Brown University · 2 weeks ago
Director of Research Administration information Systems (RAIS)
Brown University is a leading research university known for its student-centered learning. The Director of Research Administration Information Systems (RAIS) will shape the university's information systems ecosystem supporting the research enterprise, ensuring compliance and operational excellence while managing a dedicated team.
EducationHigher EducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Lead the end-to-end lifecycle management for all research administration information systems, encompassing strategy, selection, implementation, ongoing maintenance, troubleshooting, and secure archiving
Ensure that these mission-critical systems provide daily, seamless support for staff and researchers across campus and play a pivotal role in maintaining strict compliance with complex federal, state, and local regulatory mandates in highly sensitive areas of research
Develop and execute a robust, campus-wide reporting strategy to provide leadership with essential research metrics and data related to sponsored activities
Foster operational excellence by leading, mentoring, and managing a dedicated team of analysts, focusing on process development and analysis, user training, and tracking performance to drive continuous improvement
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree required
8+ years of progressive experience in managing complex information systems, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or management role
Significant experience working within research administration, sponsored projects, or a similar environment within a higher education, academic medical center, or non-profit research institution
Proven expertise in the end-to-end business processes of research administration, including pre-award (proposals, budgeting), post-award (grants management, financial oversight), and compliance (IRB, IACUC, conflict of interest, export controls)
Extensive experience leading the full lifecycle of enterprise systems—including selection, vendor negotiations, implementation (configuration and data migration), integration, and major upgrades—for research administration systems
Demonstrated understanding of the IT requirements necessary to meet complex federal regulations, such as those from the NIH, NSF, and DoD
Expert or working-level knowledge of data warehousing, business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI), and database structures to support the development of robust research metrics and reporting dashboards
Familiarity with IT governance frameworks and demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with central OIT leadership
Expertise in reporting and developing metrics and tools for researchers and leadership
Proven ability to successfully hire, mentor, and manage a team of technical analysts
Demonstrated experience in business process analysis, redesign, and the use of KPIs and metrics to drive continuous operational improvement and operational excellence
Ability to work in a fast-paced team environment
Ability to collaborate not only internally but with all customer constituencies
Excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to communicate at all levels in the organization (with senior management, with technical and business-oriented project staff, with users and stakeholders)
Demonstrates strategic thinking and effective problem-solving skills
Strong operational, customer engagement and delivery skills
Ability to work well within collaborative, integrated teams, displaying a proven ability in leading a team, controlling timelines and budgets, anticipating issues and working towards solution of complex problems
Ability to gain the confidence of the team as well as executive-level stakeholders by communicating regularly, keeping commitments and delivering as promised
Self-motivated, professional, flexible, comfortable with ambiguity in a diverse organizational environment
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the talent to develop and maintain effective working relationships with various constituencies including institutional leadership, faculty, senior administrators, staff and department co-workers
Preferred
advanced degree in computer science, data science, or related field
Huron and Workday preferred
Benefits
Flexible work/life balance
Summer hours
Winter break
Comprehensive Benefits package including time off, annual paid holidays
Benefits offerings including health, dental, vision, tuition assistance, retirement, wellness, employee discounts and more
Company
Brown University
Brown University is an Ivy League research university that provides undergraduate and graduate programs. It is a sub-organization of Brown University Health.
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$860.76MKey Investors
RI Life Science HubNASADepartment of Energy & Environment
2025-07-28Debt Financing· $500M
2025-04-11Debt Financing· $300M
2024-08-08Grant· $0.01M
Recent News
2025-12-30
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