Director, Research Administration & Programs

Howard University College of Medicine; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness programs

PTO & Holidays

403(b) with company match

Professional development & tuition

Wellness programs

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Howard University invites applications for Director of Research Administration. The role leads the College Research Administration program, embedding consistent, compliant practices across colleges while partnering with SPO, RDI, and IRB offices.

The position balances hands-on work with strategic leadership to strengthen the university’s research enterprise. The director will oversee staff, set standards, and drive process improvements, ensuring timely award setup, lifecycle management, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Eight+ years of progressively responsible research administration in higher education.
• Experience with pre-award and post-award life cycles and sponsor terms.
• Proficiency with Cayuse, Workday, and advanced Excel.

Responsibilities

• Build and strengthen department-level research administration for sustained R1 activity.
• Provide leadership, training, and oversight of the CRA program across colleges.
• Engage college offices to deploy CRA resources efficiently and compliantly.
• Drive strategic projects, change management, and KPI reporting.
• Ensure data integrity and system configuration in Cayuse and Workday.

Skills

Working Leadership

Full Lifecycle Research Administration

Regulatory Compliance

Process Design

Service Orientation

Analytical Problem-Solving

Change Leadership

Systems & Data Fluency

Stakeholder Engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, public administration, the sciences, or a related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Cayuse

Workday

Excel

Job description

Howard University invites applications for Director of Research Administration. The role leads the College Research Administration program, embedding consistent, compliant practices across colleges while partnering with SPO, RDI, and IRB offices.

The position balances hands-on work with strategic leadership to strengthen the university’s research enterprise. The director will oversee staff, set standards, and drive process improvements, ensuring timely award setup, lifecycle management, and