Research Human Resources and Operations supports SVPR, ORA, and their Vision for Research Excellence. Through collaborative partnerships, consistent communication, and transparency, we achieved numerous measurable outcomes.

Our OneORA framework supports our goal for operational efficiency.  The 12 elements of OneORA help us centralize and optimize processes involving our workforce.  The key areas for FY22 included:

• Funding – Securing one time and continuous funding to align staff salaries and increase FTEs to maximize retention and support for our research enterprise.
• Compensation Equity Review – ORA’s compensation framework considers knowledge, skills, abilities, and Emory years of service applied consistently in the processes for hiring, promotions and annual salary assessments. This year based off of the benchmark data and need to have competitive wages, 53% of our workforce received salary increases.
• Centralized Recruitment – To support the recruiting and developing of a strong supported workforce, we partner with central HR to implement recruiting and retention strategies, to expand the applicant pool and decrease the time to fill for vacancies, especially the ones that are hard to fill. We added a new HR professional to focus on active recruitment strategies, visibility in professional networks and consistent communications of vacancies internally and externally.
• Growth – During FY22, we filled 144 positions, representing numerous opportunities for growth for staff members and a significant increase in our workforce from FY21. Below is a summary of our HR efforts for FY22:
  • 144 positions filled in Research Administration
    • 77 new hires (new to Research Administration and Emory)
    • 44 promotions open recruitment (internal Research Administration candidates)
    • 12 transfer-ins (from other Emory departments to Research Administration)
    • 11 rehires (prior Emory or Research Administration employment)
  • 51 internal Research Administration promotions (promotions – job reclassifications)
  • 85 total departures
    • 68 exits (left Research Administration and Emory completely)
    • 12 transfer-outs (from Research Administration to other Emory departments)
    • 5 retirees

With regards to development opportunities, we promoted 51 staff members using established career ladders or the recruiting and selection process. We are collaborating with external partners to develop a diverse workforce development pipeline and research administration internship program.

We are also partnering with RAS to develop the HR process improvement working group, engaging stakeholders in all RAS units to evaluate and assess HR process, identify areas of improvement, recommend, and implement potential solutions for efficiency.

For FY23, we will continue to move forward by implementing strategies to support 13% (30 FTE) increase in the workforce, develop pipelines for enhanced staffing, continue our partnership with RAS to unify structure, governance, roles, and responsibilities and continue the investment in professional development.