Assistant Director, Outside Activities, Office of Research Support and Compliance

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General Notes

The Office of Research Support and Compliance (ORSC) at The University of Texas at Austin functions to ensure that all research conducted at the University is in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and University policies. The ORSC educates and supports the University research community with regulatory guidance concerning human subjects research (Institutional Review Board), animal research (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee), use of biohazardous agents and use of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids (Institutional Biosafety Committee), financial conflict of interest in research (FCOI), and research integrity education.
 

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:  

• 100% employer-paid basic medical coverage  

• Retirement contributions

• Paid vacation and sick time

• Paid holidays

• Eligible for hybrid telework

Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered.

Purpose

The Assistant Director for Outside Activities supports the Office of Research Support and Compliance in ensuring compliance with federal regulations and institutional policies related to conflicts of interest (COI) and conflicts of commitment (COC) arising from faculty and staff members’ involvement in outside activities (including domestic and foreign academic and industry relationships). The Assistant Director will oversee the review of financial interest disclosures and outside activity requests by the ORSC Outside Activities team and will help ensure that both research-related conflicts of interest and non-research related conflicts are managed according to university policy.

Responsibilities

• Manages a team of outside activities and COI analysts. Hires, trains, supervises, and oversees staff in daily office operations. Evaluates staff performance for quality, productivity and efficiency. Monitors work processes and workflow through continuous quality improvement to ensure efficient and customer-oriented responsiveness. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures for financial conflict of interest (FCOI) and COC/Outside Activities review processes.

• Assists staff with COI research certifications and outside activity approval requests as required to assure efficient turnaround. Regularly evaluates staff reviews to ensure they are being correctly determined and appropriate follow-up guidance is being provided. Collaborates with the Director in identifying and handling complex issues through daily monitoring of incoming disclosures, reviews in-process, and communications.

• Develops Financial Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment management plans to promote objectivity in the design, conduct and reporting of research and to ensure that outside activities do not unduly interfere with employees’ performance of institutional responsibilities. Monitors management plan compliance through receiving and reviewing annual reports as assigned.

• Acts as a primary source of expertise for faculty and staff members and their supervisors for information about outside interests and activities related to their university responsibilities. Serves as a liaison with departmental reviewers to address questions about complex conflict of interest situations. Assists with the development of guidance materials and training opportunities for departments, research units and administrative offices to promote compliance with FCOI and Outside Activities policies.

• Identifies stakeholder data needs related to COI/COC disclosures and collaborates with Research IT to develop and disseminate information. Assists the Director with ongoing electronic system design and implementation. Assists department leadership, administrators, and ancillary reviewers in performing their review and reporting activities in the system.

• Maintains current knowledge and expertise in regulations and best practices related to conflicts of interest, conflicts of commitment, grants compliance, research security and other related compliance topics. Attends meetings, conferences, and webinars on related topics.

• Provides support for Objectivity in Research Committee activities, including the preparation of FCOI case summaries for Committee review and the completion of required post-meeting actions by the ORSC.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.

• At least 2 years’ experience in a leadership role in compliance program administration, or 4 years’ progressively responsible experience in academic research administration.

• Experience in reviewing disclosures and handing conflicts of interest as part of a compliance program.

• Experience in the application of federal rules and regulations in the academic or research setting.

• Ability to analyze and communicate complex issues effectively and professionally within all levels of the institution (university administrators, faculty members, and other research personnel).

• Demonstrated customer focused orientation for providing support to stakeholders.

• Experience providing guidance and instructions and communicating in an effective and professional manner.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.

• Ability to set priorities, meet deadlines and manage multiple projects.

• Ability to function independently, including the ability to determine when decisions can be made internally and when referral should be made to higher levels to protect institutional integrity.

• Experiencing using office computing applications, team collaboration platforms, and compliance documentation systems.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree, PhD, JD or other relevant professional degree.

• Demonstrated supervisory/management experience.

• Understanding of institutional and national environments related to academic-industrial relations and/or academic research collaborations with foreign entities.

Salary Range

$90,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions.

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.

Required Materials

Please mark "yes" on the application for required materials. Failure to attach all additional materials listed may affect candidates being considered for the position.

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.