Privacy and Research Data Protection Program Coordinator

Job Description

The Division of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance (SIRC) at Virginia Tech supports the business management of the Privacy and Research Data Protection (PRDP) program.

As a critical unit within the Office of Research and Innovation supporting university-wide strategic initiatives, SIRC is deeply committed to both the highest ethical standards in scholarship and to the proactive facilitation of basic, translational, and transformative scientific research for the improvement of the human condition across the world. The office assists researchers with the fulfillment of their responsibility for compliance with policies and regulations pertaining to research.

The PRDP program assists and supports the university’s research community by providing guidance to keep data secure and compliant with university, state, and federal regulations. The program coordinates with campus stakeholders to develop and manage processes to support the research community in addressing and meeting the data protection requirements of research activities.

Reporting to the Director of the Privacy and Research Data Protection Program, the Program Coordinator supports the PRDP program through the intake, routing, tracking, documentation, and lifecycle coordination of research data agreements; research data access and compliance monitoring; analysis of program metrics; digital resource development; and university-wide efforts to strengthen research data protection and stewardship practices across Virginia Tech’s research enterprise.

The PRDP Coordinator will perform a variety of programmatic duties for the PRDP, ensuring daily operations are organized, accurate, and completed in a timely and professional manner that include, but not limited to:

• Coordinating operational workflows and program administration across research data protection, stewardship, and compliance activities, working closely with PRDP leadership and university partners.
• Supporting the review and processing of research data agreements, including Data Use Agreements (DUAs) and other research-related agreements governing the access, use, sharing, protection, and stewardship of research data.
• Coordinating and managing PRDP’s oversight responsibilities for administrative controls for secure research environments, including personnel reviews, access reviews, and related compliance oversight activities.
• Administering and providing recommendations to enhance program systems and business processes, including SharePoint-based resources, workflow management, and process improvement initiatives.
• Maintaining and improving PRDP dashboards, metrics, and other program reporting resources within existing university-supported platforms to support operational decision-making.
• In collaboration with the director, creating and delivering researcher-facing resources and communications, including web content, visual materials, educational resources, guidance, and standards approved by the program.
• Serve as a liaison between research data governance, program operations, and technology stakeholders, helping align requirements, processes, and technical solutions.
• Support the day-to-day operations of the program by monitoring and responding to the PRDP general email inbox, coordinating meetings, scheduling trainings, and assisting with administrative and logistical activities.

Required Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent combination of relevant education, training, and professional experience.
• Experience managing complex administrative, contractual, compliance, research, or operational workflows.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating projects or process-improvement efforts involving multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, analyze, document, and maintain complex operational information, records, and workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to create clear documentation and operational resources.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information for varied audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple priorities, solve problems, exercise sound judgment, and handle sensitive information with discretion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting research data agreements, data-sharing agreements, or similar agreement intake, routing, tracking, and follow-up processes.
• Experience developing operational solutions with Microsoft 365 tools such as SharePoint, Lists, Teams, Power Automate, Power Query, and Power BI, including dashboards, reporting, or workflow automation.
• Experience supporting administrative controls for access to research data or secure research environments, including access management, compliance reviews, data governance, or audit activities.

Pay Band

4

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

$60,000-$72,000, commensurate with experience

Hours per week

40

Review Date

November 13, 2026

Additional Information

We are unable to sponsor work visas for this position.

Position is hybrid with a weekly on-campus presence, and will require the completion of a telework agreement in accordance with Policy 4325, Alternative Work Site and Telework Policy. The hybrid work schedule will be confirmed following an onsite training period.

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Renee VanDyke at revandyke@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.