How to Apply
A cover letter - which will be carefully read and considered - is requested with your resume as part of your application for this role. Please use your cover letter to explain how your background and skills have prepared you for the Director of Research Administration role, and how you would apply them in this position.
Due to system limitations, please submit your cover letter and resume together as a single document.
Job Summary
The School of Dentistry Office of Research seeks a key strategic partner to serve as Director of Research Administration. Reporting directly to and working in partnership with the Associate Dean for Research, you will oversee the strategic direction and operational effectiveness of the Office of Research. The Director of Research Administration will work as a strategic partner with the following areas of the Office of Research: The Oral Health Sciences PhD and MS program, the Human and Clinical Research Center, research facilities, research cores, the Grants and Contracts Service Center, and research compliance for the school.
This is a hybrid position with onsite work required at the Ann Arbor Campus.
We would love to offer you any accommodations you may need. Please submit requests or other application questions to [email protected]. You can view the full job description here.
Mission Statement
MDentistry: Advancing health through education, service, research and discovery.
MDentistry Core Values: Compassion, Leadership, Excellence, Responsibility, Trust, Creativity, and Belonging.
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future. The University of Michigan is committed to foster learning, creativity and productivity, and to support the vigorous exchange of ideas and information, not only in the classroom but in the workplace by:
- Creating a work environment in which people treat each other with respect and dignity, regardless of roles, responsibilities or differences.
- Providing support, direction and resources enabling us to accomplish the responsibilities of our jobs and to reach the goals that are set for professional and personal growth.
Why Work at Michigan?
The School of Dentistry is consistently ranked as the #1 dental school in the United States and the world. We embrace diversity in many forms and champion diversity of thought and culture. Our Mission, core values, and additional information about our school can be found on our website. The University of Michigan also offers comprehensive benefits to help you stay well and to support you as you plan for a secure future. Benefits include:
- Generous paid time off for vacations, holidays, sick time, season days, and paid parental leave.
- A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions after the first year of employment.
- Many choices for comprehensive health insurance.
- Life insurance.
- Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses.
- Work-life programs to strengthen a workplace culture that supports personal and family life, including child care, elder care, lactation resources, and mental and emotional health services.
Responsibilities*
Strategic Support (45%)
- Serve as the primary advisor on research strategy for the School and lead the creation and delivery of all related communications.
- Develop, refine, automate, and document policy and business processes for the administration of research activity within the School.
- Develop, implement, and communicate special funding opportunities for the School research community.
- Maintain internal controls for the Office of Research, and advise on specific research-related internal controls for the School.
- Establish and evaluate the strategic mission and vision for the Office of Research.
- Develop research metrics for the School which include research space, leadership scoreboard updates, and annual reports.
- Develop, with internal partners, targeted workshops and training to support faculty proposal writing and bolster resources for large-scale grant submissions.
- Consult and liaison with the central office on compliance matters such as conflict of interest, responsible conduct of research, and other compliance-related matters in partnership with the School compliance officer.
- Develop and implement any school facility-related policy, including annual research-related space data.
- Develop annual budgets for the Office of Research and participate in the annual budget process.
- Plan and execute research-related events/retreats for the School community, including the School's annual Research Day, which involves working with donors, vendors, staff, and visitors.
School Approver and Liaison (10%)
- Provide Dean's level signature on all proposals on behalf of the School.
- Represent and serve as the School liaison on various school, institutional, and national committees.
- Serve as the Office of Research representative for School committees.
- Approver for research-related system access for the School.
- Ad-hoc meetings with school leadership and departments to provide support on research related matters.
Personnel Management (45%)
- Manage a team of 18 which includes 9 direct reports that represent the Contracts and Grants Service Center, Oral Health Sciences PhD and MS program, the Human and Clinical.
- Research Center, Research Cores, and the Office of Research.
- Train, coach, and evaluate performance for direct reports.
- Establish annual goals, priorities, and mission for the Office of Research.
- Develop staffing plans for the Office of Research. Manage and delegate responsibilities to direct reports. Manage the annual merit process for the Office of Research.
- Identify and allocate resources for staff including professional development across the organization.
- Manage all recharge activities including working with Financial Analysis for rates, process monthly recharges, and manage the annual budget for all cores.
Required Qualifications*
- Minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience overseeing grants and contracts administration, regulatory compliance, and research support functions.
- 5+ years direct supervisory experience managing multi-layered teams (managers and individual contributors) across departments, with demonstrated fluency in coaching reports at varied career stages and functions.
- Experience building and sustaining high-level partnerships across diverse organizational functions whether academic departments, central offices, industry partners, or community organizations.
- Experience producing and disseminating clear strategic communications (reports, policy updates, presentations) and leading teams through process or policy change initiatives.
- Experience leading within matrixed or decentralized organizations, as evidenced by coordinating cross-functional initiatives, serving on steering or advisory committees, or similar activities and projects.
- Experience using enterprise-level financial platforms for comprehensive budget forecasting, expenditure tracking, and financial reconciliation.
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Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Additional Information
- A competitive offer package will be presented based on the skills and experience of the selected candidate.
- Candidates for this position must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Background Screening
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.