Career Center

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $185,000-$285,000

Position Summary

The Office of the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) has overall responsibility for the University???s research enterprise at all locations, which, in FY 2022, had research expenditures totaling more than $1 billion.  The Office???s primary functions are to promote research excellence and research integrity.  It works to promote an institutional environment that sustains the high quality of the University???s research programs and maximizes their productivity.  It also establishes and administers the policies governing the conduct of research at the University.

Reporting to the EVPR, the Vice President for Research Operations and Policy (VPROP), has overall responsibility for managing the administration of research at the University. The VPROP works with the EVPR, the other units within the Office of the EVPR and other leadership of the University to define the University???s research policies and enhance the services and resources that support the University???s research mission.  

Responsibilities

• The VPROP is primarily responsible for managing six University-wide offices that constitute the administrative backbone of Columbia???s research enterprise.  The VPROP oversees the following offices, which together employ more than 200 staff members:
  • Oversees the day-to-day functioning of the foregoing offices, including personnel and financial matters
  • Provides guidance and support to the office heads concerning problems that arise in research studies
  • Evaluates the offices??? business processes to increase efficiency and improve client service
  • Formulates and drafts policies on a wide range of research-related subjects
  • Collaborates with the offices to support the seamless provision of services to the research community
  • Ensures that policies and procedures are consistent across campuses
  • Serves as an intermediary with faculty and research staff if questions arise about the performance of an office
  • Advises on responses to regulatory queries and government audits
  • Educates the research community on the University???s policies and procedures relating to research
  • Works closely with the EVPR???s Office of Research Compliance and Training to help operationalize programs and expand available training programs
  • Works with the University???s IT Offices to enhance the IT services provided to researchers, develop better ways to collect and process research data and improve Rascal, the University???s internally developed suite of IT modules created to simplify Columbia???s research compliance and research administrative processes
  • Works with the EVPR on special projects. 
• Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) provides support and services to investigators at the University whose research is externally funded, including identification of funding opportunities, proposal development consultation, proposal review and submission, and sponsored project monitoring and closeout. SPA also ensures that project proposals and awards comply with applicable laws and regulations, as well as University and sponsor policies. 
• The Clinical Trials Office (CTO) has overall responsibility for negotiating contracts and budgets for all industry sponsored clinical trials and managing the invoicing, collection and reconciliation of funds from industry sponsors.  The CTO provides regulatory guidance, education and training in FDA-regulated research to ensure compliance with the myriad of regulations that apply to clinical research. 
• The Human Research Protection Office (HRPO) supports the University???s seven Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that are responsible for ensuring that all human subjects research conducted at Columbia is performed ethically and in compliance with applicable laws, regulations and University policies. The IRBs review study protocols, conduct reviews of clinical studies at least annually and audit ongoing studies. 
• The Office of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is responsible for reviewing all protocols involving live vertebrate animals, overseeing compliance with federal and state regulations through post-approval monitoring, inspecting animal facilities and laboratories and overseeing training and educational programs, to ensure the humane and ethical care and use of laboratory animals. 
• The Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) maintains a healthy and safe environment for all members of the research community, through overseeing laboratory safety, protecting against environmental hazards in research, sponsoring training and providing guidance in chemical hygiene, biological safety, radiation safety, fire safety and occupational safety. 
• The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) enhances the educational and training experiences of the University???s approximately 1.500 postdoctoral appointees, serves as an advocate for postdocs, and provides administrative support for all aspects of a postdoc???s experience at Columbia.
• More specifically, the VPRO:
• Partnerships 

The VPROP partners within the EVPR Office with the Office of Research Initiatives and Development and the Office of Research Compliance and Training, as well as the EVPR???s Chief of Staff and Executive Director of Special Projects, to achieve seamless administrative support for Columbia???s researchers.  The VPROP also works with other offices within the University, such as Finance, Columbia Technology Ventures, Columbia University Information Technology, the Office of the General Counsel, the Provost, and Communications and Public Relations to ensure that all offices are aware of their various priorities and can work together to achieve both internal and external initiatives. 

Additional Specific Responsibilities 

In addition, the VPROP has the following specific responsibilities:

• Serves as the principal author and editor of the following five Handbooks created to give practical guidance to faculty and staff in the management of sponsored projects, which are updated annually to reflect changes in regulations, processes and practices:
• Sponsored Projects Handbook
• Clinical Research Handbook
• Animal Research Handbook
• Research Environmental Health and Safety Handbook
• Research Radiation Safety Handbook
• Administers the following University programs or committees:
• Human Embryonic and Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Committee
• Precision Medicine and Society Program
• Serves as the Institutional Official for the University???s Animal Care and Use Program
• Serves on numerous University committees relating to research.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor???s and advanced degrees 
• Fifteen years??? relevant experience 
• Knowledge of research administration in a university setting

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of the academic and administrative needs of university research operations
• Experience in building and managing complex organizations
• Excellent analytic capabilities and oral and written communication skills
• An acute sense of client service
• Ability to inspire and lead staff
• Ability to exercise discretion and judgment in sensitive and confidential situations

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

About Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

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