Research Business Operations Manager

Position Overview

The Research Business Operations Manager is responsible for research operations, coordination, and networking across a complex, interdisciplinary research environment within the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK). This position reports to the Director for Operational Excellence and Financial Operations, while providing strategic support to the Senior Associate Vice Presidents (SAVP) for Research overseeing research centers, institutes (CI) and cores.

Utilizes experience and knowledge to oversee, provide guidance, and support a variety of research activities. Manages various knowledge repositories in support of the research units, identifying opportunities to enhance existing repositories and/or reporting. Leads the proposal, implementation, and assessment of policies and procedures related to research operations and research development. Manages and coordinates annual reporting of all research units, working directly with faculty directors and support staff to ensure proper reporting and summarizing deliverables for senior leaders. Independently analyzes unit and faculty leader expectations against deliverables to aid senior leaders in analyzing return on investment and faculty evaluations. Tracks and maintains faculty director appointments and research unit MOUs. Works closely with leadership to draft, finalize MOU terms. Communicates with necessary stakeholders to ensure alignment on financial expectations across units. Analyzes and provides support for benchmarking and tracking of impact for research units, as developed by ERIK leadership. Works closely with leadership to identify benchmark components and makes recommendations for faculty appointments, compensation, and leveling based on the standards created.

This position also supports the senior leaders for research on a variety of projects related to the research core operations and strategy for center, institutes and research cores. Responsible for overseeing and facilitating internal projects from proposal and inception through post go live activities. Leads project planning, governance, progress reporting, and issues management. Participates in change management initiatives. Works closely with leadership stakeholders, including faculty directors, to ensure strategic alignment and execution, including appropriate ERIK support as needed. Participates in executing change management plans with a focus on changes to business and operations processes. Effectively communicates with the faculty directors and support staff to ensure clear expectations and deliverables. Applies change management methodologies, communication planning, organizational readiness assessment and stakeholder analyses. Responsible for providing exceptional customer service, including responding to requests for information, and escalating issues as appropriate. Collects and consolidates best-practices, lessons-learned, and processes. Coordinates appropriate stakeholders in project or strategy execution, including scheduling and providing teams with background details and supporting MOUs or agreements.

Works closely with senior leaders to plan and manage the semi-annual CI Research Retreats. Participates in the planning and schedule of events, including providing recommendations for agenda, attendance, and potential outcomes.

Provides comprehensive support to leaders, including identifying the need for meetings and preparing meeting deliverables to ensure productivity and actionable items. Works with unit leaders to discuss workforce planning and training for support staff, providing recommendations to supervisor and senior leaders. Directly and/or indirectly supervises project managers, business administrators and/or fiscal staff supporting the CIs. Leads and actively participates in recruitment and onboarding of ERIK and CI support staff roles.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for Success

• Trustworthy, responsible, competent, service oriented.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast paced environment.
• Organized with the ability to maintain a daily understanding of tasks in the queue with appropriate prioritization.
• Ability to listen perceptively and convey awareness.
• Team and collaboration oriented.
• Proactively expands requests into actions that meet the needs of the requester.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 6 years of relevant experience.
• Business experience in an administrative capacity; proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Excellent written communication skills.

Desired Education and Experience

• 8-12 years of relevant work experience.
• Reasonable knowledge of University policies, rules and regulations; experience with large organization financial, procurement, HR, and travel systems.
• Experience assisting with the design and implementation of schema for knowledge capture, archiving, and retrieval
• Supervisory experience.