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About Queen's University
Queen’s University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research, faculty administration, engineering & construction, athletics & recreation, power generation, corporate shared services, and many more.
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Job Summary
The Associate Director, Research Agreements provides functional and operational leadership for the administration of research agreements at Queen’s University, overseeing the end-to-end lifecycle from intake, review and execution of contracts including clinical trial agreements, through post-award administration and closeout of Tri-Agency and other investigator-initiated, competitively funded research grant agreements. Reporting to the Senior Director, Research Services, the incumbent is responsible for the effective delivery, continuous improvement and strategic development of research agreement services, including operations planning, resource allocation, staff leadership and the establishment of consistent standards, processes and practices.
As a subject-matter expert in research agreements and post-award administration, the Associate Director provides authoritative guidance on complex sponsor requirements, funding conditions, agreement terms and institutional policies. The incumbent exercises significant independent judgement in resolving escalated matters, assessing institutional risks and developing recommendations, working closely with Research Legal Counsel, Research Accounting and other institutional partners to address legal, financial, regulatory and compliance considerations. The role also drives strategic, data-driven process improvements, system sustainment and change management initiatives, and builds strong partnerships across faculties, hospitals, funding agencies and external collaborators to enable and accelerate Queen’s research mission.
Job Description
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
•Provide functional and operational leadership for the administration of research agreements, overseeing the end-to-end lifecycle of research contracts and post-award administration, including Tri-Agency grants, investigator-initiated research agreements and clinical trial agreements. •Direct and oversee day-to-day research service operations, establishing priorities, allocating resources and managing competing demands to ensure effective, timely and customer focused service delivery with consistent application of service standards. •Lead and oversee the development, maintenance and implementation of standard operating procedures, playbooks, templates, checklists and operational guidelines to support consistent application of institutional requirements, sponsor conditions and accelerate review/execution; ensure adherence to relevant internal operational decisions, data management best practices, and internal and external policies, conditions and regulations. •Lead, design and implement process improvements using mapping, workflow analysis and data to create efficient, scalable and consistent operations that evolve with the research legal and research administration landscapes; ensure processes and expected outcomes meet the needs of the research community, including affiliated hospitals. •Serve as senior subject-matter expert for research agreements and post-award administration of investigator-led research grant agreements; make independent decisions on escalations and advise senior leadership. •Exercise independent judgement and decision making in resolving complex and escalated research agreement matters, determining appropriate course of action and providing recommendations to senior leadership. •Maintain and verify institutional and legal-entity information required by research sponsor systems and agreement records; ensure accuracy and timeliness of registrations, surveys and reports. •Lead and contribute to projects and systems sustainment (e.g., electronic research administration platforms), partnering with Research Systems and delegating staff as appropriate. •Coordinate with internal and external partners to define and maintain standards for research agreement template libraries, particularly those related to the accelerated review and execution of clinical trial agreements; consult with Research Legal Counsel for interpretation of agreement terms. •Build and maintain strong relationships for the unit with researchers, academic units, hospitals, external partners and funding agencies to facilitate agreement execution and compliance. •Prepare and present regular and ad-hoc reports and metrics on agreement lifecycle management, operational performance and risk to senior leadership. •Provide guidance, advice, training and resources for researchers and administrative stakeholders to support understanding and consistent application of research agreement requirements, institutional policies and compliance obligations. •Identify, assess and escalate institutional risks in agreement lifecycle management and lead resolution strategies. •Collaborate with senior managers and cross-functional partners to address complex operational issues, develop coordinator solutions and support the effective end-to-end administration of research agreements. •Provide senior managers with timely, high-quality recommendations and assistance to enable coordinated cross-portfolio collaboration and efficient end-to-end management of the research agreement lifecycle. •Represent the research agreements function on institutional committees, working groups and projects, providing subject-matter expertise and contributing to the development of institutional practices and service delivery strategies. •Plan, prioritize and manage the work of employees, providing advice, guidance, and coaching. Identifies the need for staff resources, participates on staffing committees, and makes effective recommendations regarding employee selection. •Manage performance by establishing performance standards, reviewing and evaluating performance and conducting formal performance reviews on an ongoing basis. •Assess staff training and development needs and ensures that employees receive training required to improve and sustain successful performance. •Investigate, address and resolve employee/labour relations issues, including disciplinary matters. Makes decisions or effective recommendations on matters involving possible discipline, discharge and probationary termination. •Foster a positive, inclusive and collaborative work environmental that supports employee engagement, accountability, continuous learning and professional growth.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
•Four-year Bachelor degree or equivalent in business administration, law, research administration or a related discipline. Requires ongoing professional development to maintain current knowledge of evolving research administration practices, regulatory requirements, technologies and emerging areas of research. •More than five years of progressively responsible experience in leadership and management roles preferably with a complex university, research or other highly regulated environment. •Demonstrated supervisory and people management experience in a high volume, fast paced service delivery environment, including recruitment and selection, workload allocation, employee development, coaching, performance management and employee relations. •Demonstrated experience administering complex research-related agreements (funded and/or non-funded), direct experience with clinical trial agreements is considered an asset. •Solid working knowledge of the policies, regulations and guidelines governing the administration of research in a university context, and the principal institutional risks associated with research agreements. •Experience and formal training in business process design and implementation, including process mapping, workflow analysis, continuous improvement, performance metrics and change management. •Practical experience drafting, interpreting and coordinating legal review of research agreements is considered an asset. •Working knowledge of the research compliance frameworks relevant in Canada, such those applicable to research security, privacy requirements and human participant research, and how these intersect with agreement risk and administration. •Experience training and advising stakeholders. •Proficiency with electronic research administration and/or contract lifecycle management systems; experience with Queen’s systems is an asset. •Sound understanding around best practices with respect to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. •Consideration may be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.
