Assistant Director, Office of Research CON

Job Title

Assistant Director, Office of Research CON

Agency

Texas A&M University Health Science Center

Department

College Of Nursing

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

Bryan, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & lived experiences. Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.

Who we are

As one of the fastest-growing academic health centers in the nation, Texas A&M Health encompasses five colleges and numerous centers and institutes working together to improve health through transformative education, innovative research and team-based health care delivery. 

What we want

The Assistant Director, Office of Research, CON, under direction, is responsible for the day-to-day management, leadership, and development of research strategy and the research portfolio of the CON. Provides leadership for research portfolio development, research operations, multi-institutional collaborations, faculty research advancement, and implementation of strategic priorities that strengthen the College’s research enterprise and visibility. Provides operational leadership to research teams, conducts independent research activities, assists leadership in all aspects of unit finances and budgeting. The Assistant Director provides strategic advice on best practices in research design and development, research management, and the research landscape.

What you need to know

Please note: This position is grant funded; future employment may be contingent upon future funding.

 

Responsibiities:
Leadership and Strategic Management

• Oversees the day-to-day management, leadership, and development of research portfolios within the strategic plan.
• Provides strategic advice on best practices in research design and development.
• Assists faculty in identifying and developing new strategic opportunities and partnerships in research funding.
• Leads strategic planning for areas supervised and assists in developing overall strategic plans for research and scholarship Facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty across the College of Nursing, Texas A&M Health, Texas A&M University, and external partners.
• Works with colleagues on large-scale projects and initiatives.
• Evaluates program effectiveness and recommends improvements that strengthen research capacity, efficiency, and outcomes.
• Supports visibility of faculty scholarship, research accomplishments, and strategic research initiatives.

 

Research Operations and Coordination

• Provides operational leadership to research teams, including planning, organizing, staffing, and evaluating activities that support research growth, faculty scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, research capacity building, and strategic initiatives.
• Oversees implementation of research initiatives and ensures alignment with the strategic goals of the College of Nursing, Texas A&M, and Texas A&M Health.
• Coordinates funded projects, including establishing operational standards, accountability measures, performance expectations and preparing reports for preparing reports for complex and multi-site research programs and initiatives.
• Facilitates research and investigator meetings to lead the identification and mitigation of organizational, operational, and programmatic risks affecting research initiatives and strategic priorities.
• Serves as the strategic liaison and relationship manager for research partnerships and institutional collaborations, including Sponsored Research Services and the IRB
• Supervises research personnel, staff, students, and research support resources.
• Oversees implementation of compliance frameworks and effective research support systems that ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and institutional standards, including IRB approvals, amendments, personnel updates, training requirements, reliance agreements, continuing reviews, and related regulatory documentation.
• Directs performance management activities for research programs and initiatives through monitoring project plans, timelines, milestones, key deliverables, and timely submission and delivery of project status reports, annual reports, and strategic updates for leadership and funders.
• Coordinates and guides staff through manuscript preparation.
• Coordinates conference presentations, peer-reviewed publication submissions and maintains an inventory of manuscripts and presentations.

 

Financial and Resource Management

• Identifies, develops, and supports opportunities to secure research funding, programmatic resources, and strategic partnerships.
• Monitors revenues and expenses, working with staff to maintain a balanced budget.
• Analyzes research portfolio data, program metrics, and performance indicators to support strategic decision-making and resource allocation.
• Assists with planning, oversight, and stewardship of resources supporting research initiatives and programs.
• Promotes continuous improvement of research processes, systems, and support services
• Evaluates resource needs and develops recommendations related to research investments, infrastructure, staffing, operational priorities and support, and program growth.
• Supports sustainability and expansion of research programs through effective utilization of institutional and external resources.

 

Program Monitoring, Reporting, Communication and Outreach

• Conducts benchmarking, environmental scans, and background research to support strategic planning and program development.
• Maintains comprehensive inventory faculty expertise, research interests, active projects, grants, and scholarly activities to support research planning and collaboration.
• Develops reports, dashboards, and performance metrics to record and track research programs, initiatives, collaborations, and outcomes
• Collaborates with communications colleagues to develop knowledge mobilization strategies.
• Monitors progress toward strategic research goals and objectives and presents findings and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Assists in coordinating events related to the institute's initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned.
   

Qualifications: 

Required Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree in applicable fields such as health sciences, nursing, public health, healthcare administration, research administration, business administration, or related discipline 
• Six years of related experience 

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in research, healthcare, higher education, program management, project management, administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, budgets, timelines, and deliverables.
• Experience supporting senior academic leaders, including deans, associate deans, department heads, or research leadership.
• Experience supporting research programs, sponsored projects, clinical research, translational research, academic research enterprises, or similar research environments.
• Experience with multi-site and multi-institutional clinical, community-based, implementation, or translational human-subject research studies.     
• Experience developing, implementing, and improving operational processes, workflows, or administrative systems. 

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:      

• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others, including faculty, senior leadership, institutional offices, and external partners      
• Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet applications, research software, such as REDCap, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis software.     
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.     
• Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, leadership, and supervisory skills.     
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and adapt to changing priorities in a dynamic environment of critical deadlines.     
• Maintains attention to detail and utilizes sound judgment. 

 

Why Texas A&M University?   

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration.  Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you.  Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes.   

• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums  

• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays   

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month  

• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas 

• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time  

• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more   

• Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee  

• Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees 
  

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered, or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.