Manager of Research Systems-Office of Research

University of Tennessee; Memphis (TN); On-site; USD 62,000 - 87,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Tennessee is seeking a Manager of Research Systems to oversee research administration systems, ensure data integrity, and drive analytics used to manage the research portfolio and report service performance. The role requires strong expertise in system configuration, workflow design, and data quality control.

The position emphasizes automation of manual processes, reliable integration with financial systems, and development of portfolio analytics for executive leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Four years of experience in research administration or a closely related function; or a Master’s degree with two years of related experience.

Responsibilities

• Serves as functional owner for research administration systems, including configuration, workflow, user access, and release testing.
• Maintains reliable integration between research administration and financial systems to ensure award and financial data transfers accurately and efficiently.
• Leads functional testing for system upgrades, implementations, and changes affecting research administration operations.
• Identifies manual, duplicative, and inefficient processes across research administration offices and drives automation through system configuration, workflow, and integration.
• Produces shared service-performance measures, including proposal turnaround, agreement cycle time, award acceptance-to-setup, invoice aging, reporting timeliness, and closeout completion.
• Detects and drives the correction of data errors and traces recurring errors to the process cause.
• Develops portfolio analytics and management reports for leadership.
• Operates a quality review program across institutional review and agreement records.
• Establishes and maintains data standards for research administration and monitors adherence across systems and business processes.
• Maintains business continuity and disaster recovery procedures for research administration systems.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Skills

System configuration

Workflow design

Functional testing

Data analysis

Executive reporting

Data integrity

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Research Administration, or related field

Master’s Degree preferred

Job description

Market Range: 13 | Hiring Salary: $5,566.40 - $7,792.95/Monthly

The Manager, Research Systems owns the research administration systems, the integrity of the data in them, and the analytics both offices use to manage the research portfolio and report service performance.

Responsibilities

• Serves as functional owner for research administration systems, including configuration, workflow, user access, and release testing.
• Maintains reliable integration between research administration and financial systems to ensure award and financial data transfers accurately and efficiently.
• Leads functional testing for system upgrades, implementations, and changes affecting research administration operations.
• Identifies manual, duplicative, and inefficient processes across research administration offices and drives automation through system configuration, workflow, and integration.
• Produces shared service-performance measures, including proposal turnaround, agreement cycle time, award acceptance-to-setup, invoice aging, reporting timeliness, and closeout completion.
• Detects and drives the correction of data errors and traces recurring errors to the process cause.
• Develops portfolio analytics and management reports for the Vice Chancellor for Research, Deans, department leaders, and research administration leadership.
• Operates a quality review program across institutional review and agreement records.
• Establishes and maintains data standards for research administration and monitors adherence across systems and business processes.
• Maintains business continuity and disaster recovery procedures for research administration systems, including documented backup coverage for critical administrator access.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Research Administration, or a related field. (Master’s Degree preferred.) (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

EXPERIENCE: Four (4) years of experience in research administration, business systems analysis, or a closely related function; OR Master’s Degree and two (2) years of experience in research administration, business systems analysis, or a closely related function; OR a combination of related education and work experience to equal eight (8) years.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Knowledge of electronic research administration systems and of enterprise financial and grants management platforms.
• Knowledge of research administration business process end-to-end.
• Skill in system configuration, workflow design, and functional testing.
• Skill in data analysis and in presenting operational data to executive audiences.
• Ability to trace a reporting error back to the process that caused it.
• Ability to define a measure precisely enough that two offices calculate it the same way.

WORK SCHEDULE

This position may occasionally be required to work weekends and evenings.