, higher education administration, or a directly related field from an accredited institution or equivalent is required.

• A Master’s degree or higher in a related field and a college/university background is preferred, (equivalent work experience with a Bachelor will be accepted).

• Five (5) plus years of professional, progressively responsible leadership experience is required.

• Five (5) plus years of grants and contracts related experience is required.

• Experience with a broad range of grants, sponsors, and award types is necessary.

• Must be able to work effectively in a dynamic environment with multiple constituencies, have outstanding communication skills, must be able to prioritize, multi-task, and meet deadlines.

• Strong project management experience with the capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Proven experience in strategizing, thinking operationally, organizing, and implementing research based programs.

• Strong budget management skills.

• Proven track record in working successfully in a diverse range of ethnic, cultural, and economic communities.

• Strong writing skills with close attention to detail.

• Take initiative regarding project management and identifying opportunities for future growth.

• Strong data management and analytical skills.

• Advanced Excel proficiency.

• Working knowledge of Oracle and VERA is preferred.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.

#LI-HYBRID