SPECIAL SKILLS:
•Strong analytical, interpretive and problem-solving skills with the ability to review and interpret complex agreements, legislation, regulations, funding requirements and institutional policies and assess their operational and institutional implications. •Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy, with the ability to manage competing priorities, coordinate multiple complex activities and ensure timely and effective delivery of services in a high-volume, fast-paced environment. •Demonstrated ability to exercise sound independent judgment, assess complex situations, identify emerging issues and risks, develop practical solutions and determine when matters require consultation or escalation to senior leadership or specialized institutional resources. •Strong leadership, coaching and interpersonal skills, with the ability to motivate, develop and manage a team of specialized professionals, address performance concerns and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. •Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships and influence stakeholders across a complex organizational environment, including senior administrators, researchers, faculty and departmental administrators, affiliated hospitals, external agencies and institutional partners. •Exceptional oral, written, presentation and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex contractual, regulatory and operational requirements into clear advice, recommendations, procedures and guidance for diverse audiences. •Strong project management, organizational and change management skills, with the ability to lead process improvements, implement new operational practices and systems, and manage competing institutional and stakeholder priorities. •Demonstrated commitment to client service, with the ability to exercise tact, diplomacy, discretion and confidentiality when addressing sensitive, complex or contentious matters. •Ability to foster a respectful, inclusive and collaborative workplace that values diverse perspectives, supports professional development and promotes effective teamwork. •Ability to maintain current knowledge of evolving research administration practices, funding agency requirements, regulatory frameworks and emerging institutional risks, and translate this knowledge into improved operational practices and service delivery.
DECISION MAKING:
•Establishes operational priorities, determines resource requirements and allocates staff workloads to ensure effective delivery of research agreement services and achievement of operational objectives. •Determines appropriate approaches to resolving complex and escalated research agreement matters, applying specialized knowledge of sponsor requirements, funding conditions, contractual provisions and institutional policies. Exercises independent judgment in determining appropriate courses of action and when consultation or escalation is required. •Reviews, interprets and approves operational procedures, standard operating procedures, templates and workflow guidelines to ensure alignment with institutional policies, sponsor requirements, regulatory obligations and established best practices in research administration. •Identifies, assesses and evaluates potential institutional risks arising from research agreement administration, including contractual, financial, legal, regulatory and reputational exposure. Develops and recommends mitigation strategies in consultation with Research Legal Counsel, Research Accounting, the Senior Director and other relevant institutional authorities. •Determines when issues can be resolved independently and when matters require referral to the Senior Director, Research Legal Counsel or other senior institutional authorities, based on the complexity, risk and potential institutional implications. •Provides authoritative advice, recommendations and guidance to senior leadership and institutional stakeholders on complex research administration matters, operational challenges, service delivery improvements and emerging risks. •Acts as the business owner for designated research administration systems, determining business requirements, functional priorities and operational needs; evaluates proposed system enhancements and changes and makes decisions or recommendations regarding system functionality, processes and implementation in collaboration with Research Systems and relevant stakeholders. •Evaluates operational performance, service delivery metrics and workflow effectiveness to identify gaps, establish improvement priorities and determine appropriate process changes and corrective actions. •Establishes and maintains standards for research agreement administration, including the development and application of agreement templates, procedures and practices to support consistency, compliance and timely execution. •Makes decisions regarding recruitment, staff selection, onboarding, training and professional development and provides recommendations regarding staffing requirements, transfers and promotions in accordance with institutional policies and delegated authority. •Establishes employee performance expectations, evaluates ongoing performance and determines appropriate coaching, training and performance management intervention to address performance deficiencies. •Manages employee relations matters within delegated authority, including probationary assessments, performance improvement measures and disciplinary processes. Makes recommendations regarding disciplinary action, up to and including termination, in accordance with institutional policies and applicable procedures. •Acts as Business Owner to define and decide upon research systems features, requirements and changes, along with related business processes. •Determines when to refer issues to senior leadership, and when to act independently.
Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement
The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen's is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized persons, Indigenous people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ persons. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to those who are legally eligible to work in Canada.
The University provides support in its recruitment processes to all applicants who require accommodation due to a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code, including those with disabilities. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process are asked to contact Human Resources at hradmin@queensu.ca.
