Reporting to the Director, Office of Research, the Assistant Director is responsible to develop and implement activities that contribute to the growth of research funding and the research enterprise as a whole at Saint Mary's College. The Assistant Director works in a team that includes the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, Office of Research Director, Grant Accountant in the Business Office, and a student assistant. Responsibilities fall into three areas: research development; research administration and compliance; and other activities.
Research Development - 45%
The Assistant Director will engage in strategies and activities designed to increase the capacity of Saint Mary's College and its faculty to compete effectively for research funding. Responsibilities include:
Plan, develop, and implement workshops and other training activities designed to support faculty in seeking extramural funding for their research on topics such as:
Identifying funding opportunities
Grant project development
Program officer communications
Other topics that support faculty in developing successful grant proposals
Develop and implement activities that support pre-tenure faculty specifically in incorporating external funding into their research agendas.
Under the direction of the Vice Provost, Academic Innovation, provide program development, logistical, and administrative support for initiatives that advance faculty scholarly activity and engage faculty in the life of Saint Mary's College, including:
Coordination for sabbaticals and internal research awards
Planning, logistical, and administrative support for faculty events and activities
Contribute to the Office of Research and / or Academic Innovation communications through established and new channels such as:
Writing copy and developing graphics for websites
Writing updated boilerplate to be used in sponsored grant proposals
Creating and sharing out videos, slide decks, one-pagers, or other tutorials
Collaborate with the Office of Research Director and other campus partners in activities in preparaing the annual Hispanic Serving Institution / Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutional eligibility application
Research Administration and Compliance - 45%
Provide research administration and compliance services for Saint Mary's College in collaboration with the Office of Research Director, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, post-award grant accountants, and heads of the schools and units where grants are administered. Responsibilities include:
Serve as a pre-award research administrator, including:
Prepare and submit proposals within agency electronic research administration systems on behalf of Saint Mary's College and its investigators
Maintain records in research administration databases and contribute to reports
Meet regularly with the pre-award / post-award team regarding grant proposals in the pipeline; administration of active grants; planning and implementation of trainings for deans and investigators; policy and procedure needs; and other topics related to sponsored research administration.
Provide one-on-one services for faculty to support their development of proposals for extramural research funding, including:
Guide faculty in Saint Mary's pre-proposal activities such as the Intent to Apply process
Guide faculty in planning their proposal to align with sponsor priorities
Develop proposal outlines and submission timelines
Develop proposal budgets in collaboration with the PI
Guide investigators in working within electronic grant submission portals
Ensure all proposal documents conform to agency specifications
Coordinate institutional approvals of the proposal
Submit the application on behalf of Saint Mary's College and the primary investigator
Provide support through the award negotiation phase and transition to post-award
Monitor and implement Saint Mary's investigators' ongoing compliance with sponsor research regulations, including:
Monitor investigators' submissions of forms and disclosures related to sponsor regulations
Stay abreast of the changing regulatory landscape for sponsored research, and contribute to the development of policies and procedures in response to sponsor requirements
Provide proactive training and support for Saint Mary's investigators related to compliance with research regulations
Under the supervision of the Vice Provost, Academic Innovation, provide logistical and administrative support for Saint Mary's Institutional Review Board, which reviews methods proposed for research involving human participants to ensure that research is conducted in an ethical manner.
Provide support and serve on the proposal development team for large institutional proposals such as Title V, Title III, or other multi-unit projects
Requirements Other Responsibilities - 10%
Other responsibilities as assigned by the Director, Office of Research, or Vice Provost, Academic Innovation
Three years of grant proposal development experience or equivalent required.
Applicants must demonstrate the potential ability to perform the essential functions of the job as outlined in the position description.
Experience in research development, research compliance, and/or higher education administration preferred.
Skills and Abilities
An interest in fostering the development of a research environment and culture at a teaching-intensive university
Training and presentation skills to provide outreach and workshops for faculty
Excellent communication skills, including writing and editing
Budgeting skills
The ability to learn and interact successfully with a wide variety of electronic proposal submission portals.
Proficient in Microsoft and / or Google suite: Excel / Sheets; Word / Docs; PowerPoint / Slides; other productivity software.
