CIMR Research Administrator | School of Medicine/Neurology

Summary: As part of the Center for Inherited Myology Research, this Research Administrator would provide administrative support to the program, including grant and financial management of the related muscular dystrophy consortiums. These consortiums oversee multiple sites and awards designed to develop therapies for the muscular dystrophies. The Research Administrator will be responsible for providing direct pre and post award support for the Program. The Research Administrator will also contribute to infrastructure, personnel, policy, and process development for the program.

Typical Duties

• Responsibility 1 (55%): Pre-Award Support
  • Task 1: Work directly with investigators on assigned proposal submissions to ensure proposals meet technical, administrative and financial requirements; as well as ensuring deadlines are met and established policies and requirements of both VCU and sponsoring agencies are met. Submissions include federal grant proposals as well as other sponsoring agencies.
  • Task 2: Assist with the proposal development and establishing necessary timelines with the Investigators to ensure deadlines are met for all submissions assigned.
  • Task 3: 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.
  • Task 4: 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.
  • Task 5: Prepare clinical trial budgets and negotiate with sponsors as needed, with a clear understanding of various implications and reaching out to OSP as required and/or needed.
  • Task 6: Prepare cost share authorizations and advance index requests seeking department approvals as needed.
  • Task 7: Review terms and conditions of awards and communicate special terms to Investigators and department administration as needed.
  • Task 8: Provide data and assist supervisor as needed to prepare department level pre-award reporting for areas assigned.
• Responsibility 2 (30%): Post-Award Research Administration and Compliance Monitoring
  • Task 1: Provide financial and administrative support of program sponsored research portfolios as assigned to include: grants, cooperative agreements and contracts including industry clinical trials.
  • Task 2: Work with investigators to establish new awards and initiate spending; ensures award financial record and budget are accurate in university systems.
  • Task 3: Provide financial and administrative support including monthly reviews of: expenditures, projections, personnel allocations and cost share indexes. Ensure expenses allocated to project are allowable, reasonable and allocable. Compliance concerns should be brought to supervisor and primary investigators immediately.
  • Task 4: Meet with investigators of projects assigned no less than quarterly to review project status and financial projections. Potential issues should be reported to supervisor immediately.
  • Task 5: Ensures accurate labor distributions on sponsored and cost share indexes are maintained.
  • Task 6: Manage sub awards: initiate sub award administrative actions, receive invoices, monitor finances, and obtain PI approval for invoice payment, process payments.
• Responsibility 3 (15%): Risk Management and Other Duties
  • Task 1: Demonstrate a commitment to risk assessment (considering cost, benefit and impact) - Utilize identified internal control mechanism - Practices routine verification of the accuracy of data.
  • Task 2: Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors or equivalent and 3 years relevant professional experience, or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
• Possess or have the ability to acquire skills in the following areas: analyze financial transactions for trends and variances; create reports, tracking tools and professional documents; budget development; expense forecasting; financial reconciliation; ability to interpret and apply complex government regulations and contractual terms.
• Pro-actively ask questions and seek guidance when needed.
• Excellent customer service skills, written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team.
• Strong problem solving and time management skills are essential, including ability to adapt to frequent changes in work assignments, prioritize and manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Must be precise, thorough, reliable and perform daily activities with minimal supervision.
• Must be proficient in the use of computers with the ability to learn new systems and software applications with ease. Proficiency in the use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe.
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or equivalent related experience.
• CRA or OSP certification.
• Prior experience in research administration in the areas of proposal development, financial management, effort reporting and project close out.
• Working knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and OMB Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards.
• Prior experience in administrative and financial management in an academic setting to include working knowledge of state/university purchasing, travel, personnel administration policies and procedures.
• General understanding of IRB and IACUC policing pertaining to regulatory requirements in animal and human research.

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 and savings options, 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/.

This position is open until filled. This is a restricted position with no set end date; continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance. 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 employer. 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.

FLSA: University Employee. Job FTE: 100. Exemption Status: Exempt. Restricted Position: Yes. E-Class: UF - University Employee FT. ORP Eligible: No. Salary Range: $58,000 - $75,000. Compensation Type: Salaried. Target Hire Date: 8/14/2025.