Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Programs Administration

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center seeks a strong leader with a breadth of experience in research management to serve as the Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Programs Administration.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center ranks among the top academic medical centers in the world. Its faculty members, who are responsible for a broad array of groundbreaking biomedical research advances, are respected for their dedication to teaching and patient care.  As one of the foremost research facilities in the world, UT Southwestern, with its 6 Nobel laureates and 22 members of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, is poised to lead the way in a new era of scientific discovery in the 21st century.

The AVP has overall responsibility for providing sponsored programs administrative and financial services for pre-awards, post-awards, and clinical research. As the leader of Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA), the AVP facilitates research advancements, coordinates the development of high-impact disciplinary and multidisciplinary projects involving major external funding, and links faculty members, researchers, and administrators at UT Southwestern with agencies and research institutions.  While maintaining compliance with institutional and sponsor policies and procedures, the AVP will continue to streamline the pre-and post-award processes for Principal Investigators at the University so as to remove barriers to research and provide faculty with integrated and efficient support services that increase the timeliness, competitiveness, and impact of their grants. In this and other ways, and by playing a role in sustaining research excellence, the AVP will contribute to the recruitment and retention of world-class faculty and will thereby advance the research mission of UT Southwestern. Reporting to the Vice President for Financial Affairs with a secondary reporting relationship to the Vice Provost for Research, the AVP leads the central service organization and will have the opportunity to continue the innovation in service delivery, technology, and resource deployment that distinguishes the SPA organization.

The AVP will be a well-respected leader in his/her field with broad and deep knowledge of macro forces affecting federal, state, and private funding sources for research as well as the compliance and regulatory landscape therein. The ideal candidate will be someone who can develop and sustain a balance between a high level of faculty and staff service, an equally high level of operational efficiency, and a culture of informed, self-directed compliance with institutional and sponsor regulations.  Given the scale, range, and complexity of UTSW’s research activities, it is essential that the AVP be someone who can develop relationships with senior administrators and influential members of the faculty and can succeed through influence as well as authority. In addition, s/he will bring strong analytic and business intelligence skills necessary to track performance, analyze trends, and identify areas of opportunity.

Candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or a relevant field and 7 years of progressively responsible experience in the following areas:  administration of pre-award, post-award, and/or clinical research programs, including clinical trial administration, coverage analysis, and billing; research and fiscal compliance; and information technologies at a major research medical center or significant academic or research institution.  Demonstrated experience leading a diverse professional department with a focus on consistent customer service, an orientation to faculty or staff, and a commitment to operational efficiency is a must.  A Master’s degree in a scientific field or in business, law, accounting, or financial management is preferred.

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UT Southwestern has retained Opus Partners (www.opuspartners.net) to support this recruitment. Confidential inquiries, applications, and nominations should be submitted by email to Katie Dean, Associate Partner, katie.dean@opuspartners.net

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EEO/AA). It considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, gender, race, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. This position is security-sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code §51.215.