The WVU OSP Customer Care team at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for an Assistant Director of the Research Office.

About the Opportunity

The WVU OSP Customer Care team is a customer service organization that provides support and transaction services to the University in the areas of sponsored programs research administration. All members of the OSP Customer Care team are responsible for advocating for customers to improve their experience at WVU.

Working Remotely, the Assistant Director of the Research Office (RO), Office of Sponsored Programs, Customer Service Team oversees the daily operations of the Service Team, ensuring that OSP delivers fast, friendly, and effective customer support for WVU’s faculty, staff, students and affiliates. This person must be flexible, patient, and comfortable with change in a fast-moving environment, as well as capable of leading and managing a remote workforce.

Under supervision by the Assistant Director, the Customer Service team helps create a bridge between research administrators who develop, administer and support research administration (RA) actions and the people who use it. Critical team skills include the abilities to: explain complex information simply; manage time and competing demands efficiently; and communicate effectively with a wide range of people and personality types.

The Assistant Director assists the RO, Associate Vice President of Finance, Operations, and Research Administration and the Director of Sponsored Programs with decision-making and direction, using data to identify needs and make recommendations about resource allocation, process and documentation improvements, training and communication opportunities, and more. An understanding of the electronic research administration (ERA) system, which will be the Huron Research Suite as of January 13, 2025, is critical, as the Assistant Director participates in various ERA Service Management processes, and has full ownership of Incident Management, Request Fulfillment and Service Request Management.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

37.5-hour work week
13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
18 sick days per year (for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family’s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ’s.
Wellness programs

What You'll Do

65% Customer Service Desk

Lead and direct the daily operations of the OSP Service Desk, including administration of the full-time staff.
- Strive for first-level resolution of incidents in Tier 1 (Service Desk) whenever possible, identifying issues for escalation to Tier 2 (OSP Associate and Assistant Directors) before referring to the Tier 3 (OSP executive leadership) teams. Identify opportunities to expand the Tiered Support Structure that OSP has adopted in collaboration and consultation with the supervisor of the ITS and Shared Services Customer Care Teams.
Monitor workflow, ticket volume and trends to evaluate the effectiveness of customer support. Review data from the IT Service Management tool to recommend procedures aligned with industry best practices.
Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures for the team, continually reviewing and updating them as things change.
Develop and maintain a Quality Assurance program for the OSP Service Desk. This includes but is not limited to: Survey Results, Agent Score Cards, Call Reviews and 1-1 meetings with staff.
Serve as a central point of contact for incidents and help manage Major Incidents.

25% Continual Service Improvement

Provide oversight and continued development of Knowledge Base content by OSP and RO employees.
Participate in Service Transition Plan meetings and Post-Incident Reviews, representing the interests of customers and the OSP Service Desk.
Represent the Service Desk’s interest when reviewing and recommending changes to processes.
Tier 1 / 2 Support Initiative: Work with others in OSP to identify work that should be performed by the OSP Service Desk and to improve upon existing work. This involves training, knowledge transfer, and process adjustments.
Represent the interests of customers and the Service Desk in recommending updates to our ITSM Tools – Request Forms, field update, automations, etc.

5% Project Work

Collaborate with technical teams to test new services or significant system or process changes to understand and be able to effectively explain any changes in user experience.
Maintain awareness of IT projects and initiatives to ensure early and effective involvement of OSP Service Desk.

5% Other Management and Professional Development Activities

Recruit, onboard and evaluate the performance of new employees, and develop plans to ensure continued professional development of full-time staff.
Seek and embrace opportunities to enhance existing skill sets.
As requested, support and assist with development of Enterprise Service Management concepts and/or other new initiatives related to modernization and governance.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related field
A minimum of six (5) years of experience in the following:
- Technical experience in a computer-related customer support field.
- Customer service
- Managing teams
- Experience with Jira Service Management preferred
Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Complex problem-solving skills and excellent research skills are required.
Must be able to communicate clearly and concisely with a diverse group of people in a multi-cultural environment. Excellent customer service is essential. The candidate must be courteous, displaying a positive attitude and genuine concern for the customer.
Must be able to pay attention to detail, work independently as well as part of a team, be dependable, discreet and trustworthy.
Must work closely with other OSP staff on maintaining required OSP and/or IT Service Management skillsets.
Must be familiar with the use of software to process problem tracking, resolution and responses for a Service Desk environment.

Preferred Qualifications

National Customer Service Certification or Related Designation

About WVU

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values — service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation — unite us as Mountaineers.

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and engaging working environment and actively seek candidates who bring diverse ideas, approaches and experiences.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and is the recipient of an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity. We value diversity among our faculty, staff and students and invite applications from all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, nationality, genetics, disability, or Veteran status.

Job Posting: Sep 11, 2024

Posting Classification: Non-Classified

Exemption Status: Exempt

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Schedule: Full-time

West Virginia University

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