High level of attention to detail
Ability to work in a team as well as independently
Initiative and creativity in order to develop programming and contribute to the growth of the research enterprise at Saint Mary's
A team player who demonstrates the ability to build productive working relationships with faculty and staff from multiple departments and respond quickly and effectively to investigators' needs
The foundation for everything we do at Saint Mary's is our mission: To probe deeply the mystery of existence by cultivating the ways of knowing and the arts of thinking. Recognizing that the paths to knowledge are many, Saint Mary's College of California offers a diverse curriculum that includes the humanities, arts, sciences, social sciences, education, business administration and nursing, serving traditional students and adult learners in both undergraduate and graduate programs. As an institution where the liberal arts inform and enrich all areas of learning, it places special importance on fostering the intellectual skills and habits of mind, which liberate persons to probe deeply the mystery of existence and live authentically in response to the truths they discover. This liberation is achieved as faculty and students, led by wonder about the nature of reality, look twice, ask why, seek not merely facts but fundamental principles, strive for an integration of all knowledge and express themselves precisely and eloquently. To affirm and foster the Christian understanding of the human person which animates the educational mission of the Catholic Church. Saint Mary's College holds... that the mystery which inspires wonder about the nature of existence is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ giving a transcendent meaning to creation and human existence. Nourished by its Christian faith, the College understands the intellectual and spiritual journeys of the human person to be inextricably connected. It promotes the dialogue of faith and reason: it builds community among its members through the celebration of the church's sacramental life; it defends the goodness, dignity and freedom of each person, and fosters sensitivity to social and ethical concerns. Recognizing that all those who sincerely quest for truth contribute to and enhance its stature as a Catholic institution of higher learning, Saint Mary's welcomes members from its own and other traditions, inviting them to collaborate in fulfilling the spiritual mission of the College. To create a student-centered educational community whose members support one another with mutual understanding and respect. As a Lasallian college, Saint Mary's holds that students are given to its care by God and that teachers grow spiritually and personally when their work is motivated by faith and zeal. The College seeks students, faculty, administrators and staff from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds who come together to grow in knowledge, wisdom and love. A distinctive mark of a Lasallian school is its awareness of the consequences of economic and social injustice and its commitment to the poor. Its members learn to live "their responsibility to share their goods and their service with those who are in need, a responsibility based on the union of all men and women in the world today and on a clear understanding of the meaning of Christianity." (From: The Brothers of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A Declaration).The foundation for everything we do at Saint Mary's is our mission: To probe deeply the mystery of existence by cultivating the ways of knowing and the arts of thinking. Recognizing that the paths to knowledge are many, Saint Mary's College of California offers a diverse curriculum that includes the humanities, arts, sciences, social sciences, education, business administration and nursing, serving traditional students and adult learners in both undergraduate and graduate programs. As an institution where the liberal arts inform and enrich all areas of learning, it places special importance on fostering the intellectual skills and habits of mind, which liberate persons to probe deeply the mystery of existence and live authentically in response to the truths they discover. This liberation is achieved as faculty and students, led by wonder about the nature of reality, look twice, ask why, seek not merely facts but fundamental principles, strive for an integration of all knowledge and express themselves precisely and eloquently. To affirm and foster the Christian understanding of the human person which animates the educational mission of the Catholic Church. Saint Mary's College holds that the mystery which inspires wonder about the nature of existence is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ giving a transcendent meaning to creation and human existence. Nourished by its Christian faith, the College understands the intellectual and spiritual journeys of the human person to be inextricably connected. It promotes the dialogue of faith and reason: it builds community among its members through the celebration of the church's sacramental life; it defends the goodness, dignity and freedom of each person, and fosters sensitivity to social and ethical concerns. Recognizing that all those who sincerely quest for truth contribute to and enhance its stature as a Catholic institution of higher learning, Saint Mary's welcomes members from its own and other traditions, inviting them to collaborate in fulfilling the spiritual mission of the College. To create a student-centered educational community whose members support one another with mutual understanding and respect. As a Lasallian college, Saint Mary's holds that students are given to its care by God and that teachers grow spiritually and personally when their work is motivated by faith and zeal. The College seeks students, faculty, administrators and staff from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds who come together to grow in knowledge, wisdom and love. A distinctive mark of a Lasallian school is its awareness of the consequences of economic and social injustice and its commitment to the poor. Its members learn to live "their responsibility to share their goods and their service with those who are in need, a responsibility based on the union of all men and women in the world today and on a clear understanding of the meaning of Christianity." (From: The Brothers of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A Declaration).