Research Manager, Qatar

Department: NUQ Research

Salary/Grade: EXS/10

The position reports to the Senior Associate Dean and provides administrative leadership and problem-solving to support Northwestern Qatar's (NU-Q) research mission. Primary responsibilities include developing creative solutions to manage the expectations of and compliance with the institutions NU-Q researchers are accountable to. Recommends and enforces policies and procedures associated with the research process to increase productivity and effectiveness. This position requires cultural competencies to work in both Middle Eastern and Western contexts, to excel at intercultural communication, to be skilled at handling communication and relationships with our U.S.-based home campus, and to exhibit diplomacy in communicating with both internal and external stakeholders.

The position oversees the administration of all grants and research contracts. They involve multiple years, venues, collaborators, subcontractors, etc. The position ensures fulfillment of all requirements and compliance with rules and regulations. An important task is to develop and implement business systems to manage efficient pre- and post-award requirements.

The position, under the direction of the Dean and Senior Associate Dean, assists faculty in developing strategic plans regarding funding opportunities, research initiatives, collaborations, and projects to increase and improve NU-Q's research output. The position provides the faculty with expertise and advance problem-solving for grant and/or contract administration including interpreting clauses, reviewing contracts, and resolving issues pertaining to reporting and/or expenses.

Build a Research Culture At Northwestern Qatar

• Supports research strategic and creative scholarship goals of NU-Q regarding the research activities of faculty and staff;
• Provides mentoring to NU-Q students participating in research activities;
• Organizes the Research Colloquia and Workshops throughout the academic year;
• Pursues new external funding opportunities and establishes new research collaborations and partnerships, both within Qatar and outside Qatar;
• Engages in strategic three-year research planning with individual faculty members.

Pre-Award

• Provides conceptual, administrative leadership in pre-award research administration.
• Partners with PIs on proposal development, providing substantive feedback to PIs;
• Manages pre-award administration of grants &/or contracts.
• Reviews solicitation and proactively resolves any issues/questions within the solicitation with OSR and/or sponsor.
• Proactively evaluates and resolves problems and makes decisions.
• Establishes procedures at NU-Q related to pre-award administration.
• Coordinates complex, large-scale multi-disciplinary, multi-element, and/or international proposals, teaming/collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements, intellectual property agreements or user agreements.
• Manages representation of sub-recipients, cost sharing and administrative costs on a proposal.
• Coordinates IRB and IACUC protocols.
• Prepares and reviews complete budgets and budget justification.
• Assesses the need for the redistribution of project F&A among multiple redistributed chartstrings.
• Creates and uses metrics to monitor, report and adjust pre-award performance.

Post-Award

• Leads post-award administration of research grants and contracts, ensuring that proposed projects meet the goals of the university and that necessary resources are available, and resolves issues with collaborators and/or other involved parties.
• Reviews account establishment.
• Manages effort commitments of key project personnel.
• Provides expertise in interpreting awards documents and sponsor guidelines;
• Approves high-value/high-risk expenditures.
• Reviews and reports grant expenditures.
• Verifies processing of cost share transactions.
• Reviews award budget status with PIs.
• Provides data needed for interim and final technical progress reports. Completes interim and final financial reports.
• Facilitates account close out activities, coordinating with ASRSP as needed.
• Establishes procedures at the small to mid-sized unit level related to post-award administration.
• Manages all day-to-day grant and/or contract functions such as administration, facilities, compliance, reporting, etc., ensuring that timetables are created and maintained as appropriate.
• Serves as the primary NU-Q Research Office representative to the Office of Research (OR), Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), Institutional Review Board (IRB), Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR), Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Programs (ASRSP), and the Office of Export Control as well as with NU-E audit, funding and regulatory agencies, subcontractors, collaborators, institutes, centers, etc., by meeting regularly with stakeholder offices in Evanston.
• Recommends and facilitates procedural changes in grant and/or contract administration as necessary.
• Establishes procedures at NU-Q for post-award administration and implements policy to enhance research administration.
• Creates and uses metrics to monitor, report and adjust unit post-award performance.

Financial

• Oversees and manages all research portfolio fiscal activities, from research development to close-out activities, continually evaluating and recommending possible alternatives to minimize risk while maximizing goals.
• Ensures that budgets are created, proposed and administered in a fiscally responsible manner.
• Reviews transactions and resolves complex issues such as effort reporting problems and under or over-spent grant budgets.
• Provides information to senior management that is used for budgeting purposes of the university.

Compliance

• Leads compliance by implementing and overseeing policy and procedures in accordance with all appropriate NU policies & practices; Qatar Ministry of Public Health, local, state, federal, agency & sponsor rules, regulations & requirements regarding grant &/or contract administration.
• Resolves compliance problems & issues working in conjunction with faculty.
• Resolves compliance problems & issues involving research safety, animal subjects and human subjects.
• Alerts supervisor to potential higher risk compliance issues.

Supervision

• Supervises administrative or financial positions and/or mentors other administrative staff in research administration.
• Takes responsibility for training all technical and administrative staff in unit regarding research administration.

Other

• Serves as the primary Research Office representative in the greater Doha research community, including at QNRF and the other Education City campuses.
• Engages in strategic relationship-building with various research partners in Doha, most importantly with QNRF and QF R&D.
• Actively engages in research activities in support of the overall research at NU-Q, exhibiting leadership of research activities through example.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• A master's degree
• 3-5 years of research administration in a research-intensive higher education institution or research organization

Minimum Competencies

• Organization, time management, detail-oriented
• Multi-tasking, communication
• Self-starter, diplomatic, pro-active, manage stress
• Managing people

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Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.

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