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Inside Higher Ed · 3 weeks ago

Director Of Research Administration Information Systems (Rais)

Providence, RI

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

8+ years exp

Brown University is a leading research university known for its student-centered learning and impactful work. The Director of Research Administration Information Systems (RAIS) will shape the information systems ecosystem that supports the research enterprise, ensuring compliance and providing essential metrics and data to leadership.

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No H1B

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

Research administration systemsData warehousingBusiness intelligence toolsEnterprise systems lifecycleCompliance knowledgeProcess analysisLeadership experienceCustomer engagementCommunicationTeam collaborationProblem-solving skillsInterpersonal skills

Required

Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree in computer science, data science, or related field preferred

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 (Huron and Workday preferred)

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