Director of Research Administration

Department: College of Engineering and Computing

Job Category:  Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type:  Full-Time

Work Schedule:  Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax

Telework Friendly:  Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check:  Yes 

About the Department:

The Chief Business Officer Team within the CEC Office of the Dean facilitates the planning and implementation of the unit’s financial and operational vision as it relates to the full range of business functions and activities for the college to include finance, research administration, human resources, operations and information technology. The CBO is accountable for and provides overall leadership, supervision, management, and coordination of these functions, as well as provide oversight for the development of implementation of policies and procedures to achieve desired outcomes. The CBO team maintains relationships with central administration and other University departments, as well as other units’ CBO teams, to facilitate these outcomes.

The Research Administration team, within the CBO team, supports faculty with proposal submissions as well as financial management and compliance of their research grants and contracts in an efficient manner, provided in with a customer-service focus. The college recently added Pre-Award responsibilities, as part of a university effort to enhance the research administration infrastructure across the campus. As part of this new initiative, applicants will have the opportunity to help develop and influence the pre-award process at the college level as well as work to refine post award processes.

The College of Engineering and Computing has experienced rapid growth in its research portfolio over the past five years with expenditures totaling over $65M in 2023 and has projects with over $120 million in current awards with almost 300 active awards. Our proposal activity is approaching 400 submissions annually. The CEC research portfolio presents a fantastic opportunity for applicants to provide research administration in a growth environment.

George Mason University provides outstanding benefits to employees, including but not limited to, a generous number of holidays and tuition remission. More information is available at

About the Position:

The CEC Director of Research Administration provides pre-award and post-award research administration services to the college. The local Director, Research Administration directly manages, leads, and supervises staff performing pre- and post-award activities for the sponsored projects research portfolio for the college. The Director, Research Administration reports to the Chief Business Officer.

*Please note that this is not a 100% remote/virtual position, but it is telework friendly with the ability to telework 1-3 days per week.

Responsibilities:

Pre-Award Administration: Oversees and leads the team performing pre-award activities for CEC to enable faculty to submit their research proposals in a timely manner and in accordance to sponsor and university requirements. Specific duties include: Development of CEC Pre-Award Administration policies and procedures ensuring they are in alignment with University requirements;Assist with assignment of workload for Pre-Award Research Administrators to ensure balance workload;Conduct training on Research Administration System for faculty and research administration team;Interact and partner with GMU’s Office of Sponsored Programs, as necessary;Monitor compliance with agency and University regulations;Work to actively resolve conflicts that may arise among PIs and research administrative staff; andPerform Department Review, Approval of Indirect Distributions, and other Ancillary Reviews of Proposals as necessary. Post-Award Administration: Oversees and leads the team performing post-award activities for CEC to enable Principal Investigators to execute and manage their research awards in accordance to sponsor and university requirements. Specific duties include: Development of CEC Post-Award Administration policies and procedures ensuring they are in alignment with University requirements;Assist with assignment of workload for Post Award Grant Administrators to ensure balance workload;Conduct training on Research Administration System and MicroStrategy for faculty and research administration team;Interact and partner with GMU’s Office of Sponsored Programs, as necessary;Monitor compliance with agency and University regulations;Work to actively resolve conflicts that may arise among PIs and research administrative staff; andApprove issuance of subcontract and associated modifications as necessary. Staff Supervision, Performance Management and Professional Development: Develop processes and procedures for the Research Administration team to ensure resources are available to team to meet their responsibilities;Complete performance reviews in accordance with University guidelines and ensures that each staff members has annual goals and objectives; andProvide feedback on performance on a periodic basis and support staff development with necessary training and resources. Reporting, Compliance, and Strategic Support: Provides a set of consistent and standardized reports related to the college's 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; andSupport the College and University in regards to strategic initiatives related to sponsored research. Other related duties as assigned and necessary to support the college research portfolio.

Required Qualifications:

Master’s degree in related field; or, a combination of related education and/or work experience; Significant, effective work-related grants and contracts management experience (generally seven years or more); Direct supervisory and management experience (generally three or more years); Knowledge of federal rules and regulations relating to research grant and/or contract activity; Knowledge of University policies and procedures relating to grant and contracts activity; Knowledge of University processes, systems and offices related to and/or involved in grant and contract submission and management; High-level interpersonal skills; ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with all levels of the organization; Proficient use of computers; solid working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint); Ability to analyze data and formulate conclusions; Ability to assign and prioritize duties across staff; Ability to influence and motivate direct reports; Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects/tasks simultaneously; and Ability to create verbal and written reports.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience working in a higher education/university environment in research administration; and Certified Research Administrator.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Director of Research Administration at ; complete and submit the online application; and provide a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information.

Posting Open Date:  April 3, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: April 17, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes

A Force for Innovation in the Heart of Northern Virginia’s Technology Corridor

The College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University is comprised of the Volgenau School of Engineering and a new School of Computing. The College is a fast-growing force for innovation in research and education. Ranked nationally in the top 100 in both undergraduate and graduate education, the College boasts more than 10,800 students in 37 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, including several first-in-the-nation offerings. Of the 305 full-time faculty who comprise the College, 97 are tenured, 66 are tenure-track, 90 are instructional faculty, and 52 are research faculty. As part of a nationally ranked research university, its research teams expended $65 million in sponsored research awards in the past year and has projects with over $120 million in current and anticipated awards. The College stands out for its leading research in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurity engineering, biomedical imaging and devices, community-based healthcare, autonomous systems, 5G/Next G communications, systems architectures, computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and more. The College encourages multidisciplinary research and provides ample opportunity for faculty to work with other disciplines.

George Mason University is the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of over 40,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 research institution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutes of Higher Education. Mason has campuses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. provides unmatched geographical access to a number of federal agencies and national laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providing excellent opportunities for interaction with industry. The region is consistently rated as being among the best places to live in the country, and has an outstanding local public school system.

In conjunction with Amazon’s decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degree programs in computing. George Mason University has committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and high-tech fields. Among the exciting initiatives being undertaken by the university are the launch of the Institute for Digital InnovAtion, a university think tank and incubator to serve the digital economy, and the expansion of its Arlington Campus with a planned 400,000 square foot building that will house the new Institute for Digital InnovAtion. These initiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment by Mason that will rapidly elevate the university’s already leading national position in computing and related areas.

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