The Associate Vice President (AVP) for Research Administration leads university-wide research administration, policy development, and related compliance activities for the University of Minnesota, an AAU, globally engaged, R1 land-grant institution with over $1B in grants and contracts funded annually. Reporting to the Vice President for Research and Innovation, the AVP leads the Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) team and delivers a customer-centric approach to research administration and leverages data analytics, key tools, and systems to develop innovative solutions to facilitate operational excellence across pre- and post-award processes. The AVP works closely with various offices, departments, and colleges across the entire University of Minnesota system to ensure adherence to federal, state, and institutional standards for research proposals and awards. This individual acts as a policy owner for university-wide research administration policies, including regular updates and comprehensive reviews. They also serve as the institutional approver/signatory for F&A rate agreements, effort compliance, F&A waiver requests, exceptions to financial policy, and other relevant documents. Finally, the AVP provides research administration expertise to the University by serving on key institutional committees, including the Senate Research Committee, Research Security Committee, and Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee, among others.

The University of Minnesota has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist with this important search. Inquires, nominations, and applications should be directed in confidence to the firm as indicated in the "How to Apply" section of this job posting.

ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

Reporting to the Vice President for Research and Innovation and overseeing two direct reports, the Associate Vice President for Research Administration will play a key leadership role in overseeing essential teams that support and enhance the University of Minnesotaâ™s expanding research enterprise.

Responsibilities

Research Administration Leadership:

• Lead a customer-focused research administration organization of approximately 60+ staff. Provide guidance to the leadership team to effectively manage staff and operations, resulting in strong employee retention, effective budget utilization, and high employee engagement metrics.
• Mentor SPA leadership to provide opportunities to build their professional profiles and networks and participate in regional and federal development activities for research administration.

High-Level Visioning and Strategic Planning:

• Develop strategic plans and metrics for university-wide research administration, to facilitate operational excellence across pre- and post-award processes.
• Leverage data analytics to regularly measure operational success in order to drive continuous improvement, equitably allocate workloads, and ensure a high level of customer satisfaction.
• Devise innovative solutions that ensure efficient, high-quality services while managing financial, legal, and reputational risks. Activities include both preemptive activities such as training and standard operating procedures, and reactive responses to quickly handle acute challenges.

Education and Outreach:

• Oversee the development of a structured curriculum to increase knowledge of SPA regulatory procedures and functions across the University and create processes for regular curriculum delivery.
• Educate and engage the research community with regular presentations on funding agency policy updates, uniform guidance, and other key topics in research administration.
• Serve as a visible liaison for SPA and the Research & Innovation Office (RIO) by holding regular meetings with system campuses to ensure cross-campus navigation and system consistency.
• Represent RIO on key University committees such as the Senate Research Committee, Research Security Committee, and Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee.
• Represent the University by participating in external groups such as NCURA, COGR, APLU, and AAU.

Policy Management and Compliance Activities:

• Prepare and manage responses to NIH, agency Offices of the Inspector General, and other notifications requiring official responses, partnering with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) as needed, by all applicable deadlines.
• Monitor agency regulations for reporting requirements and adjust university policies as needed. Provide guidance to the university community based on the assessment of policies.
• Build strong relationships with key state and federal agency officials and serve as an institutional representative for regulatory and compliance partnerships.
• Act as a policy owner for university-wide research administration policies, including regular updates and comprehensive reviews. Ensure consistent implementation and enforcement of policies.
• Serve as institutional approver/signatory for F&A rate agreements, effort compliance, F&A waiver requests, exceptions to financial policy, and other relevant documents, ensuring prompt and efficient responses to requests.
• Work with Human Resources (HR), OGC, Office for Institutional Compliance (OIC), and others for the investigation and management of cases related to fraud, misspending, and other non- scientific misconduct.
• Work closely with OGC to ensure contract terms adequately protect the University and are consistent with law and University policies.
• Work closely with Technology Commercialization to ensure Intellectual Property (IP) terms contained in contracts are consistent with Universityâ™s IP policies.

