Justo Torres

Experience

• 

  Florida International University

  Jan 1992 - Jan 2006

  Function as the CIO for the Division of ResearchManage divisional budget of over $9 million, including cost tracking and forecasting University seed, match, and cost share expendituresCollaborate with and advise the University's Chief Financial Officer regarding the fiscal performance of the University's research operationCoordinate with federal, state and local auditors during compliance, programmatic, and financial auditsCoordinate and manage the PeopleSoft Financials implementation as it relates to the university research enterpriseCoordinate research reporting for the University's Executive Council, the State of Florida, and the Federal GovernmentDevelop curriculum for and teach electronic research administration sessions to University faculty and staffManage information technology and provide systems supervision for the division, including network, intranet database (InfoEd), and web-based systemsManage the federal Electronic Research Initiative as implemented at the University, and provide compliance management through systems development Show less Supervise a professional staff of 13 research administrators and clerical staff in the conduct of pre- and post-award activities for the UniversityEnsure fiscal and regulatory compliance at all stages of research administrationReview, negotiate and execute proposals and awards on behalf of the UniversityManage the publication of a multi-media and print based annual reportManage departmental budget of over $4.7 millionFoster improved communication through development of listserv for the University's research community and the redesign of the Division's webpageDevelop curriculum for and facilitate workshops on grantsmanship and electronic research administration including NSF FastLane and InfoEd modulesDevelop research policy, and advise the President, Provost, and Vice President on University-wide research matters Show less Supervise three employees responsible for the administration of proposal and award activity from the Colleges of Health and Urban Affairs, Education, Business Administration, and the Division of Student AffairsManage Divisional information technologyCreate intellectual property databasePrepare, review and negotiate all research contractsNegotiate with industry on ownership and use of intellectual propertyGenerate data reports, funding forecasts, and trend analysis for Executive Council, Vice President, Divisional newsletter and annual report on University research activities Show less Assisted in the administration of the satellite office at the Center for Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS)Review and approve grant proposals and awards generated by the faculty and research staff of the College of Engineering and the Biscayne Bay CampusDevelop and execute material transfer agreements and confidentiality agreements (NDAs) for intellectual property and materials shared or received in connection with engineering researchCoordinate with Internal Review Board to ensure human/animal subjects protections are met, and complete a successful FWA applicationImplemented and managed the migration of Sponsored Research databases to Intranet SQL server Show less Identify funding opportunities and disseminate announcements to appropriate faculty/research staffReview, approve, and submit research proposals to public and private granting agenciesInform faculty members on the requirements and procedures involved in requesting research fundingNegotiate terms of awards with public and private funding agencies on behalf of the University for approval by the University General Counsel and execution by the Associate DirectorApprove grants and budgets prior to account establishment by the University Controller Show less Responsible for the management of contract and agreement execution, valued at approximately $40 million dollars annually, for goods, services, and grants rendered for and/or by the UniversityManage a phased 48% increase in annual contracts and agreementsPrepare all agreements for approval by the General Counsel or the Deputy General Counsel and execution by the President and/or Vice President for Business and FinancePrepare affiliation agreements for clinical and non-clinical student internship trainingCoordinate and negotiate with members of the University community, the private sector, and State and Federal government officials regarding the University's contracting needsCoordinate with the Office of Alumni Affairs for the licensing of University-held trademarks Show less

