Research Program Manager

Research Program Manager

The purpose of this position is to provide strategic and operational management for a research program with multiple active grants and projects. This role supports the Principal Investigator by overseeing project tracking, grant development and reporting, budget monitoring, hiring coordination, and operational systems. The position is responsible for ensuring research activities, deliverables, and administrative requirements are organized, compliant, and progressing on schedule while developing systems that improve efficiency, accountability, and research productivity.

Requires a bachelor's degree in a job related field and 3 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Master's degree in public health, psychology, administration, business administration, or a related field. Experience supporting grant development, progress reporting, or research program administration. Experience monitoring or coordinating budgets across multiple funding sources. Experience coordinating hiring or recruitment processes. Experience developing operational workflows, documentation, or standard operating procedures. Experience working in an academic research environment.

Exceptional organizational and project management skills. Ability to proactively identify problems, operational risks, and process inefficiencies and develop solutions. Strong professional communication skills for interacting with faculty, collaborators, and university administrative offices. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while maintaining consistent communication. Ability to synthesize information across multiple projects and maintain accurate tracking systems. Ability to develop and implement structured workflows, checklists, and documentation systems. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to manage confidential information with discretion. Demonstrated initiative, adaptability, and collaborative work style.

The Research Program Manager in this role will oversee and coordinate key operational aspects of the project to ensure successful and timely completion of study goals. Responsibilities include tracking recruitment progress, data collection activities, IRB status, staffing plans, budgets, deliverables, and internal and external deadlines to maintain full visibility of project performance and compliance. The role involves actively monitoring project timelines, identifying potential risks, delays, or operational bottlenecks, and implementing proactive solutions to keep milestones on schedule. Working closely with cross-functional research teams, the individual will facilitate communication, align priorities, and ensure accountability for deliverables. Additionally, they will recommend and implement process improvements designed to increase efficiency, streamline workflows, and reduce operational barriers, thereby strengthening overall project execution and research quality.

The Research Program Manager in this role will provide comprehensive editing and coordination support to facilitate the successful submission of new grant proposals and the timely completion of progress reports for existing awards. Responsibilities include gathering and compiling required materials from collaborators and lab members to ensure proposals are complete, accurate, and aligned with funding guidelines. The role involves preparing and revising non-scientific components of grant applications such as coordinating biosketches, drafting facilities descriptions, and completing administrative sections to ensure clarity, consistency, and compliance. The individual will interface directly with the university grants office to confirm adherence to institutional policies, sponsor requirements, and submission deadlines. Additionally, they will organize and support internal feedback and brainstorming sessions to strengthen proposal development, enhance competitiveness, and promote collaborative input across the research team.

The Research Program Manager in this role will maintain a comprehensive, high-level oversight of all research budgets and funding accounts to ensure financial sustainability and compliance across projects. Responsibilities include tracking personnel allocations across multiple grants and funding sources to ensure accurate effort distribution and alignment with award requirements. The role involves monitoring spending rates, forecasting future budget needs, and identifying potential constraints to prevent shortfalls or funding lapses. Based on ongoing financial analysis, the individual will provide strategic recommendations regarding budget distribution and spending priorities to support project goals and long-term planning. In collaboration with institutional finance offices, they will ensure accurate expense charging, adherence to sponsor and university policies, and overall financial compliance.

The Research Program Manager in this role will lead and coordinate strategic hiring efforts to ensure staffing aligns with research priorities, available budgets, and team strengths. Responsibilities include developing proactive hiring plans to anticipate workforce needs, drafting and posting position descriptions that clearly reflect role expectations, and coordinating recruitment efforts to attract qualified candidates. The role involves conducting initial application reviews, facilitating communication with candidates, and advancing strong applicants through the hiring process in a timely and organized manner. The individual will interface closely with Human Resources to ensure compliance with institutional policies and to streamline hiring workflows. Additionally, they will support onboarding coordination to ensure a smooth transition for new hires and their effective integration into the research team.

The Research Program Manager in this role will design and implement standardized workflows, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and escalation pathways to strengthen operational consistency and reduce ad-hoc decision making. They will map current processes, identify pain points, and develop repeatable systemsincluding clear roles, handoffs, and escalation criteriaso staff can resolve routine issues quickly and reliably. Working closely with the PI, lab members, and administrative partners, the person will pilot new procedures, provide training and resources to ensure adoption, and maintain a centralized, version-controlled repository of operational documentation. By institutionalizing streamlined processes and continuously reviewing performance metrics, they will reduce the administrative burden on the PI, improve operational efficiency, and ensure that operational issues are resolved promptly and transparently.

The Research Program Manager in this role will develop and maintain comprehensive training and retraining systems to ensure operational continuity and consistent staff competency. They will define role-specific training requirements and create practical operational checklists so each team member understands expectations and can perform tasks reliably. To protect research quality and data integrity, the person will establish and implement quality-control protocols for research processes and data handling, regularly monitor adherence to those standards through audits and performance metrics, and document findings. When gaps or risks are identified, they will recommend and oversee targeted improvements such as refresher trainings, checklist updates, or process changes to close deficiencies and sustain high-quality, compliant research practice.

Hazardous weather category - Non-Essential. Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing. - No

Number of Vacancies - 1

Job Open Date - 06/18/2026

Job Close Date - 08/02/2026

Open Until Filled - No