Description
Research Services in the Office of VP Research is currently seeking a Full-time Temporary Relief Research Awards and Grants Specialist for approximately 12 months.
This position reports to the Director, Grants, Awards and Ethics and works closely with the Specialist, Research Awards and Chairs as well as the External and Internal Grants teams. The Specialist, Research Awards and Grants plays a critical role in supporting the University of Calgary Research Awards Initiative, contributing to the development of competitive nominations for honourific research awards, as well as supporting applications for research grants, by advising on and implementing related academic and staff committees, programs, services, and administrative processes. This position works closely with faculty members across campus, Associate Deans (Research), Deans, members of the Vice-President (Research) portfolio, and members of the Executive Leadership Team. In particular, the Specialist will advise and help manage the decanal Research Awards Steering Committee, Research Awards Working Committee, Killam Selection Committee, Killam Advisory Committee, and SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee. For research grants, the Specialist will act as the Research Services lead for research granting programs where the applicant's record of research excellence is a primary selection criterion (such as fellowship and salary award programs).
This position may be called upon to contribute to priority applications and strategic initiatives at short-notice, or to backfill for others participating in these initiatives as needed. This position requires a self-starter who is able to work effectively with senior university leadership and with teams across Research Services.
Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):
- Facilitates the award nomination process through expert advice and assistance to senior administrators, faculty members, and support staff. Encourages the nomination of faculty members for prestigious research awards while ensuring that the nominations are of the highest quality.
- Advises and manages high-profile committees within the Research Awards Initiative, which develop and share best practices, guidelines, and institutional plans to improve University performance in the Research Awards portfolio.
- Provides these committees with expert advice on the future direction of this Initiative and the University's strategy for research awards. These academic committees include the decanal Research Awards Steering Committee and the Research Awards Working Committee, chaired by Executive or Senior Leadership Team members, as well SUPPORT: Research Awards, chaired by an academic appointee of the Vice-President Research.
- Leads, in collaboration with the Specialist, Awards, and Chairs, coordination of staff, across many Faculties, who support research awards committees and nominations, implementing projects of the Research Awards Initiative, developing resources, sharing best practices, and providing training in the awards portfolio.
- Co-chairs the Research Awards Working Group.
- Advises on, designs, and manages internal review processes, including committees, that review and recommend external research award nominations to the Vice-President (Research) or President.
- Collaborates with the Specialist, Research Awards and Chairs to support the SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee and ad-hoc committees.
- Advises on and manages the internal review and award processes for the University of Calgary's high-profile Killam Awards. Collaborates with the Specialist, Research Awards and Chairs to advise and manage the Killam Selection Committee and the executive-level Killam Advisory Committee, each co-chaired by the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and Vice-President (Research).
- Works with senior administrators to identify potential nominees for award programs.
- Coaches individual faculty members and support staff to identify appropriate award opportunities and to develop strong award nominations.
- Provides professional reviews and copy-editing of award nomination packages to ensure they persuasively communicate the excellence of the candidate(s) and that all University and Agency requirements are met.
- Leads capacity building related to research awards by designing, developing, and delivering information sessions, workshops, and other resources, for faculty members and support staff external to Research Services, in order to improve the quality of research award nominations across the University.
- Designs, develops, implements, and maintains external benchmarking, metrics, internal reporting mechanisms and records on institutional performance related to research awards, for use by members of the Senior Leadership Team as well as internally within the Research Services Office.
- Use research assessment tools and metrics, in collaboration with the Research Services Office's Knowledge to Impact team, to strategically identify candidates for nomination to research awards prioritized by the Vice-President (Research), including the development of both researcher and award profiles.
- Establishes and maintains positive and effective working relationships with stakeholders both internal and external to the University.
- Stays informed about issues, trends, policies, and best practices, both internal and external, relevant to research award programming, nomination practices, and the interpretation and communication of research excellence. Incorporates this knowledge into regular training and dissemination activities.
- Liaises and collaborates with communications staff in the Vice-President (Research) Office and Office of Advancement to ensure effective recognition of award recipients to leverage their success for the advancement of the reputation of individuals and the University.
- Provides a range of pre-award support to faculty members who are applying to research grant programs where the applicant's record of research excellence is a primary selection criterion, such as research fellowship and chair programs, as well as strategic and rapid-response programs.
- Supports team reviews for select grant competitions, in collaboration with the Research Services External and Internal Grants teams.
- Advises faculty members on appropriate research funding opportunities through a variety of mechanisms as appropriate (e.g., funding calls, website, information sessions).
- Leads capacity building related to research grants by developing and delivering workshops and resources for faculty members and support staff external to Research Services, in order to improve the quality of research grant applications across the University.
- Completes administrative review of grant applications to ensure compliance with granting agency and University requirements.
- Recommends applications for approval/signature by the Director, Grants, Awards and Ethics, Associate Vice President (Research), Vice President (Research), or President.
- Stays informed about issues, trends, policies, and best practices, both internal and external, relevant to research grant programming.
- Liaises with external agencies and with other units in Research Services and across campus during and after application submission.
- Initiates post-award processes for successful grant applications, facilitating legal agreements and financial account setup with the relevant teams in Research Services and Finance.
Qualifications / Requirements:
- Graduate degree, with one year or more of progressively responsible experience in an academic or research environment, or an undergraduate degree with three or more years of progressively responsible experience in an academic or research environment.
- Strong understanding of how to assess and effectively communicate research excellence and impact to various audiences.
- Knowledge of important similarities and differences in research impact across scholarly and scientific disciplines is a strong asset.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Experience writing or editing award nominations, grant applications, or science communications is an asset.
- Sound understanding of the University of Calgary's mission, academic plan, and strategic research plan.
- Sound understanding of university governance and the discretion required in working with senior leadership from various areas of responsibility.
- Ability to operate independently within a complex and multi-faceted work environment, aspects of which are variously decentralized or highly centralized.
- Ability to act decisively and to exercise a high degree of initiative and judgment on a wide range of issues, using discretion and maintaining confidentiality.
- Ability to adjust work schedule to meet multiple demands and pressures, such as high volumes and tight deadlines, while providing a consistently high level of service.
- Superior interpersonal skills, flexibility, tact, and perseverance.
- Comfortable with basic data analysis and reporting.
- Project management and coordination skills.
- Capacity to build and maintain collaborative working relationships with agency program officers, colleagues within the University, and other stakeholders.
- Good working knowledge of standard office software and University business systems, including Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint, is essential.
Application Deadline: April 28, 2025
We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.
This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase 3.
For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.
About the University of Calgary
UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.
The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.
As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).
Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.
We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
