Senior Associate Vice President for Research Operations

The Ohio State University • Columbus, OH

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Associate Vice President for Research Operations (SAVP) is a senior executive leader within the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK) and serves as a strategic partner to the Vice President for Research. This position provides leadership, oversight, and direction for Ohio State’s research operations infrastructure, ensuring excellence in research administration, regulatory compliance, research integrity, and operational effectiveness across the university’s research enterprise.

The SAVP leads critical research support and compliance functions, including Sponsored Programs, Responsible Research Practices, University Laboratory Animal Resources, the Animal Care and Use Program, the Biosafety Program, and ERIK’s Instructional Design team. Serving as the university’s designated Institutional Official, the SAVP ensures compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations governing research activities and oversees institutional research assurances, regulatory relationships, and university-wide compliance programs.

Working collaboratively with university leadership, the Wexner Medical Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Office of Legal Affairs, Office of Academic Affairs, and other campus stakeholders, the SAVP advances operational excellence and develops best-in-class research administration practices that support faculty, staff, and student researchers. The position plays a central role in implementing ERIK’s strategic plan, driving growth in externally sponsored research, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of research support services.

The SAVP is accountable for substantially enhancing day-to-day operations across the research operations portfolio, with a focus on improving service quality, strengthening process discipline, increasing consistency across units, reducing unnecessary administrative burden, and ensuring that operational practices are aligned with institutional strategy. This position is expected to translate ERIK and university-level research strategies into actionable operating plans, measurable priorities, implementation roadmaps, and consistent management practices across the functions within the SAVP portfolio.

The SAVP serves as a visible ambassador for Ohio State’s research enterprise, representing the university at the state and national levels through professional organizations, boards, councils, and external partnerships. The successful candidate will bring extensive experience in research administration and compliance, a collaborative and consensus-building leadership style, exceptional communication and relationship management skills, and a demonstrated ability to lead complex organizations and engage diverse stakeholders within a large research-intensive university environment. An earned doctorate, terminal degree, or equivalent combination of leadership experience and expertise is require

Requirements

• Exemplary communication skills.
• Strong service orientation and interpersonal skills.
• Administrative and financial management expertise.
• Significant knowledge and direct experience in multiple regulatory areas impacting researchers at Ohio State.
• Consensus-building leadership style.
• Demonstrated commitment to team building and organization development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead/engage/inspire a large, complex research community.
• Experience interacting with a broad range of public and private constituencies.
• Ability to bring a national/international perspective on major research issues.
• Extensive experience in a higher education institution.
• Possession of an earned doctorate, other appropriate terminal degree or possession of equivalent experience is required.

Nice To Haves

• Strong research background.
• Prior leadership role and experience within a large, leading research university.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership, oversight, and direction for Ohio State’s research operations infrastructure.
• Ensures excellence in research administration, regulatory compliance, research integrity, and operational effectiveness.
• Leads critical research support and compliance functions, including Sponsored Programs, Responsible Research Practices, University Laboratory Animal Resources, the Animal Care and Use Program, and the Biosafety Program.
• Serves as the university’s designated Institutional Official, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations governing research activities.
• Oversees institutional research assurances, regulatory relationships, and university-wide compliance programs.
• Advances operational excellence and develops best-in-class research administration practices.
• Plays a central role in implementing ERIK’s strategic plan, driving growth in externally sponsored research, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of research support services.
• Enhances day-to-day operations across the research operations portfolio, focusing on improving service quality, strengthening process discipline, increasing consistency, reducing administrative burden, and aligning operational practices with institutional strategy.
• Translates ERIK and university-level research strategies into actionable operating plans, measurable priorities, implementation roadmaps, and consistent management practices.
• Serves as a visible ambassador for Ohio State’s research enterprise, representing the university at the state and national levels.
• Directs the operations of multiple teams, including Sponsored Programs, Responsible Research Practices, University Lab Animals Resources, Animal Care and Use Program and Biosafety Program.
• Converts research enterprise strategies into clear operational priorities, integrated work plans, resource decisions, process improvements, and measurable outcomes.
• Establishes operating rhythms, clarifies ownership across teams, identifies and resolves process bottlenecks, improves cross-functional coordination, and ensures day-to-day work advances ERIK’s strategic priorities.
• Serves as the university’s research Institutional Official, ensuring oversight and compliance with all regulatory, ethical, and administrative obligations.
• Manages institutional duties including authorization of research assurances, coordination with federal agencies, and stewardship of university-wide research compliance programs.
• Oversees the PI status process at Ohio State and works with college associate deans for research (ADRs) to create best-in-class operations.
• Leads ERIK’s Instructional Design team, guiding high-quality learning solutions and ensuring instructional training excellence aligned with ERIK and university goals.
• Establishes, monitors, and reports on a rigorous set of key performance indicators to demonstrate operational performance, service effectiveness, compliance reliability, process improvement, stakeholder responsiveness, and accountability.
• Uses operational data and stakeholder input to identify barriers, prioritize improvements, and drive timely resolution of issues.
• Communicates performance, progress, risks, and improvement plans to ERIK leadership, university partners, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Builds operating practices that support growth in externally sponsored research, reduce administrative burden, and improve the experience of faculty, staff, and student researchers.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
• Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
• State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.
• Tuition assistance for employees and their dependents.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree