The Center for Research Excellence (CRE) is the university’s central research development office. Within the Division of Research (DR), CRE supports faculty and DR research administration professionals, researchers/staff across the University, and postdoctoral fellows by: (1) promoting new strategies and entrepreneurial approaches to research development, (2) developing and coordinating faculty professional development programs, and (3) offering an array of support services to enhance the grant-seeking skills of early and mid-career faculty. To strengthen the development of competitive individual and team-based research proposals, CR provides project-opportunity-sponsor alignment, advanced preparation, and proposal development support. CRE administers internal seed and planning grant programs and coordinates the University’s Postdoctoral Fellows Program.

MINIMUM EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 4 years of experience related to research administration, higher education, or similar environment, e.g., consulting, instructional design, and/or professional training program management for adult learners
• Ability to organize and manage multiple projects with limited guidance.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong writing, stakeholder support, customer service, planning, and time management skills.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• An advanced degree, plus
• Prior experience related to creating and delivering training or professional development programs at different organizational levels for adult learners.
• Working knowledge of instructional design and training development.
• Experience working with grants and sponsored programs in a public or private agency or academic environment (e.g., research administration, pre/post award management).

PRIMARY PURPOSE OF POSITION

This position will coordinate the design, development, and deployment of training and professional development initiatives aligned with DR’s strategic plan, including instructional design in collaboration with content experts, building corresponding Canvas courses, organizing the delivery of courses, updating materials in anticipation of delivery, and conducting evaluation and assessment for course improvement. Programming will address division-wide, unit-level, and university-wide research training needs. The ultimate goal is to create a roster of robust training and professional development programming designed to advance research excellence. The position will develop training that supports staff in strategic, developmental, administrative, and reporting roles within and outside of the division and researchers at all levels across a variety of research topics. The position will report to the CRE Executive Director and interact with the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and DR Senior Leadership to set priorities, work with DR research professionals as content experts.

SUMMARY OF POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Administration and Project Management: Develop and implement a comprehensive training strategy for the Division of Research (DR). Identify and assess current and future training needs and inform DR Directors. Plan, create, and coordinate training and professional development initiatives for internal and campus wide DR stakeholders. Ensure training initiatives meet the needs of each DR unit and align with DR’s strategic goals. Monitor effectiveness of training and professional development programs. Provide exemplary customer service at all times. Lead and facilitate workshops and training sessions in a credible and engaging manner. Oversee the logistics involved with training (e.g., place catering orders, book rooms, manage documents and invitations, etc.). Assemble ad hoc teams and working committees to support training initiatives. Maintain records on all relevant training activities. Manage training and program-related projects, including budgets, timelines, and resources. Perform other special projects as assigned.
Training-Related Curriculum Development: In collaboration with DR stakeholders, create curricula informed by needs assessments and aligned with DR’s training and professional development needs. Design and develop new course content (as needed). Evaluate available instructional design, learning methodologies, and delivery options (e.g., classroom, online, hybrid, coaching, team/group learning) to meet unique training needs. Convene meetings with various stakeholders to discuss ongoing training needs. Customize training and delivery to specific end-user needs. As appropriate, incorporate e-learning and learning management systems to enhance content delivery. Work on file organization and preparation of training presentations for various DR Directors.
Professional Knowledge: Keep up to date with research administration topics and emerging areas to advance knowledge of training topics and materials. Research publicly available training practices in peer institutions to benchmark internal training programs.
Metrics, Reporting, and Analysis: Establish metrics for reporting program activities as described above to assist DR Leadership in making strategic decisions based on training data. Track and measure ongoing progress and success, adjusting delivery methods and content as needed to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and impact . Track and maintain a training database of users attending training. Identify customer needs and gaps and inform DR Directors of training needs