Assistant Vice President

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Job description

=Florida A&M University is pleased to announce the acceptance of qualified applications for the Assistant Vice President vacancy.

Requirements

  • The Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Research Innovation provides strategic and operational leadership across Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) research enterprise, with a particular focus on ensuring Supporting Faculty Success, Ensuring Post-Award Research Administration Compliance and Facilitating Technology Transfer Administration. The AVP serves as a senior member of the Division of Research leadership team and works closely with the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Enterprise and Research Innovation, leadership within the Division of Research, academic leadership, faculty, researchers, administrators, industry partners, sponsors, and investors to strengthen the University’s research capacity, innovation ecosystem, commercialization outcomes, and economic impact. The AVP provides institutional leadership for the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of research policies, processes, systems, controls, performance measures, and organizational capabilities that support a growing and increasingly complex research enterprise. The AVP will promote an integrated research lifecycle in which sponsored research administration, compliance, intellectual property management, technology transfer, industry engagement, commercialization, and economic development operate as coordinated components of the University’s research enterprise.
  • Essential Duties and Responsibilities
  • I. Strategic Leadership and Institutional Planning
    * Provide strategic leadership and administrative oversight of research outcomes aligned with the Division of Research strategic goals of pursuing and maintaining Carnegie R1 Classification.
    * Advise and assist the Senior Vice President in developing, implementing, and continuously improving institutional strategies, policies, procedures, governance frameworks, and operating models that advance research growth, administrative effectiveness, compliance, innovation, and commercialization.
    * Develop and implement a coordinated research enterprise strategy that strengthens the full research lifecycle-from award management and compliance through intellectual property protection, technology transfer, commercialization, industry engagement, and economic impact.
    * Lead cross-functional initiatives involving the Division of Research, academic colleges, finance, procurement, legal affairs, information technology, human resources, entrepreneurship programs, and other institutional stakeholders.
    * Identify opportunities to improve institutional research capacity, operational efficiency, faculty support, research infrastructure, technology utilization, and return on research investment.
    * Provide executive-level analysis, recommendations, and decision support to the Senior Vice President and University leadership on research administration, technology transfer, commercialization, research investment, and economic development priorities.
    * Promote an institutional culture focused on service excellence, accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and measurable research impact.
  • II. Research Award Administration
  • The AVP will provide strategic oversight and support of the University’s research award administration, ensuring that sponsored awards are managed efficiently, accurately, and in accordance with applicable federal, state, institutional, and sponsor requirements.
  • Award Administration and Financial Stewardship
    * Provide strategic leadership and training for post-award administration, including award setup, budget management, financial monitoring, expenditure review, effort reporting, prior approvals, rebudgeting, subrecipient management, sponsor reporting, award modifications, and closeout.
    * Establish institutional standards for timely, accurate, and compliant administration of sponsored awards.
    * Strengthen post-award processes to support increased research volume, complexity, and sponsor requirements.
    * Ensure effective coordination among central research administration, departmental research administrators, principal investigators, Finance, Procurement, Human Resources, and other stakeholders.
    * Develop strategies to improve award lifecycle management including proactive monitoring of award balances, spending, deliverables, reporting requirements, deadlines, cost share, subrecipient activity, and closeout requirements.
    * Establish and maintain appropriate internal controls, quality assurance processes, risk-management practices, and corrective-action mechanisms.
    * Lead initiatives to improve the timeliness and accuracy of sponsored financial reporting and closeout.
  • Compliance and Risk Management
    * Ensure post-award activities comply with 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance), sponsor-specific terms and conditions, applicable federal and state requirements, institutional policies, and other relevant regulatory requirements.
    * Provide leadership for research administration compliance, including allowability, allocability, reasonableness, cost sharing, effort reporting, subrecipient monitoring, financial reporting, record retention, and award closeout.
    * Serve as a senior institutional resource for sponsor audits, monitoring reviews, site visits, and other external assessments involving sponsored research administration.
    * Coordinate corrective-action plans and institutional responses to audit findings, compliance reviews, and identified operational risks.
    * Develop training and outreach programs for faculty, principal investigators, research administrators, and other stakeholders.
  • Systems, Data, and Operational Excellence
    * Provide strategic oversight of electronic research administration systems and their integration with financial, human resources, procurement, and other institutional systems.
    * Establish data governance and reporting standards that provide reliable, actionable information about the University’s sponsored research portfolio.
    * Develop dashboards and key performance indicators measuring award activity, expenditures, compliance, reporting, closeout, cycle times, workload, and customer service.
    * Promote automation, artificial intelligence, workflow optimization, and other technologies that improve research administration efficiency while maintaining appropriate controls and accountability.
    * Continuously assess and redesign post-award processes to eliminate unnecessary administrative burden and improve faculty and administrator experience.
  • The AVP will provide strategic leadership for the University’s technology transfer and commercialization enterprise, with responsibility for increasing the institutional value and impact of FAMU research discoveries and intellectual property.- Provide strategic leadership and administrative oversight for the University’s technology transfer, intellectual property, innovation, and commercialization programs.
    * Lead the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization, including the management and performance oversight of internal staff, external consultants, vendors, and contracted technology transfer partners.
    * Establish institutional strategies for the identification, evaluation, protection, management, valuation, marketing, licensing, and commercialization of University intellectual property.
    * Oversee processes for invention disclosures, technology assessments, patent and other intellectual property protection, licensing, commercialization planning, and intellectual property portfolio management.
    * Ensure appropriate management of patents, copyrights, trademarks, software, know-how, biological materials, and other proprietary assets.
    * Develop strategies to increase invention disclosures, intellectual property protection, licensing activity, startup formation, industry engagement, and commercialization outcomes.
  • Commercialization and Innovation
    * Evaluate emerging technologies and research discoveries to identify commercialization pathways, market opportunities, licensing prospects, strategic partners, and opportunities to maximize research impact.
    * Develop and execute commercialization strategies, including market assessment, technology validation, licensing, startup formation, entrepreneurial development, and industry partnerships.
    * Establish and strengthen proof-of-concept, translational research, seed funding, and commercialization support mechanisms.
    * Develop relationships with industry, technology companies, accelerators, incubators, economic development organizations, and other commercialization stakeholders.
    * Monitor commercialization portfolios and ensure that promising technologies receive appropriate business development, management expertise, market analysis, and translational support.
    * Establish performance measures for invention disclosures, patents, licenses, licensing revenue, startups, industry partnerships, sponsored research, and commercialization outcomes.
  • Agreements and Intellectual Property Provisions
    * Provide strategic guidance regarding intellectual property provisions in sponsored research agreements, industry-sponsored research agreements, licensing agreements, material transfer agreements, data use agreements, and other research-related agreements.
    * Partner with research administration, legal counsel, compliance offices, and faculty to ensure appropriate alignment of intellectual property rights, publication rights, confidentiality, data ownership, licensing, and commercialization provisions.
    * Ensure that technology transfer activities are appropriately coordinated with sponsored research administration and research compliance.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization and nine years of related experience; or master’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization and seven years of related experience.

