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Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers countless ways to change lives. Our diverse community of more than 20,000 Breakthrough Makers will inspire you to pursue passions, develop expertise, and drive innovation.

At CHOP, your experience is valued; your voice is heard; and your contributions make a difference for patients and families. Join us as we build on our promise to advance pediatric care-and your career.

CHOP's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

CHOP is committed to building an inclusive culture where employees feel a sense of belonging, connection, and community within their workplace. We are a team dedicated to fostering an environment that allows for all to be their authentic selves. We are focused on attracting, cultivating, and retaining diverse talent who can help us deliver on our mission to be a world leader in the advancement of healthcare for children.

We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.


A Brief Overview
This role will lead a team of Research Business Administrators (RBA) who manage the finances of a sponsored projects portfolio for assigned Divisions, Departments and/or Programs. Responsibilities include direct management and supervision of RBAs; management of a small, sponsored projects portfolio including budgetary and financial oversight for the PI's portfolio; communicate organized, accurate, and timely financial data to principal investigators, the Research Institute leadership, CHOP stakeholders, sponsors, and others.

They will implement and enforce policies and standard operating procedures to ensure compliance with institutional and sponsor rules, regulations, and generally accepted accounting procedures. Provide formal/informal training to departmental employees, investigators, and staff on internal and external systems, operations, and processes. Maintain a strong customer-service oriented environment.

The effectiveness of this position is tied directly to the incumbent's knowledge of and ease with the varying requirements of each sponsor in proposal submission and award management, particularly professional expertise in the management of federal awards.

The majority of CHOP's external funding is federal, all of which are regulated by Office of Management and Budget Uniform Guidance, the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Acquisition Regulations, agency implementing regulations, and other policies.

What you will do

• Operations Management and Administrative Leadership
• Oversee the duties of a team of Research Business Administrators (RBA), including coaching, training, performance evaluation and change management.
• Provide leadership in the recruitment, training, assessment and retention of RBAs.
• Work closely with the Director of Post-Award and leadership to develop, organize, maintain, and manage human resource needs for supporting the growing Research Institute.
• Provide oversight of the financial management of all sponsored grants and contracts under their team in compliance with CHOP's policies, project deliverables, and sponsor's regulations.
• Oversee the creation and utilization of reports to monitor all aspects of the team's portfolio.
• Develop and maintain tools, processes, templates, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) designed to support the operations for effective portfolio management.
• Analyze financial data using workload and deliverable metrics to develop and implement strategies for performance improvement.
• Facilitate departmental orientation when onboarding new investigators.
• Collaborate with the Pre-Award team on the transfer of grant applications for new investigators.
• Facilitate departmental orientation when onboarding new Research Business Administrators.
• Contribute to ongoing process improvement including the development of policies and procedures, educational and training programs.
• Provide leadership with monthly status reports and metrics on proposal submission, new awards, budget reconciliation, allocations, holding accounts, PO, effort certification completion, closeouts, etc. for each division under the team.
• Training and Development
• Implement policies and standard operating procedures to ensure compliance with sponsor rules and regulations.
• Review, communicate, and implement updates of the Uniform Guidance, policies, and other standard operating procedures.
• Provide guidance and training on the use of job aids, templates, and other tools to enhance efficiency in performing daily tasks, and to inform future financial planning and decision making.
• Participate in institutional initiatives related to process improvement.
• Partner with investigators to ensure that RBAs are maintaining an optimal level service in managing their portfolio.
• Engage with investigators, division administrators, and center administrative directors to solicit feedback for optimal RBA support.
• Engage with other research stakeholders such as Pre-Award, OCCRC, SAU, and CTFM to support cross collaboration across the award lifecycle.
• Coordinate and facilitate training for new RBAs in preparation for a smooth portfolio transition.
• Function as an expert for all aspects of grants portfolio management addressing queries/issues.
• Communication and Customer Service Management
• Develop professional relationships and partnerships with investigators, division administrators, HR, finance, and other departments.
• Respond to customers in a timely fashion, understand and address their needs.
• Refer customers to knowledge experts in other departments when appropriate.
• Model and enforce customer service standards when coaching and training RBAs.
• Encourage teamwork and take a lead role in maintaining and improving overall collaboration.
• Provide guidance to departmental administrators, investigators, and research support staff on the financial and proposal systems, operations and processes.
• Communicate complex financial information and other issues with the Post-Award Director.
• Participate in special projects and other improvement and change management initiatives.

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree Required
• Master's Degree in Accounting, Business or related field of study Preferred

Experience Qualifications

• At least seven (7) years of related experience in research administration and portfolio management Required
• At least three (3) years of leadership, management or supervisory experience Required
• At least one (1) year of financial management, including budget preparation and management Required
• At least seven (7) years of sponsored project management services experience (on NIH and other federally funded grants or contracts directly for investigators and physicians) in a hospital, medical or academic related environment Preferred
• At least five (5) years of Pre-Award research administration experience Preferred
• At least three (3) years of leadership, management or supervisory experience in a hospital, medical or academic related environment Preferred
• At least three (3) years of financial management, including budget preparation and management in a hospital/medical school environment. Preferred

Skills and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of principles of grants/contract management and sponsor proposal and award policies and procedures (particularly those of the National Institutes of Health).
• Expert knowledge of polices and regulations governing federal funding and accompanying compliance issues.
• Expert proficiency in NIH grants and sponsored projects funding management
• Advanced proficiency with office software (Microsoft Office) including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and database software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
• Advanced proficiency with electronic research administration systems
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Excellent customer service skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Strong leadership skills
• Strong critical thinking / problem-solving skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism
• Ability to gather, analyze and make recommendations/decisions based on data
• Ability to convey complex or technical information in an easy-to-understand manner
• Ability to collaborate with stakeholders at all levels

Licenses and Certifications

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) - Research Administrators Certification Council - - Preferred

To carry out its mission, CHOP is committed to supporting the health of our patients, families, workforce, and global community. As a condition of employment, CHOP employees who work in patient care buildings or who have patient facing responsibilities must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive an annual influenza vaccine. Learn more.

Employees may request exemptions for valid religious and medical reasons. Start dates may be delayed until candidates are immunized or exemption requests are reviewed.

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