Research Financial Administrative Officer

Department:	Civil Engineering	Effective Date:	February 9, 2005
Grade:	USG 7	Reports to:

General Accountability

The Research Financial Administrative Officer is directly responsible for all administrative activities associated with the Industrial Research Chair (IRC) under the direction of Professor Mahesh Pandey, within the Department of Civil Engineering. The scope of the position encompasses three main functions: the incumbent manages the administrative and financial operations of the IRC, acts as a liaison with the granting agency, industry, Office of Research, Finance, and the Department, and supervises the administrative requirements of research staff (including technical staff, visitors, post-doctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students) involved with the various projects.

The Research Financial Administrative Officer is responsible for the financial and operational administration and personnel management for the IRC. The incumbent requires an exceptional financial background within an academic environment. The incumbent must have superior computer skills, including proficiency with the latest word-processing and spreadsheet software. The incumbent must be knowledgeable of federal and provincial funding sources and related guidelines. Extensive experience using FORE (Financial Online Reporting Environment) is imperative. The Research Financial Administrative Officer must possess excellent organizational, communication and analytical skills. Fluency in the French language and French/English translation experience would be an asset.

This position is for 8 hours a week. This position is contingent upon the availability of funding.

Nature and Scope

The IRC program led by Professor Pandey is jointly funded by NSERC and the University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE). The UNENE is an alliance of universities, nuclear power utilities, research and regulatory agencies to support the development of nuclear research and education capability in Canadian universities. Professor Pandey will lead research on risk-based life cycle management of nuclear power plants in order to optimize the operation, inspection and maintenance of critical engineering systems. The program budget is in excess of $400,000 annually.

The Research Financial Administrative Officer will be a key member of this IRC program and will support, develop and manage the project from the administrative and financial perspective.

Significant Internal Relationships:

Department of Civil Engineering
Office of Research
Finance
Procurement Services

Significant External Relationships:

UNENE
Nuclear Power Industry (OPG, AECL. BP, Hydro Quebec, NB Power)
NSERC
Other Partner Universities (Queen’s, McMaster, Toronto, Western)
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Commission)
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NUREG)
Electricity de France (EDF)

Statistical Data

The Research Financial Administrative Officer will manage the IRC. The incumbent will report directly to Dr. Mahesh Pandey in the Department of Civil Engineering. The program budget is in excess of $400,000 annually. The incumbent will have signing authority on all research accounts.

Specific Accountabilities

The Research Financial Administrative Officer will be responsible for the Financial and Operational administration of the Industrial Research Chair program, which is in excess of $400,000 annually. The annual specific responsibilities include financial forecasting, monitoring of accounts, and authorization of expenditures.
The Research Financial Administrative Officer will be responsible for financial reporting as required by funding agencies and the Office of Research. The Research Administrative Officer works with the investigators and Office of Research to ensure that industry and in-kind contributions are in place. Reporting will require identification of the necessary data, procurement of such data as necessary, analysis of the data, and production of the detailed and summary reports as are appropriate to the funding agency or company.
The Research Financial Administrative Officer will act as a liaison with industry sponsors, for the planning and organization of research workshops, seminars, and short courses, and for the coordination of activities related to the delivery of these events.
The Research Financial Administrative Officer is responsible for purchasing equipment and supplies for the IRC, including sourcing and procurement of major equipment. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining records of all purchases and for ensuring that budget allocations are adequate and appropriate. The Research Administrative Officer is responsible for fixed asset inventory and control of research equipment and furnishings associated with all operating and research activities of the IRC program. This includes liaising with the University Investment and Risk Manager concerning inventory and insurance claims.
The Research Financial Administrative Officer will provide the translation of documents from French to English, for research purposes. The incumbent will also deal directly with organizations in Quebec, thus must be fluent in the French language.
The Research Financial Administrative Officer will coordinate the payroll for research staff (including technical staff, visitors, post-doctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students). The incumbent acts as a liaison in this capacity with Human Resources, Finance, the Office of Research, and the Graduate Office. The incumbent is expected to manage a research staff including 3 Post-Doctoral Fellows, and approximately 10 graduate students.
The Research Financial Administrative Officer will prepare the grant submissions and reports under the general supervision of Professor Pandey.
The Research Financial Administrative Officer will organize site visits and all other events related to the research activities of the group.
All other duties as assigned.