Manager, Effort Reporting and Compliance - Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

## Responsibilities ### Effort Reporting Program Leadership - Lead the university-wide effort certification process, ensuring timely completion across all units while maintaining a strong focus on faculty experience and clarity. - Monitor certification progress, identify patterns and risks, and proactively engage departments to resolve issues before they escalate. - Review effort data in the context of broader research activity, identifying discrepancies and working collaboratively with Departmental Research Support personnel and finance partners to resolve them. - Ensure that effort reporting processes are audit-ready while minimizing administrative burden on faculty and staff. - Support institutional readiness for audits and external reviews by maintaining clear documentation and consistent practices. ### Systems Stewardship and Process Ownership - Serve as the functional lead for the institution’s effort reporting system, managing certification cycles and ensuring smooth operation across the university. - Partner with IT and system teams to resolve issues, improve usability, and implement enhancements aligned with evolving workflows and systems. - Maintain high standards for data integrity, documentation, and transparency within institutional systems. - Contribute to the design and refinement of workflows that connect effort reporting to broader post-award and financial processes. ### Post-Award Administrative Partnership - Coordinate non-financial post-award administrative actions, including prior approvals, no-cost extensions, changes in scope, key personnel updates, and subaward modifications. - Interpret sponsor terms and conditions and provide clear, actionable guidance to departments and faculty. - Work closely with OSP, SPA, and contracts teams to ensure alignment across administrative, financial, and contractual aspects of awards. ### Faculty and Staff Partnership - Serve as a trusted advisor to departmental research administrators and faculty on effort reporting and related compliance requirements. - Translate complex regulatory expectations into practical guidance that supports faculty in managing their research effectively. - Support PIs in managing complex portfolios by providing expertise in effort, commitments, and administrative requirements. ### Training, Guidance, and Customer Support - Develop and deliver training that builds institutional understanding of effort reporting and post-award administrative processes. - Mentor staff across the research support community, contributing to the development of expertise and consistency across roles. - Identify opportunities to improve processes, reduce administrative burden, and enhance the effectiveness of research support. ## Requirements - Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, research administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. - Five (5) years of progressive experience in research administration, sponsored projects management, or a closely related field, with demonstrated experience managing complex post-award or compliance-related activities. - Experience supporting complex or large-scale research portfolios (e.g., multi-PI awards, center grants, industry-sponsored research) preferred. - Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply federal regulations, sponsor requirements, and institutional policies related to sponsored research. ## Nice to Have - Experience with effort reporting systems and related administrative processes. - Strong interpersonal and communication skills. - Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities. - Experience with audit preparation and compliance processes. ## Benefits - Opportunity to work at a top-ranked research university. - Collaborative and innovative work environment. - Support for faculty and staff in managing complex research portfolios. - Professional development and training opportunities.