Senior Pre-Award Officer

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) values collegial collaborations and activities across our teams as we strive to maintain a supportive and inclusive environment and to uphold the mission and values of Harvard Medical School (HMS). As a member of ORA, the Senior Pre-Award Officer will work effectively within a culture inclusive of individuals with diverse backgrounds, styles, abilities, and motivation, and appreciate and leverage the capabilities, insights, and ideas of all individuals. The ORA Pre-Award team provides administrative support for a large portfolio of departments and collaborates with team members, ORA staff, and HMS/Harvard constituents to provide high-level support to clients (investigators, staff, sponsors, etc.) on a wide range of research administration and compliance issues in a fast-paced environment.

Reporting to the ORA Associate Director of Pre-Award Services, the Senior Pre-Award Officer (Officer) must demonstrate a proven ability to lead and to work both independently and collaboratively. The Officer is responsible for review and submission of a large number of applications, progress reports, and supporting information to a wide variety of sponsors, including NIH, NSF, DOD, DARPA, IARPA, federal and state governments, corporate sponsors, foundations, and foreign or international entities. The Officer is authorized to sign on behalf of the President and Fellows of Harvard College. The individual must be able to efficiently manage large, complex proposals, including responses to contract solicitations, and to keep up with evolving and expanding federal regulations and University and School policies. The Officer is responsible for reviewing all applicable documentation to ensure the submission of accurate and compliant application materials by interpreting sponsor guidelines and University policies to identify risk, mitigate submission errors, and meet sponsor and HMS submission standards and deadlines. They will consult with other ORA staff, faculty, department administrators, and Harvard compliance offices to resolve project-based regulatory approvals for human and animal subjects, international collaborations and activities, and other approvals as needed. The Officer will help develop and deliver training initiatives and materials for internal and external audiences, lead or/and collaborate on special projects and working groups, provide essential feedback on roles and workflow processes within the office, with an eye to continuous improvement, and document new and existing processes as needed. They may be called upon to provide input to ORA leadership on strategic planning. The Officer participates in the development, documentation, or revision of ORA, School, and University policies and business procedures. They must interpret guidance and communicate best practices and responsibilities to departmental colleagues, and ensure compliance and consistency of practice. The Officer also identifies areas or instances of risk to the investigator and/or the University, and escalates to the Associate Director in a timely manner, providing adequate background information. The ideal candidate should be able to manage to shift and sometimes competing priorities and be able to balance strict adherence to policy requirements with the ability to identify and provide flexible solutions for the gray areas within research administration. The Officer interfaces with the Office of Technology Development, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, the Office of Academic Research and Integrity, the export control officer, HMS compliance offices, HR, and other Harvard and external colleagues as needed. Works closely with other Pre-Award Officers to address and resolve issues, and backfills as needed for last-minute proposal submissions and special projects. Also provides coverage for fellow Pre-Award Officers’ vacations, medical leaves, meetings, etc. Responsible for other duties as assigned or as needed.