Research Engineer Jobs in Hawaii

Description

The Office of Research Services (ORS) at the University of Hawai'i (UH) is the system-wide office responsible for the stewardship of all externally-funded research and training activities. With over $734 million in extramural funding received during FY 2025, the University’s research portfolio has rapidly expanded over the past several years. In collaboration with leadership across the University, the ORS Director provides leadership to a team of over 46 staff members and develops strategies to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of an important array of systems and processes to support sponsored research. The ORS Director will work collaboratively with research administration leadership to implement a new Research Enterprise system to replace the current disparate systems, with an emphasis on establishing more efficient business processes for proposal routing, award tracking, post-award management, subaward management, effort reporting, and project close-out.

Duties and Responsibilities

(NOTE: ** denotes Essential Functions)

• **Provides overall leadership and direction for the UH Office of Research Services with the overall goal of continuously improving systems to support the University’s sponsored research portfolio in an increasingly competitive grant/contract environment while ensuring compliance with the ever-increasing regulatory landscape.
• **Oversees ORS Contracts and Grants Administration Section to ensure successful review and submission of proposals to funding agencies, and ensure successful acceptances of extramural awards on behalf of the UH system, and successful negotiation of award terms and conditions.
• **Oversees ORS Extramural Funds Accounting Section (including Fiscal Management and Financial Services) to ensure successful administration on project accounts and timely and accurate reimbursements, cash management, closeouts, and collection activities.
• **Oversees ORS Financial Compliance Section (including the University’s Annual Office of Management and Budget's Single Audit) to ensure successful sponsor financial audits, site visits and desk reviews, and effort certifications. Ensures ORS Financial Compliance Section is in compliance with financial and administrative requirements over extramural funding, ensures successful administration for UH’s internal control program over extramural funding, and ensures compliance with conducting subrecipient monitoring activities and other investigations as requested.
• **Responsible for the development and maintenance of policies and procedures that conform to federal and state laws and University policies for the effective management of extramural contracts and grants.
• **Serve as the source for interpretation and application of federal laws and regulations governing contracts and grants as well as other terms and conditions imposed by any sponsor.
• **Responsible for providing or coordinating the systemwide oversight for assuring fiscal compliance with all statutory requirements as well as other contractual terms and conditions that may be imposed by extramural sponsors.
• **Maintain, modify and continuously improve the financial management support systems and system of internal controls to meet federal criteria and external audit standards.
• **Devise ways and means to effectively and efficiently facilitate the work of its client group, which includes all University faculty who prepare proposals for extramurally funded research and training contracts and grants, and the related staff who are involved with financial management for these awards.
• **Maintain a systemwide communications network for the dissemination of essential information relating to the management of extramural awards, and provides periodic training in these matters to all personnel at all University campuses and programs.
• **Provide overall guidance and direction to the Managers within ORS to accomplish systemwide goals and objectives.
• **Responsible for providing leadership and support for ORS to successfully implement a new research enterprise system and develop the associated business processes. The modules that ORS are directly responsible for include proposal submission, award tracking, effort reporting, post-award management, subaward management, and project close-out. The Director must also work closely with other system level offices to ensure that the new research enterprise system communicates with other UH systems.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Professional Work Experience

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree in business administration, finance, management, higher education administration, public administration, political science, or related field and 10 year(s) of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities for senior/managerial position of a major governmental subunit or large, private financial organization involving multi-task business and finance operations; or any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills, and abilities as indicated.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Extensive knowledge of innovative and state-of-the-art principles, concepts, emerging theories, the current federal and state laws and associated rules, regulations and interpretations and systems associated with senior/managerial position of a major governmental subunit or large, private financial organization involving multi-task business and finance operations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop short-and long-term plans of actions, understand problems from a broad perspective, use creative reasoning to discern broad underlying principles and issues when problem solving.
• Demonstrated written and verbal mastery in presenting ideas, theories, issues and models clearly and accurately using persuasion and negotiation to build consensus and cooperation and provide long-term direction and leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, and individuals.
• Demonstrated ability to operate a personal computer and apply word processing software
• For supervisory work, demonstrated ability to lead subordinates, manage work priorities and projects, and manage employee relations.

Supplemental Minimum Qualifications

• Experience as a leader/manager at a major research organization or equivalent professional experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, private and higher education institutional rules and regulations especially as it relates to extramural award requirements, including but not limited to 2 CFR Part 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, private and higher education institutional rules and regulations especially as it relates to extramural award requirements, including but not limited to 2 CFR Part 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
• Demonstrated ability to work well with faculty, administrative leadership and staff.
• Exceptional ability to foster relationships with external parties, including a range of government, business, and community organizations and representatives.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively present ideas, both in writing and orally, in an understandable, non-technical manner, with internal and external constituencies.
• Well-developed conceptual and analytical skills, including the ability to identify a problem, develop a solution and execute corrective action, either in cooperation with others or independently.
• Demonstrated ability to establish effective new organizational processes and improve ineffective processes, gaining organizational acceptance through basic change management skills.
• Ability to function successfully in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment.

Desirable Qualifications

• A Master’s Degree in the areas of business administration, finance, management, higher education administration, public administration, political science, or a related discipline.
• Understanding of business and government practices in Hawaii, nationally, and in the international arena.
• Knowledge of state government fund accounting, federal contract and grant regulations, cost accounting, generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and automated financial management systems for large, government type operations.
• Knowledge of University of Hawaii financial management systems, Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii financial management systems, and University organizational and operating structures.

To Apply:

. Required documents include: (1) cover letter indicating how you satisfy the minimum and desirable qualifications; (2) resume; (3) the names and contact information of at least three professional references; and (4) transcripts showing degree and coursework to date appropriate to the position (original official transcripts will be required at the time of hire.) NOTE: Please create a new account if this is your first time applying for a position using NEOGOV.

Inquiries:

Victoria Rivera; riveravg@hawaii.edu

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