Competencies

  • Experience in a research-intensive university or complex academic research environment;
  • Experience leading both sponsored research administration and technology transfer/commercialization functions;
  • Demonstrated success increasing sponsored research activity, improving post-award operations, increasing invention disclosures, securing intellectual property protection, executing licenses, developing startups, or expanding industry partnerships;
  • Experience with federal agencies such as NSF, NIH, DOE, DOD, USDA, or other major research sponsors;
  • Experience developing university-industry partnerships and commercialization ecosystems;
  • Experience with research administration transformation, enterprise systems implementation, process automation, artificial intelligence, or data analytics;

Administrative and Professional and A&P Executive Service (A&P EX) positions are considered contractual. Terms and conditions are generally recognized by contract for a specific period of time or contracts renewed on an annual basis. Certain benefits, amount of leave, and notification of termination are exclusive to the pay plan.

In accordance with Florida Statute 112.219, relevant work experience may substitute for the required education: 4 years of experience in lieu of a Bachelor’s, or 6 years in lieu of a Master’s.

How to apply

Applicants are required to complete the online application with all applicable information. Applications must include all work history and education details even if attaching a resume. If you are a current FAMU employee, you must apply through Workday. This search is being conducted under Florida law, including the Sunshine law and Public Records law.

Conditions of Employment:
Successful candidate is subject to a pre-employment screening which includes a review of criminal records, reference checks and verification of education. An official college transcript, a high school diploma, or other educational documents must be submitted, where applicable, at the time of employment.

Only United States (U.S.) citizens or aliens who have a legal right to work in the U.S. are eligible for employment. Federal law requires proof of your authorization to work in the United States. You will be required to provide proof of your identity and employment eligibility within three (3) days of employment.

Section 110.1128, Florida Statutes, prohibits employment by the State (including re-hire after a break in service) of any male born after October 1, 1962, who failed to register with the Selective Service System, under the provisions of the U.S. Military Selective Service Act, during the person’s period of eligibility (ages 18 through 25). Additionally, if currently employed by the State, this law prohibits the promotion of such person. You may be required to provide documentation.

Reasonable Accommodation:
If you require a reasonable accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act (ADAA), please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs at (850) 599-3076 at least ten (10) days prior to the start of the event. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the University by calling TDD via FRS (800) 955-8771.

Equal Opportunity/Equal Access University:

Florida A&M University is an equal opportunity employer.

Equal Opportunity/Equal Access University: Florida A&M University is an Equal Opportunity Employer including minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Reasonable Accommodation: If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs 10 days prior to the event at (850) 599-3076

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University was founded as the State Normal College for Colored Students, and on October 3, 1887, it began classes with fifteen students and two instructors. Today, FAMU, as it has become affectionately known, is the premiere school among historically black colleges and universities. Prominently located on the highest hill in Florida’s capital city of Tallahassee, Florida A&M University remains the only historically black university in the eleven member State University System of Florida.