Open Positions

Case Western Reserve University is committed to providing a transparent estimate of the salary range available for this position at the time of its posting. The salary range is between $58,000 and $66,672, depending on qualifications, experience, department budgets, and industry data. 

Employees receive more than just a paycheck. University employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare, retirement plans, tuition assistance, paid time off, and a winter recess.

POSITION OBJECTIVE 

Working with a high degree of independence, provide overall administrative management and coordination of a variety of business-related functions; finance, budget, and grant administration for various faculty within the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences (PQHS). The Manager for Funded Projects will be assigned a research portfolio made up of multiple grants and contracts with annual expenditures between $4.5 million and $5.5 million. These assignments may change as needed based on changes in funding levels, staffing needs and other dynamics. 

The manager is expected to function as the financial and business manager across their assigned portfolio and working with directly with faculty and staff as it relates to grant submissions, financial reporting, tracking of expenses, determining optimal staffing levels based on available resources, and ensuring compliance with post award management for multiple NIH institutes, other federal and state agencies, industrial and non-profit funding agencies. The manager will develop and implement plans for optimizing the management of resources, exercising discretion and independent judgment to assigned departments related to managing revenues and expenses, as well as working across units within the Office of Finance and with administrators across the school of medicine and university. The manager for funded projects has authority to accomplish objectives within established guidelines and policies with the expectation of only referring special problems to the Director.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Serve as the financial and business operations manager for their assigned portfolio, which will range between $5m-$7m in annual direct spending. Extract data from multiple university sources and systems and perform continuous financial modeling for implementation. Review spending patterns to project future trends and prepare long-range operational forecasts and cash flow analyses. Develop monthly forecasts for each Principal Investigator outlining all projects in their portfolio and meet with them monthly to review trends. Develop and implement strategies to avoid over- and underspending. Review and monitor spending levels and commitments. Be the main contact and primary administrator to departmental staff, faculty, and students for all things related to funded projects. Delegate tasks to other staff as needed and follow up with colleagues, departmental staff, and faculty to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner. Create efficiencies to improve accuracy. (30%)
2. Provide multi-institution, complex proposal development for collaborative research, industry, and clinical trials grants and contracts. Provide background research to emphasize the connection between the research needs statement and the interests of the funder. Manage contract and grant proposal preparation processes for the more demanding and reporting-intensive sponsors with varying policies, restrictions, and deliverables. Advise faculty on complex contract and grant terms that may impact the administration of a project involving multiple institutions in both the U.S. and international sites. Facilitate the terms and conditions of awards, budget augmentation, and project period with the principals. Ensure compliance with all state and federal agency regulations, industry, non-profit organizations, and university procedures. Develop and implement a system to ensure all project closeouts are done timely. Maintain files of sponsored projects financial reports and close out packages. Provide multi-institution, complex proposal development for collaborative research, industry, and clinical-trials grants and contracts. Provide background research to emphasize the connection between the research needs statement and the interests of the funder. Meet with Principal Investigators (PI) and the director to discuss/initiate corrective actions prior to proposal submissions. Serve as a resource to assigned departments by identifying potential funding sources, interpreting proposal guidelines, providing guidance in navigating the federal web-based submission platform, and managing the internal routing process through Sparta. (25%)
3. Manage the salary spend across the portfolio by balancing the resources available to each individual faculty. Determine appropriate and affordable staffing based on grant budgets and projections of clinical trial revenues. Approve all staff hires. Initiate reorganizations and layoffs when funding resources change or are eliminated. Complete monthly effort/salary distributions for exempt employees. Complete salary adjustments as needed while working collaboratively with human resource administrators and the Director. (20%)
4. Present the school of medicine position, utilizing independent judgment, as it relates to compliant management, billing, and payments for shared research endeavors with administrative staff at affiliate hospitals to ensure effective financial management of clinical trials. Monitor clinical trials closely to ensure revenue is received, budgets are increased, and payments to affiliate hospitals are completed in a timely manner and in accordance with the various affiliation agreements. Working across Case Western Reserve University and with the appropriate affiliate staff representatives, monitor, review, and approve various crossbills and reports with University Hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic, and MetroHealth Medical Center to ensure accuracy and funding availability. (10%)
5. Prepare administrative reports for submission to sponsoring agencies, including interim and final financial reports. Interpret school and university policies and procedures about grant management and expenditures and ensure compliance by all staff. Communicate any changes to policies and procedures to the appropriate staff to ensure implementation. Ensure compliance with federal regulations. Maintain a database of all sub-recipients and note all sub-recipients subject to the Single Audit requirements. Gain an understanding of the compliance programs of sub-recipients and communicate additional expectations to comply with the university's compliance program. Monitor the receipt due date of audit reports, and if reports are not received, request the audit reports from sub-recipients. Review audit reports and follow up with the sub-recipient to determine if corrective actions have been taken on findings related to the university. Monitor on a regular basis sub-recipient activities for compliance with program and university requirements. Monitor sub-recipient expenditures to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. Assist sub-recipients with the resolution of financial noncompliance (10%)

NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Serve an active role, including chairing committees, on various leadership teams in developing long-term and short-term departmental strategy goals. Cross-train with HR specialists and purchasing managers to ensure smooth daily management of grants and contracts, and during times of absence. Cross-train with all other grant managers for changes of assignments as needed and absences. (5%)
2. Perform other duties as assigned. (<1%)

CONTACTS

Department: Daily contact with faculty and research personnel in assigned departments and the school of medicine Office of Finance and Planning, Grants and contracts, and all administrative offices, and administrators.

