Administrative Coordinator I - Business Development

BRIDGE Innovation & Business Development, at University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMass Chan) is looking for an Administrative Coordinator.

What do we do? BRIDGE team ideates and executes a comprehensive business strategy to commercialize UMass Chans IP portfolio through the development of New Companies (NewCos), alliances, licensing agreements and partnerships. BRIDGE team is accountable for structuring, negotiating, and implementing a variety of transactions with external entities, including investors, leading as well as new pharma/biotech companies, incubators, and other research organizations.

Success at BRIDGE & UMass Chan: BRIDGE @ UMass Chan reported licensing revenue of approximately $146 million during FY2018 and ranked fourth among all U.S. institutions and third among universities in terms of licensing revenue. BRIDGE and UMass Chan researchers have also co-founded multiple successful companies – Alnylam, Atalanta Therapeutics, ApicBio, Voyager Therapeutics, Generation Bio, Acworth & Bacainn to name a few.

UMass Chan is a research powerhouse: UMass Chan is a vibrant research enterprise that spends >$250M per year in research activities and consistently produces noteworthy advances in clinical and basic research. In 2006, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to UMass Chan professor Craig C. Mello, PhD for discoveries related to RNA interference (RNAi). In 2024 the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. UMass Chan researchers have made pivotal advances in HIV, cancer, diabetes, infectious disease, and in understanding the molecular basis of disease. UMass Chan programs and centers include the RNA Therapeutics Institute, the Gene Therapy Center, Program in Gene Function and Expression, Systems Biology and Neurotherapeutics.

Position Summary

The Administrative Coordinator will have responsibility for various administrative and financial coordination and reporting tasks.

Essential Functions

Finance & Budget

• Assist the Department Head in budget preparation and reconciliation. Develops and manages annual budget and planning documents monitoring the budget throughout the fiscal year reporting variances, quarterly.
• Assist Manager of Finance in ensuring proper receipt, deposit, recording, and reconciliation of license revenues in accordance with the Medical Schools cash receipting policy. Help monitor application of receipts against license agreement terms and conditions to ensure proper and complete payment. Monitor Summit activity to identify and record wire transfers and to ensure proper accounting of deposited funds. Communicate with MBL to obtain timing and amount of MBL receipts.
• Analyze terms and conditions of licenses and selected IIAs to establish an Accounts Receivable record for each license in effect.
• Ensure proper posting of electronic and check receipts to A/R and close out invoices. Follow-up with licensee to resolve payment discrepancies as needed.
• Automate and Rebill past due receivables.
• Aid Manager of Finance in timely and correct compilation and generation of Quarterly Report based on financial and operational data collected from Wellspring, financial database, Add gene, and other sources.
• Aid Manager of Finance in distributing license revenues to inventors, departments, and affiliated organizations.
• Assist in tracking legal expenses by docket, law firm, and date with links to pdf copies. Monitor available balances by law firm.
• Assist in periodic and ad hoc analyses supporting operations, license negotiations, and special projects as required.
• Relevant Systems: Peoplesoft, Summit, BuyWays, Wellspring, Adaptive Insights, Sharepoint, CPI, iEdison, Addgene, MS Access, MS Office, Adobe Acrobat, Google Patents, EDGAR, SalesForce, Concur and other systems as needed.
  
  

Administrative Support

• Arrange travel logistics and coordinate schedules for team members when needed. Completes travel approval in advance, submits timely expense reimbursement for team members and needed authorization forms, as directed by manager.
• Be a delegate as needed to manage department expense/invoices in coordination with purchasing department.
• Coordinate with EVCs Executive Assistant in carrying out the administrative job duties as assigned from time to time in order to maintain office space, equipment and inventory of supplies, purchase materials, and prepares purchasing paperwork and contracts. Verify budget is not overspent.
• Aid in the collection, analysis and reporting of medical school data for the annual AUTM National Licensing Survey and in preparation of medical school quarterly and annual reports.
• All other duties and responsibilities as requested by the manager from time to time.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• 2-year college degree in relevant areas with some finance and/or bookkeeping background
• 5 years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office including Excel.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• 4-year College degree in relevant areas with some finance and/or bookkeeping background
• 6 years of relevant experience
• Knowledge of general business and accounting principles
  
  

Supervision Received

Under the direction of the AVC, Innovation & Business Development or designee

As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, UMass Chan recognizes the power of a diverse community and encourages applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives and backgrounds.