Job Description

Title: Research Services Coordinator

Division: Provost's Office

Department: Office of Sponsored Projects & Research

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Salary Range: Grade 7: $16.02/hour

EEO Job Group: 5 E5

Provide administration support services for the Office of Sponsored Projects and Research (OSPR), including coordination, administration, and management of human subject research compliance. and support and data maintenance of grant applications

Duties/Responsibilities

Responsible for the day-to-day coordination of IRB (Institutional Review Board) submissions for human subject research and for RCR (Responsible Conduct of Research) committee activities:

• Acts as a liaison between IRB applicants (faculty, staff, and student investigators), IRB members, and OSPR by corresponding in a timely and professional manner with questions about the IRB process and modifications required for application approval.
• Conducts pre-screening of IRB submissions and communicates with applicants regarding modifications necessary prior to assigning the IRB applications for review by IRB members.
• Ensures the timely communication and coordination of necessary documents to enable the IRB members to perform their review tasks.
• Creates and distributes modification, approval, disapproval, and continuing review letters to IRB applicants.
• Develops competence and maintains compliance with policies and procedures for IRB, RCR, and other research compliance through participation in online webinars and in-person training.
• Tracks and coordinates submission review workload of IRB members (e.g., number and types of applications reviewed).
• Maintains and updates IRB materials for researchers and IRB members in collaboration with OSPR staff.
• Attends IRB and RCR meetings and presentations, takes and maintains meeting minutes, tracks attendance, and prepares end of year letters for IRB members.
• Assists with coordination of activities and interactions with the IRB members, other University offices, and IRB investigators.
• Serves as a point of contact for Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) online training, including verifying training credentials, and maintaining instructions and frequently asked questions (FAQ) documents.

Responsible for regular grant application support and data maintenance:

• Maintains, creates and updates grant application information in grant management/administration software (such as Excel).
• Creates and distributes internal grant application documents and communications within the University.
• Perform tasks related to non-financial pre- and post-award grant administration (such as sending agreements, file progress reports) for both internal and external grants in coordination with OSPR administrative staff.
• Develops and maintains competence in policies and procedures for sponsored projects administration through participation in online, webinars, and in-person education.
• Conducts data cleaning, analysis of grant applications, prepares data visualizations for regular annual and semester reporting of OSPR grants and Center for Excellence of Teaching and Learning (CETL) faculty development activities.

General office functions:

• Creates announcements, such as flyers, and electronic media outreach, to promote OSPR and CETL activities (such as grants opportunities, training events, and workshops).
• Gathers and compile information for reports; and other administrative support as necessary to support OSPR and CETL functions.
• Receives phone calls and email inquiries for OSPR and determines appropriate action within the office and throughout the University.
• Receives, reviews, and distributes incoming mail and email (often confidential); coordinates and schedules meetings; maintains files for OSPR records; copy and distribute documents for OSPR.
• Assists with the coordination and conduct of OSPR and CETL events.
• Updates and maintains the OSPR website.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge and Skills

• High school diploma or GED required.
  
  
• Three years’ related office experience required. A combination of education and experience may be considered.
  
  
• Must present a poised, professional first contact for OSPR and be proactive and collaborative.
  
  
• Effective and professional oral communication skills and listening skills, and excellent telephone and email etiquette appropriate for interaction with students, faculty, staff, and community members required.
  
  
• Effective written communication and proofreading skills, appropriate for creation of correspondence and other documents, required.
  
  
• Astute attention to detail and accuracy required.
  
  
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality and ethical research standards, and to follow research compliance policies required.
  
  
• Effective problem solving while meeting deadlines and the ability to work on multiple projects and tasks with sometimes competing deadlines required.
  
  
• Professional interpersonal skills, and effective organization and time management skills required.
  
  
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and function as a dependable member of the OSPR team.
  
  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook) required.

Preferred Knowledge and Skills

• Associate degree, certification(s), or at least two years of college coursework preferred.
  
  
• Knowledge of additional Microsoft Office applications and Adobe Acrobat Pro preferred.
  
  
• Knowledge of Qualtrics online survey platform preferred.
  
  
• Experience with data organization, analysis, and visualization preferred.
  
  
• Experience with website maintenance or design preferred.
  
  
• Knowledge of the University structure or experience in higher education preferred.

Functional Requirements

• Effective problem solving and the presentation of a professional demeanor while meeting deadlines and achieving critical outcomes, even under demanding conditions such as multiple priorities and short-notice deadlines.
  
  
• Ability to use computers and computer systems (hardware and software) to set up functions, enter and organize data, retrieve, process and analyze information, and create documents (such as reports and templates).
  
  
• Ability to accurately retrieve and apply information from written documents and from computer-generated reports.
  
  
• Positive and professional interactions at all times with staff, faculty, students, and community members, even in difficult situations.
  
  
• Remaining in a stationary position at a desk or workstation for extended periods of time for the majority of assigned duties.
  
  
• Physical access to other workstations, other departments, and meeting rooms with occasional physical access to events that occur at on-campus sites.

Regular Work Hours/Travel Requirements

• Standard work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  
  
• Occasional irregular or overtime hours, including evenings may be required.
  
  
• Occasional local travel may be required.

About USI

The University of Southern Indiana is a public higher education institution located on a beautiful 1,400-acre campus in Evansville, IN. We offer employees exceptional benefits! Benefits for this position include:

• Affordable medical, dental, vision, life and short term and long-term disability insurance plans.
• Retirement plan where the University makes the total contribution equivalent to 7% of annual salary.
• Full tuition fee waiver for employees/75% for spouses and dependent children.
• Accrue up to 10 paid vacation days per fiscal year – accrual increases after 4, 7, and 11 years of service

For more information about the benefits that USI offers, please visit www.usi.edu/hr/benefits

• Cover Letter
• Resume

Pre-Employment Screening

A background check will be required for employment in this position.

Authorization to Work in the United States

USI will not sponsor an employment-related visa for this position.

Interview Accommodations

Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations in the application and interview process please contact the Associate Director of Human Resources, Constance Hermann, at cjhermann1@usi.edu or (812) 461-5363. Contacting the Associate Director of Human Resources is intended for use in seeking disability-related accommodations only. For general applicant inquiries, contact Human Resources at HumanRes@usi.edu or (812) 464-1815.

EEO Statement

USI is an Equal Opportunity Employer as to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities