Senior Research Administrator

The Senior Research Administrator is responsible for the management of complex research portfolios for multiple laboratories and completes work autonomously, updating the department administrator as necessary. The Senior RA serves in a leadership role within the department business office, functioning as a senior resource to peers within the department and across the Institute.

The Senior Research Administrator is responsible for a diverse set of funding types including federal, industry, foundation, donor, institutional, chargeback, and clinical trials. The Senior Research Administrator collaborates with and advises faculty and researchers on the preparation of sponsored research applications and/or the financial management of sponsored and institutional funds; and is responsible for problem solving on behalf of the department. The Senior Research Administrator has advanced and specialized expertise and regularly provides guidance and mentorship to colleagues with less experience, in addition to leading training and educational efforts within the Institute.

The Senior Research Administrator is responsible for collaborating with Institute central offices such as Research Finance, Accounts Payable, Research Administration, Special Funds, Grants and Contracts, the Clinical Trials Office, Office of General Counsel, and the Innovations Office.

In addition to grant management responsibilities, the Senior Research Administrator will manage special projects /assignments either within the department or across departments and will represent the Department at Institutional Committees/ Workgroups. The Senior Research Administrator is expected to partner with Department Leadership and Faculty to set strategy and provide guidance and expertise. 

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals. 

This position’s work location is hybrid with two or three days per week remote. The selected candidate may only work remote days from a New England state (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI). 

The Senior RA is responsible for the following primary functions autonomously with supervisory input as needed:

• Grant Preparation (pre-award)
• Portfolio Management (post-award)
• Procurement
• Human Resources
• Compliance
• Cores, Centers, and Chargebacks

Grant Preparation (pre-award):  Responsible for all administrative aspects of grant preparation of sponsored research applications. Review sponsor eligibility and application requirements and ensure applicants understand them, responsible for the entire application excluding scientific content, meet and communicate internal and external deadlines in a strict deadline-driven environment, research funding opportunities for investigators, draft non-scientific materials for proposals, coordinate with administrators and faculty from other departments or organizations to complete proposals, coordinate institutional review of proposals by Grants & Contracts and submission to sponsors, prepare JIT information and responses to other pre-award inquiries.

Portfolio Management (post-award):  Responsible for the financial management of sponsored and institutional funds portfolio management. Prepare financial and narrative reports for sponsors while managing and adhering to specified deadlines, provide projection and project summary reports to investigators on a regular basis, ensure spending adheres to budget and sponsor and Institute guidelines, invoice and monitor receivables for clinical trial enrollment when appropriate, establish billing agreements as appropriate, track milestones and receivables for industry agreements.

Procurement: Approve and/or initiate purchase requests for investigators and laboratory members via Purchase Orders and PCard.  Verify funds are available, expenses are allowable and correctly allocated in a timely manner.  Review and approve bills for core and center services.

Human Resources: Onboarding - conduct financial analysis to determine availability of funding, assist in the development of job descriptions, post positions, approve salary offers, process visa applications and payments as appropriate. Ongoing - process merit, equity and promotions requests.  Manage salary allocations in adherence to funding guidelines and availability. Offboarding - manage termination process checklist, process termination paperwork.

Compliance: Partners with faculty and researchers to ensure adherence to internal and external policies. This includes consulting with faculty/OGC/Innovations on MTA, DUA and consulting agreement processes. Also includes advising faculty and researchers and/or referring them to appropriate resources for other compliance issues such as financial conflict of interest and foreign influence. Educate new researchers and manage the federal time and effort process for applicable researchers. Continuous learning and educating of researchers on NIH Grants Policy Statement and DFCI Policies. Review Time and Effort prior to routing to researchers for certification.

Cores, Centers and Chargebacks: Assist in pricing development and annual review of pricing, process monthly billing for internal and external customers, manage funds to ensure revenue meets expenditures.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:  May advise on the work of others.

• High school diploma
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; 5 years of experience preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

Computer literacy:  Expert with new applications and software programs. Expertise with Excel/Google Sheets preferred.

Organization: Extensive experience with electronic document and email file storage. Able to complete projects with expertise, accuracy and on time. Adept at prioritization and managing multiple priorities simultaneously.

Customer Service: Provides superb written and verbal communication. Demonstrated expertise with listening, inquiry, follow-up, and problem-solving skills. 

Critical Thinking:  Demonstrated expertise assessing complex situations and developing solutions. Extensive experience analyzing grant data through research, comprehension and application of regulations, policies, and procedures including NIH and other Federal, state and foundation regulations.

Financial:  Adept with budgeting principles, including projections and the integration of multiple complex awards and types with varying project periods.

Teamwork and Collaboration: Adept at cultivating relationships with faculty, research staff, department’s GM team, GM in other departments, and central departments.

Institute operations and processes: Adept at directing faculty and researchers to appropriate departmental and institutional resources, including for issues or queries outside the standard scope direct responsibility. In depth knowledge of regulations, policies, and DFCI standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Inclusion, Diversity & Equity: Promotes inclusive community where human differences are valued and celebrated and where all are welcome. Creates an inclusive work environment that engages and retains talent.

Other:

Able to lead and influence projects within the Department and across the Institute’s research central offices. Independently discusses and troubleshoots complex issues. Shares ideas openly and accurately, and communicates them effectively, both in writing and verbally.

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply. 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. 

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