University: Daily contact with purchasing, Accounts Payable, and Human Resource central administrative departments. 

External: Weekly contact with University Hospitals, MetroHealth, and Cleveland Clinic physicians, administrators, research personnel, and residents. Regular contact with Federal funding agencies and institutes, industrial, and non-profit funding agencies.

Students: Contact with graduate students and student employees.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

No direct responsibility.

QUALIFICAITONS

Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree and 5 or more years of related experience, or Associate's degree and 7 or more years of related experience. Operational finance management and grant management experience preferred.

REQUIRED SKILLS

1. Demonstrated experience in managing strategic and organizational planning activities within a complex organization, preferably in an academic or public health setting. 
2. Experience developing or managing budgets.
3. Knowledge of university policies and procedures preferred.
4. Professional and effective oral and written communication skills; and good interpersonal skills with the ability to work and communicate with various individuals within and external to the university. Must demonstrate good presentation skills and the ability to articulately and accurately relay information to others in a formal and informal setting.
5. Strong organization skills; ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines. Must demonstrate attention to detail and accuracy, time management skills, and follow-through. 
6. Effective management skills; ability to lead, train, work with, and elicit cooperation from team members and staff. 
7. Ability to work effectively independently and collaboratively within a team. Must be highly motivated, responsible, dependable and a self-starter.
8. Effective problem-solving skills; must demonstrate excellent analytical skills, sound judgment and good decision-making. 
9. Must demonstrate innovation and the ability to develop new ideas, procedures and systems in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
10. Must demonstrate flexibility and ability to work under pressure; must be able and willing to conform to shifting priorities, demands and timeline. 
11. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, database applications, and with internet navigation. Experience with PeopleSoft and/or Oracle a plus.
12. Must demonstrate willingness to learn new concepts, procedures, processes, and computer programs as needed.
13. Demonstrated history of successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest.
14. Ability to meet consistent attendance. 
15. Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face. 
16. Willingness to learn and utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI).

WORKING CONDITIONS

This position is performed in a typical office environment. Duties involve repetitive motions such as typing and using a computer mouse, with prolonged periods of sitting and occasional standing. Chemical exposure is minimal and limited to routine office products such as sanitizer wipes.

This position is eligible for hybrid work arrangement up to two remote days per week at the discretion of the department. New employees may begin a hybrid schedule upon approval from the supervisor, successful completion of an orientation period and signing the remote work checklist certification form.

Case Western Reserve University is committed to providing a transparent estimate of the salary range available for this position at the time of its posting. The salary range is between $46,035 and $58,234, depending on qualifications, experience, department budgets, and industry data. 

Employees receive more than just a paycheck. University employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare, retirement plans, tuition assistance, paid time off, and a winter recess.

POSITION OBJECTIVE

Working under limited supervision, the Research Operations Coordinator leads the coordination and management for community-engaged research and operational activities within the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health in the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine. This position is an essential member of the Swetland Center operations team and the Community Engagement Studio team. The research operations coordinator supports 4 faculty, 3 to 5 staff, 3 to 6 students, and dozens of community partners through implementation of well-organized center-wide operations and communications, management of advisory programs, and event planning to raise awareness and foster research partnerships. A primary focus is leading community engagement studios in partnership with CWRU's Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC). These are structured, evidence-based consultative sessions that connect researchers with community experts to improve study design, recruitment, and dissemination. The position requires the highest level of professionalism, skills in relationship building and partner management, and an ability to independently research and provide innovative solutions to improve processes and efficiencies in all job responsibilities. The research operations coordinator will work collaboratively and in a team environment with other internal and external faculty, staff, and community partners to support the center's goal to accelerate pathways to vibrant and healthy environments in alignment with the center's core values of collaboration, participation, respect, and innovation. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Work closely with the center director to plan and execute center-wide operations. Organize bi-monthly all-hands meetings and monthly leadership meetings, develop agendas, and facilitate inclusive discussions to ensure alignment with center priorities and values. Manage center infrastructure including space, supplies, technology, and onboarding of new staff. Coordinate scheduling and record keeping for monthly project planning meetings. Coordinate Swetland Center advisory council bi-annual meetings by managing all logistics, developing agendas, and maintaining clear and open communication between the center and its advisors.  (20%)
2. Working closely with the community engaged research module of the CTSC of Northern Ohio, devise new protocols and techniques to maintain research infrastructure for collaborative engagement studios involving a high degree of skill and training. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, conducting monthly research team meetings, including agenda setting, note taking, and record keeping; updating study protocols and standardized operating procedures and train team members in collaborative engagement studio processes; establishing procedures for financial management of studios incompliance with fiscal standards; maintaining project database in REDCap and pull reports for quarterly grant reporting and monthly quality improvement assessments; gathering feedback from partners for process improvement; and establishing and implementing communication and outreach strategies to increase utilization of studios. Attend twice monthly community engaged research module meetings of the CTSC of Northern Ohio and quarterly collaborative engagement studio national network meetings. (35%)
3. Conduct 5 to 8 collaborative engagement studios per year by leading planning, implementation, and evaluation using standardized operating procedures. Ensure collaborative engagement studios adhere to evidence-based practices for authentic community engagement to help researchers solve hurdles related study recruit and retention, study design, study implementation, and dissemination by connecting researchers directly with patients, caregivers, and community members (¿community experts¿). Manage the recruit and train studio facilitators and community experts. Facilitate logistics, including contracting consultants and preparation meetings with researchers, and conduct studio sessions. Draft reports, prepare summaries for grant reporting, and support dissemination of findings. Comply with all requirements for human subjects research. (25%)
4. Coordinate emergent and responsive events to raise awareness and build authentic collaborations around environmental health and community engaged research. Support the design, organization, and implementation of 2 to 3 events per year, such as workshops, forums, trainings, or community meetings. These may be conducted by the center and/or in partnership with other internal and external partners. Manage logistics and outreach. (12%)

NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

1. Carry out complex community engaged research assignments of a non-routine nature. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, identifying networks and channels to reach populations with different backgrounds, experiences, and health needs, including use of artificial intelligence tools to expedite processes; building and strengthening relationships with internal and external partners by participating in select initiatives; establishing methods for tracking and monitoring partnerships; and identifying opportunities to engage partners for research and training initiatives. Connect with other units and departments at CWRU and the CTSC to foster efficiencies and collaboration. (5%)
2. Participate in seminars and activities. (1%)
3. Participate in meetings for the CTSC of Northern Ohio. (1%)
4. Perform other duties as assigned. (<1%)

CONTACTS

Department: Daily contact with supervisor and center team to discuss research, engagement activities, and maintain workflow.

University: Occasional contact with other departments to share information and coordinate collaborative activities.

External: Regular contact with community partners, advisory council members, event participants, and collaborative engagement studio facilitators and community experts to foster engagement and collaboration.

Students: Regular contact with student employees to exchange information and support training and event logistics.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY 

May supervise students.

QUALIFICATIONS 

Experience: 3 to 5 years of related experience required.

Education: Bachelor of Science degree required.

REQUIRED SKILLS 

1. Organizational Management: Ability to work on multiple projects and tasks concurrently. Must demonstrate attention to detail and accuracy, time management skills, and follow-through. Must be able to work under pressure and adjust to shifting priorities, demands, and timelines. Must develop and apply efficient organizational processes for managing operations, scheduling meetings, maintaining supplies and technology, and ensuring effective communication across teams and with partners.
2. Project Coordination: Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate community engaged research projects, including recruiting and training participants, managing logistics, and preparing reports and summaries.
3. Protocol and Process Development: Skill in developing, updating, and implementing protocols and procedures for community engaged research and public engagement activities. Ability to train team members and maintain accurate records and databases.
4. Relationship Building: Ability to identify, build, and sustain relationships with a range of individuals and groups. Skilled at engaging partners and stakeholders to support research and collaborative initiatives.
5. Event Planning: Experience in designing, organizing, and executing events to raise awareness and foster collaboration. Ability to coordinate logistics and outreach efforts.
6. Data Management: Proficiency in managing, organizing, and reporting research data using databases and other tools. Ability to generate reports for quality improvement and grant purposes.
7. Communication and Facilitation: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to facilitate meetings, develop agendas, maintain notes and records, and engage diverse audiences effectively.
8. Collaboration and Respect: Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, high-performing team environment. Demonstrates respect for diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
9. Technical Proficiency: Skilled in using digital tools and platforms for collaboration, project management, and communication. Willingness to learn new technologies as needed.
10. Adaptability and Problem Solving: Effective problem-solving skills; must demonstrate good analytical skills, sound judgment and good decision-making. Ability to actively learn and adapt to changing priorities, embrace new approaches, and generate solutions to challenges in research and engagement settings. Must demonstrate capacity to understand the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
11. Professionalism: Outstanding interpersonal skills and demonstrated high integrity. Accountability to roles and expectations and capacity for implementing shared leadership and role delegation to effectively achieve goals. Ability to meet consistent attendance.

WORKING CONDITIONS

General office environment with pressures associated with short lead times, conflicting priorities, and the complex nature of the functions of an academic research center. Must be able to accommodate occasional early morning, late evening, and/or weekend responsibilities. Some statewide and national travel required with all documented travel costs reimbursed. Must have reliable form of transportation to travel to community sites. The position is eligible for hybrid work schedule.

This position is eligible for hybrid work arrangement up to two remote days per week at the discretion of the department. New employees may begin a hybrid schedule upon approval from the supervisor, successful completion of an orientation period and signing the remote work checklist certification form.