NCUVO Senior Project Manager

University of Vermont; Burlington (VT); Hybrid; USD 84,000 - 104,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Vermont seeks a Senior Project Manager to oversee the operational and business management of a complex NSF‑funded research infrastructure cooperative agreement. The role integrates planning, sponsor relations, financial stewardship, governance, procurements, and cross‑institution coordination across universities, centers, and vendors.

The candidate will translate sponsor requirements for a high‑throughput microscopy initiative, requiring scientific fluency and autonomous

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a bioscience, biomedical engineering, engineering, research administration, project or program management, business or public administration, or a related field; and at least four years of progressively responsible experience managing complex projects or programs.
• Experience independently managing federally sponsored multi‑institutional projects with scheduling, budgeting, and reporting.
• Experience as principal operational contact for a federal sponsor with deadline-driven reporting and communications.
• Experience with project controls: schedules, budgets, risks, quality systems, metrics, change control, records.
• Experience with procurement, contracts, subawards, vendors, licenses, compliance, and auditable records.
• Sufficient scientific/technical knowledge to communicate about bioscience, microscopy, imaging, research computing, or data-intensive workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational liaison with NSF and coordinate work across scientific and technical teams.
• Translate sponsor requirements into actionable plans and reports.
• Oversee planning, budgeting, risk management, and governance across a national network of partners.
• Manage sponsor communications, reviews, and deliverables with autonomy and sound judgment.

Skills

Project management

Sponsor relations

Budget forecasting

Quality management

Procurement

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in bioscience/engineering/related field

Tools

PM tools

Job description

Position Details

NCUVO seeks a Senior Project Manager to lead the operational and business management of a complex NSF-funded research‑infrastructure cooperative agreement. This is not a conventional departmental project‑coordinator role. The position will integrate project planning, sponsor relations, financial stewardship, risk and quality management, governance, reviews, procurement, partner coordination, and external engagement across a national network of universities, computing centers, scientific collaborators, advisors, and commercial vendors. The Senior Project Manager will be the primary operational liaison with NSF; will coordinate the work and deliverables of scientific and technical teams without personally executing those technical tasks; and must be able to translate between sponsor requirements, institutional processes, and advanced scientific and engineering activities. The role requires substantial autonomy, excellent judgment, and sufficient scientific fluency to manage a sophisticated high‑throughput volume‑electron‑microscopy infrastructure initiative.

Minimum Qualifications (or Equivalent Combination Of Education And Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in a bioscience, biomedical engineering, engineering, research administration, project or program management, business or public administration, or a related field, and at least four years of progressively responsible experience managing complex projects or programs, including substantial experience in an academic research, scientific infrastructure, government, or similarly complex environment, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing federally sponsored projects (preferably multi‑institutional), through planning, execution, monitoring, formal review, change, and close‑out. Experience coordinating work across organizations and disciplines where contributors do not report directly to the project manager.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a principal operational contact for a federal sponsor or comparable external authority, including leadership of deadline‑driven technical and financial reporting, review preparation, information requests, corrective‑action tracking, and sponsor communications.
• Demonstrated experience with project controls, including integrated schedules, work breakdown structures, budgets and forecasts, risk and opportunity management, quality systems, performance metrics, issue escalation, change control, decision records, and document management.
• Demonstrated experience with business administration for complex research or technical programs, including procurement, contracts, subawards, consultants, vendors, equipment, software licenses, compliance, internal controls, and auditable project records.
• Sufficient scientific and technical knowledge to understand and communicate about advanced bioscience, microscopy, imaging, research computing, or data‑intensive workflows; translate among investigators, engineers, administrators, sponsors, vendors, and institutional leadership; and recognize the operational implications of technical decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously with high‑level direction; exercise judgment on complex and often undefined issues; influence cross‑functional and external stakeholders; organize information from multiple institutions; and convert complex requirements into clear plans, decisions, reports, and accountable follow‑through.
• Experience planning and facilitating advisory boards, scientific or technical reviews, collaborator meetings, invited‑speaker series, workshops, training programs, conferences, or comparable multi‑stakeholder activities. Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, negotiation, and facilitation skills.
• Proficiency with project‑management, financial‑tracking, document‑management, collaboration, spreadsheet, presentation, and reporting tools.

Desirable Qualifications

Master’s degree or PhD in a bioscience, biomedical engineering, engineering, or related scientific field; eight or more years of relevant experience; experience independently managing multi‑institutional federally sponsored projects or cooperative agreements, or serving as a principal operational contact for a federal sponsor; recognized project‑management or research‑administration credential; direct experience with NSF cooperative agreements, major research infrastructure, or the NSF Research Infrastructure Guide; experience with electron microscopy, imaging facilities, research computing, data stewardship, or national research resources; and experience developing sustainability models and future funding proposals.

Anticipated Pay Range

$84,000-$104,000

Other Information – Special Conditions

Special Conditions: A probationary period may be required, Contingent on continued funding, Occasional evening and/or weekends required (if non‑exempt position, may result in overtime), This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule with an option to split time between campus and elsewhere, in accordance with the university telecommuting policy, Background Check required for this position, FLSA Exempt, Union Position Yes, UVMSU

Job Location

Burlington, Vermont, United States

Job Dates

Open Date: 10/27/2026
Close Date: Jobs close at 11:59 PM EST.

Our Common Ground Statement

The University of Vermont is a welcoming, educationally purposeful community committed to creating an inclusive environment that embraces intellectual diversity and global perspectives. We seek to prepare students to be accountable leaders who will bring to their work a grasp of complexity, effective problem‑solving and communication skills, and an enduring commitment to learning and ethical conduct. Members of the University of Vermont community embrace and advance the values of Our Common Ground: Respect, Integrity, Innovation, Openness, Justice, and Responsibility. Staff play a critical role in this effort and the successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to UVM’s mission and advancing Our Common Ground values through the execution of their job duties.