Research Administration Training Manager

Department: Office Rsrch Innov and Econ Impact

Classification: Trainer and Instructor 2

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax Campus

Workplace Type: Remote Eligible

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is responsible for establishing and nurturing a dynamic environment which will maximize external funding for research, scholarly, and creative pursuits while ensuring that the university's financial, contractual, and regulatory exposures are minimized. OSP provides guidance and support to the university community in its research efforts and creates an administrative environment which fosters the creative process and ensures protection of the university's financial and contractual obligations.

About the Position:

The Research Administration Training Manager position is part of the Research Reporting, Systems, and Training Team in OSP, which is responsible for systems management, reporting, and training as it relates to sponsored research administration. The position is responsible for managing a comprehensive research administration training program, including the development and maintenance of training curriculums, process documentation, and certificate programs for a variety of areas in research administration across the university. This role is responsible for ongoing analysis of research administration training and documentation needs, developing curriculum and content in collaboration with subject matter experts, and ensuring a variety of formats are utilized for content delivery as it relates to research administrative functions, utilization of systems, and broad sponsored project knowledge. In addition, this position will lead in presenting regular training and informational sessions as well as developing regular communications that will provide dynamic outreach to the university research community. With sponsored research administration constantly changing, this position must be able to respond effectively with appropriate training content and communication targeted to a variety of both new and existing employees. The individual in this position will uphold a standard of excellent customer service, guidance/assistance, and collaboration with the university’s research community while fostering positive working relationships.

Responsibilities:

Training Development and Design

• Develops, designs, implements, and manages a comprehensive and educational research administration training program that serves a broad audience of new and existing research administrators and principal investigators at the university. This includes:
  • Evaluating existing trainings;
  • Identifying gaps for new/needed training: and
  • Building a robust library of training resources, process documentation, materials, tools, programs, visual aids, manuals, videos, quizzes, and presentations in a variety of content delivery formats to provide effective guidance in all areas of research administration;
• Leverages technology to expand delivery platforms in a variety of formats to enable end users to access information at any time;
• Ensures all training materials and related documents are prepared in a usable, understandable, clear, concise, visually appealing, accessible, and ADA compliant format and are well-written, thoroughly proofed to confirm they are error-free, accurate, relevant, and consistent with all university, state, federal, and sponsor terms and guidelines for research administration;
• Collaborates with subject matter experts and appropriate teams when developing content;
• Responds effectively to changes with appropriate training content and communication. Content will include research administrative functions and processes in areas such as:
  • Pre-award, post-award, and compliance;
  • Utilization of systems, specifically the university’s full Huron Research Suite “RAMP” (Research Administration Management Portal) curriculum and the university’s MicroStrategy reporting system; and
  • Broad sponsored project knowledge.

Maintenance of Training Content

• Modifies and maintains existing modules to keep up-to-date all training content for research administration topics, programs, and certificates;
• Ensures all RAMP training content remains updated as changes are made to the system via patches and upgrades, as well as business process changes;
• Continually updates materials accordingly as needed changes arise, collaborates with subject matter experts, coordinates changes with appropriate teams, stays informed of changes in the research administration environment, and communicates changes in a timely manner;
• Ensures quizzes for certificates programs remain relevant against content and creates new quizzes as needed. All trainings should be regularly evaluated by participants to allow for review of feedback and learning outcomes to ensure training is useful and effective, and then revises training content accordingly;
• Tracks employee completion of certificate programs and reports on training attendance/usage as needed;
• Promptly posts new and updated content and removes content that is no longer current in the learning management system, MasonLEAPS;
• Monitors and coordinates needed content updates to OSP and RAMP websites;
• Uses inquiries from end-users to develop FAQs for posting; and
• Works with supervisor to ensure all training needs and related communications are being met effectively and makes recommendations accordingly.  

Training Delivery, Communication, and Outreach

• Serves as the primary point of contact and main resource for information and questions from the university community as it relates to research administration, training needs, and training and certificate programs;
• Leads all formal and informal individual, small, and large group trainings;
• Develops, schedules, communicates, and delivers virtual and pre-recorded trainings to the university community on research administration topics, and collaborates with subject matter experts to develop and deliver trainings;
• Provides clear instructions to end-users for how to access training content;
• Develops and maintains a research administration support and connections network that provides an outreach session a few times per year to the university community;
• Maintains open office hours for assistance as needed and responds timely to inquires made via calls, messages, and emails;
• Emails relevant communications through the research administration listservs; and
• Actively participates in the research administration communication meetings and contributes relevant and updated content to the RAMP newsletter. 

Other related duties as assigned, serving as a flexible resource to the team 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Considerable experience as a trainer in a business environment;
• Considerable experience with virtual training platforms, presentation software, Microsoft Suite, Adobe software, learning management systems such as Cornerstone, video creation/editing software such as Articulate 360, Camtasia, Kaltura;
• Considerable experience writing, developing, implementing, maintaining, leading, and presenting training content via multiple methods;
• Skills with virtual training platforms, presentation software, learning management systems, and video creation/editing software;
• Skills with developing, writing, and implementing useful training content via multiple methods;
• Skills with leading and presenting effective formal and informal individual, small, and large group trainings;
• Ability to articulate clearly with excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability to work in a team environment, build and maintain collaborative relationships, provide high-quality customer service, and problem solve;
• Ability to analyze and identify training needs of the organization and proactively respond with effective training solutions;
• Ability to work independently under general direction of a supervisor; and
• Other attributes include possessing high standards of accuracy and a strong attention to detail, being highly organized, and having strong time-management skills; 
• Candidates must be:
  • (i) a citizen of the United States;
  • (ii) a person who is a lawful permanent resident of the United States (a "Green Card" holder);
  • (iii) a person who is a "protected individual" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or
  • (iv) a person who is otherwise able to become generally eligible to receive unclassified technical data pursuant to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (Master's degree) with education, training, or organizational development focus or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Prior experience with sponsored research administration;
• Prior experience in a university setting;
• Prior experience with enterprise-wide systems in research administration, specifically Huron Research Suite;
• Demonstrated experience with instructional design and implementation;
• Knowledge of sponsored research administration policies and procedures and the effects on end-user operations;
• Knowledge of research administration management systems; and
• Ability to interpret university, federal, state, and sponsor rules and regulations as it is applied to sponsored project management and translate into understandable training.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Research Administration Training Manager at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide cover letter, and resume for review.

Posting Open Date: May 15, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  May 29, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes