Director, Research Security

Emory University•Atlanta, GA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Research Security provides strategic and operational leadership for the University's research security program, ensuring compliance with NSPM33 and other federal research security mandates while supporting the secure and responsible conduct of research.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and seven (7) years of direct experience in research security and/or research compliance within a higher education institution (IHE) or academic medical center.
Demonstrated experience working with federal research security requirements, including NSPM 33 and related sponsor expectations.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Reporting to and working in close partnership with the Chief Research Security Officer (CRSO), the Director leads program growth, develops institutional monitoring and metrics, and oversees day-to-day implementation of research security controls across the research enterprise.
Leads the design, implementation, and maturation of the institutional Research Security Program, aligned with NSPM 33, sponsor requirements, and evolving federal expectations.
Partners closely with the Chief Research Security Officer to translate federal mandates into scalable, institution wide policies, procedures, and operational practices.
Supports strategic program growth through roadmap development, prioritization of initiatives, and alignment with enterprise risk management and compliance frameworks.
Ensures institutional compliance with NSPM 33, agency disclosure requirements, foreign influence expectations, and related federal research security mandates.
Oversees development, implementation, and maintenance of research security policies, guidance, and standards, in coordination with export controls, research integrity, IT security, and research administration.
Supports institutional responses to sponsor inquiries, audits, or reviews related to research security, foreign affiliations, or international collaborations.
Leads risk based monitoring and on site research security reviews, including laboratories, research spaces, secure computing environments, and international collaboration activities.
Oversees operational reviews of research activities involving heightened security considerations (e.g., CUI, sensitive technologies, international partnerships).
Coordinates findings, corrective actions, and follow-up activities with compliance, IT, and research leadership.
Develops and maintains research security metrics, dashboards, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess program effectiveness, compliance trends, and risk areas.
Provides regular reporting to institutional leadership, governance committees, and compliance partners to support transparency and informed decision making.
Uses data and trend analysis to inform continuous improvement and strategic planning.
Leads and supports research security training and education programs for faculty, staff, and leadership, including disclosure obligations, foreign travel security, and secure research practices.
Ensures training requirements are clearly defined, assigned, tracked, and aligned with federal expectations and institutional policy.
Serves as a central point of coordination among research security, export controls, research integrity, information security, sponsored programs, and global engagement.
Represents the institution in external research security forums, peer networks, and federal or sponsor facing engagements, as appropriate.
Contributes to a culture of compliance, transparency, and responsible international research collaboration.