Assistant Vice President for Research Integrity and Compliance

Special Instruction to Applicants : The search for this posting is being conducted by Isaacson, Miller. To apply, candidates should submit a resume and a cover letter to https://www.imsearch.com/8839

Summary

The Assistant Vice President for Research Integrity and Compliance (AVPR) reports to the Vice President for Research. The AVPR ensures that research activities of faculty, staff, and students comply with local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and university policies. The position serves as the university’s subject matter expert for research compliance and leads the compliance team responsible for export controls, conflicts of interest (COI), animal use and care (IACUC), human participants research (IRB), recombinant DNA (IBC), use of stem cells (SCRO), and the responsible conduct of research (RCR).

The AVPR monitors regulatory developments and oversees changes to university policies to ensure campus research and educational activities comply with applicable laws and regulations.

The position oversees and participates in developing, implementing, monitoring, and enforcing research policies, objectives, and collaborative initiatives.

This position also serves as the expert and primary point of contact for advice, education, coordination, and resources for all aspects of research compliance, including research-related export controls. The AVPR will help facilitate research and development activities to maintain Rice's aggressive competitive position in research areas through the expansion of Rice's research initiatives. The position works collaboratively with faculty and university leaders in the Office of Research, Office of General Counsel, Chief Compliance Office, and Controller’s Office, as well as with research sponsors, accrediting agencies, and regulatory entities.

Rice is seeking a leader who can effectively collaborate with and support faculty, staff, and students while ensuring that they abide by federal and university requirements related to research compliance.

Essential Functions

• Provide strategic leadership for the Office of Research Compliance supporting the visions of the President and Vice President for Research.
• Collaborate with university leadership to review and update relevant university policies to ensure cohesiveness and consistency as well as to ensure compliance policies are being enforced.
• Establish collaborative working relationships with faculty, staff, and students to achieve research goals while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and university policies.
• Participate with other senior leaders to establish strategic plans and objectives for the institution to expand the research enterprise.
• Maintain a service culture for the Office of Research Compliance.
• Serve as the institutional liaison for research compliance matters with agencies, accrediting organizations, regulatory bodies, and other external stakeholders.
• Develop and implement plans to ensure institutional compliance with new and evolving regulations and policies.
• Maintain coordination and collaboration with components of the research compliance program such as outreach and training, compliance monitoring, ethics committees, and other campus units responsible for environmental health and safety (biosafety, radiation safety, and laser safety), responsible conduct of research, conflict of interest, grants management, and the schools to facilitate research and ensure institutional compliance.
• Maintain relevant federal assurances and accreditations for IACUC, IRB, IBC, SCRO, COI, and export controls.
• Hire, educate, and provide ongoing training to enhance the performance of the research compliance team.
• Encourage staff to identify processes that can be streamlined and/or that may benefit from policy revisions or new policy development.
• Develop programs to actively support investigators preparing and amending research protocols reviewed by faculty research compliance committee(s).
• Work with the compliance teams to streamline processes to shorten turnaround times.
• Coordinate with the Office of General Counsel and the Research Integrity Officer to address risks to the University.
• Accept reports and lead investigations of noncompliance made by federal oversight agencies; ethics point reports; serious adverse events; unanticipated problems involving risks to research subjects; and allegations of investigator non-compliance.
• Provide information and implement decisions made in coordination with the Office of General Counsel on issues relating to the FDA, OLAW, ORI, USDA, and other federal, state, and local agencies. Develop communication strategies as required and develop and implement action plans to address findings. Further, the AVP will participate in the process to resolve issues and prepare reports and correspondence for the Institutional Official or federal oversight agencies as required by policy and/or regulations.
• Respond to Office of General Counsel inquiries and requests for information, with a high-level understanding of security, confidentiality, and potential liabilities to the institution.
• Develop, review, and approve recommendations for operational planning and control.
• Lead the response to internal and external audits/ investigations, including the development of appropriate action plans.
• Oversee the maintenance and implementation of various electronic systems utilized for the research compliance program.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree ; JD, MA, or PhD preferred
• 8 years of research compliance experience

Skills/Competencies

• Master's Degree or higher
• 10 years of related experience
• Extensive knowledge in most of the following areas: export controls, COI, IRB, IACUC, IBC, SCRO, sponsored projects, and research administration.
• Specific expertise in managing accreditation processes, and handling non-compliance matters.
• Demonstrated leadership, supervisory, and team management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to handle multiple projects with competing deadlines in a fast-paced, complex, matrixed environment.
• Excellent collaborative, interpersonal, and negotiation skills, along with the ability to interact with a diverse constituent population.
• Demonstrated ability to comprehend complex scientific issues and translate specialized and/or technical jargon so that it is suitable for the public.
• Demonstrated computer skills and advanced spreadsheet and database management skills.

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

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