  • Director, Research Systems and Budget

    Jan 2005 - Jan 2006

  • Assistant Director, Division of Sponsored Research and Training

    Jan 2003 - Jan 2005

  • Coordinator, Research Programs

    Jan 2000 - Jan 2003

  • Sr. Grants Specialist

    Jan 1999 - Jan 2000

  • Grants Specialist

    Jan 1997 - Jan 1999

  • Program Assistant

    Jan 1992 - Jan 1997
• 

  University of Central Florida

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2012

  Oversee the daily operation of the Office of Research’s Financial Compliance office to include the supervision of 7 full-time professional staff and 3 part-time staff membersAdvise and direct Office of Research Post Award staff on compliant best practices in the financial management of sponsored projectsDirect compliance, faculty and departmental staff in the preparation of materials and documents for financial site visits and auditsServe as primary representative for all financial site visits and audits related to sponsored projectsDesigned improved systems and interfaces with Finance and Accounting on the sponsored projects A/R dataServe as functional lead for contract and grant activity during PeopleSoft financials upgrades and new module implementationRepresent UCF at meetings of professional associations including NCURA and SRASupervise and direct personnel reporting the University's ARRA and FFATA sponsored fundingAutonomously managed the development of the proposal to the US Department of Health and Human Services for the continuation of the University's F&A rateServe as the primary point of contact for all revenue collections issues to include making collections calls, negotiating and accepting alternate payment arrangements and coordinating with Finance and Accounting, Colleges, Departments and Centers as needed Show less Responsible for all contract & grant closeoutsServe as system administrator role for ECRT systemDeveloped a system and protocol for account closeout managementAssist in preparing for and representing the University in financial site visits and audits related to sponsored projectsManaged systems and interfaces with Finance and Accounting on the sponsored projects A/R dataIndependently manage the University's ARRA sponsored funding to include autonomous reporting directly to the Federal Government on a quarterly basisDeveloped a system to manage and track ARRA proposals, funding and expenditures within existing systemsIndependently manage the University's FFATA sponsored funding to include autonomous reporting directly to the Federal Government on a monthly basisAssisted in the development of the proposal to the US Department of Health and Human Services for the continuation of the University's F&A rateServe as the primary point of contact for all revenue collections issues to include making collections calls, negotiating and accepting alternate payment arrangements and coordinating with Finance and Accounting, Colleges, Departments and Centers as neededDeveloped policies and procedures related to cost overruns, effort reporting penalties, closeouts and collectionsManaged the expansion of the effort reporting services provided by ORC Compliance to include on-site assistanceManaged the expansion of ECRT to include all OPS staff working on sponsored projects (an additional ~900 staff)Designed IT systems for later implementation to include research space utilization Show less Implement and manage a web-based, effort-certification systemCoordinate with UCF technical staff on compliance systems implementation and maintenanceDevelop, implement and manage an internal monitoring program for university research activitySupervise staff of five professional compliance managers and OPS support staffCoordinate with federal, state and local auditors during compliance, programmatic, and financial auditsSuccessfully manage site visits and audits from various funding agencies/sponsorsDirect the completion of Annual Office of Naval Research property desk audit, and Office of Naval Research and NASA property annual reportsDevelop manuals, policies and guidance documents on research compliance, effort reporting, cost transfers, cost accounting standards, and conflict of interestCoordinate with consultants on the development of the F&A rate proposalManage the UCF space survey for F&A rate negotiationsDevelop projections of F&A expenditures, revenue and space usage for F&A rate negotiationsDesign and implement a new compliance webpageDevelop curriculum for and teach compliance and research administration sessions to University faculty and staff Show less

  • Associate Director for Financial Compliance

    Jan 2012 - Jan 2012

  • Assistant Director for Financial Compliance

    Jan 2007 - Jan 2012

  • Sr. Contract Manager

    Jan 2006 - Jan 2007
• 

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  Nov 2012 - Mar 2015

  Assistant Director for Award Management

  Oversee daily operation of the Award Management section of the Office of Sponsored Research to include the direct supervision of 5 professional staff and the second-level supervision of 24 staff in Award Management and Data ManagementManage a portfolio of 4400 active projects with a combined budget of $2.4 billion across every academic discipline engaged in sponsored projects Relationship management for the external sponsors and collaborators of the UniversityDirect Award Management staff on operational issues and the interpretation of governing regulations and requirementsDevelop appropriate strategies for contract negotiation with external sponsors and external collaboratorsDevelop and monitor metrics to ensure high levels of effectiveness and efficiencyInitiate/supervise training programs related to the critical knowledge, skills, abilities of Award Management personnelCoordinate with other Office of Sponsored Research personnel on campus-wide training and development initiativesRisk management and mitigation on matters of financial and regulatory compliance Show less

• 

  NC State University

  Mar 2015 - now

  Director, Contracts and Grants

  Provide strategic and operational leadership for all areas of post-award sponsored programs administration Responsible for the central administration of all University Post-Award FunctionsRelationship management for the external sponsors and collaborators of the UniversityServe as liaison and point of contact for Pre Award on all financial certifications and terms and conditionsDirect and oversee the annual effort reporting processManage the preparation and submission of the F&A rate proposal and the University DS-IIDevelop and monitor metrics to ensure high levels of effectiveness and efficiencyRepresent the University in all internal and external auditsCoordinate with other Office of Sponsored Research personnel on campus-wide training and development initiativesRisk management and mitigation on matters of financial and regulatory compliance Show less