KEY OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Lead and develop a team of high-performing professionals to enhance the support and services of RIOâ™s research administration team.

Building on the deep expertise within Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA), the Associate Vice President for Research Administration will serve as a strategic leader guiding the future direction of a high- performing team. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to elevate research administration at the University of Minnesota to new levels of excellence. As a committed advocate and organizational leader, the Associate Vice President for Research Administration will drive advancements in administrative systems and processes, assess and refine staffing structures, and champion professional development across the unit.

In a research environment that is constantly evolving, the Associate Vice President for Research Administration will ensure the team remains agile, forward-looking, and focused on delivering efficient, high-quality support and services that meet the expanding research ambitions of the University. A key responsibility will be evaluating staff capacity in light of growing institutional needs and advocating for the resources necessary to support both operational excellence and strategic growth. Empowering staff through mentorship, continuing education, and career development will be central to building a culture that values expertise and fosters long-term success. The Associate Vice President for Research Administration will skillfully balance innovation with operational integrity, sustaining core responsibilities while advancing new initiatives.

Collaborate and build relationships with partners across the University of Minnesota and with national partners to advance shared research goals.

The Research Administration team is a service-oriented unit that supports the research community at the University of Minnesota. This includes deans and associate deans, department chairs, center and institute directors, principal investigators, faculty, students, and administrative staff across the Universityâ™s various campuses and schools, as well as external stakeholders such as national organizations, federal agencies, and industry partners. The Associate Vice President for Research Administration plays a critical role in cultivating and maintaining strong relationships across these internal and external audiences, fostering a culture of transparency, collaboration, and trust. The Associate Vice President for Research Administration will lead efforts to promote continuous assessment and feedback, ensuring that procedures evolve to meet the dynamic needs of the research enterprise.

In support of these efforts, the Associate Vice President for Research Administration will also champion leadership development within the Research Administration team, strengthening its capacity to serve the Universityâ™s research community through greater transparency, responsiveness, and accessibility.

Build, nurture, and lead a team of subject experts who continually and tirelessly support the innovative and changing landscape of research.

The next Associate Vice President for Research Administration will provide agile and visionary leadership to build a future-focused team that is responsive, innovative, and equipped to navigate the evolving landscape of research administration. A strong focus on reflection, process evaluation, and continuous improvement will be essential to ensure compliance with national mandates while meeting the dynamic needs of the University of Minnesotaâ™s research community. The Associate Vice President for Research Administration will play a key role in fostering partnerships and building processes to work with industry, foundations, and other external stakeholders to support and accelerate research growth. Staying actively engaged with national organizations and peer institutions will be critical for tracking trends and aligning expectations. This forward-thinking leader will anticipate and address emerging challenges, advancing the universityâ™s research mission and supporting the RIO team in achieving strategic goals.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

• BA/BS degree, masterâ™s degree preferred.
• At least 10 years of experience in research administration leadership roles with progressively increasing responsibility within a major research university, federal government, or another entity engaged in sponsored research.
• Track record of effectively managing professional staff within a large organization of 25+ individuals.
• Specific experience in administering federal research grants and contracts, corporate-sponsored research, and clinical trial agreements.
• Experience in developing, implementing, and using grants management information systems.
• Ability to handle a high-intensity research administration operation characterized by 10,000+ proposals and agreements annually.
• Demonstrated experience, with specific examples, of leading teams through process and organizational change.
• Proven success in delivering a customer-centric approach to research administration.
• Specific leadership examples demonstrating the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence applications for research administration.
• Experience in designing and delivering an effective training curriculum to a diverse audience across an institution.
• Significant professional experience in serving on and leading university-wide committees in the research administration domain.
• Multiple years of experience in policy development and interpretation, particularly in the domain of federal grant agencies.
• Established track record of working with organizations such as NCURA, COGR, APLU, AAU, and other relevant groups.

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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