Outreach, Education & Policy Manager

Northeastern University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern University is seeking an Outreach, Education & Policy Manager within the NU-RES Research Compliance Team. The role designs, develops, and delivers training on research administration, policy updates, and compliant processes for faculty, staff, and researchers across campus.

You will lead curriculum development, deploy online instructional content, and collaborate with leadership to measure impact and drive continuous improvement in research training programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in business, education, or related field.
• 5–7 years of relevant experience.
• 4–6 years in grants administration.
• 1–2 years in training and development (may overlap with grants work).
• Knowledge of grants administration, communications, and instructional design.
• Strong communication, organization, and time-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Train faculty and staff in research administration using multiple delivery methods (classroom and virtual).
• Create/update online training materials and modules with SMEs using University-approved systems.
• Collect training metrics, measure effectiveness, and propose improvements.
• Develop and implement policy communications and ensure stakeholders are informed of changes.
• Design and deploy a comprehensive research administration training program, including a tiered certificate track.
• Lead special projects and manage documentation (e.g., SharePoint) across NU-RES with input from leadership.

Skills

Training design

Instructional design

Grants administration

Communication

Project management

Learning management systems

Video design

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

SharePoint

Job description

About the Opportunity

Job SummaryThe Outreach, Education & Policy Manager, part of Research Enterprise Services (NU-RES), Research Compliance Team, facilitates the development and deployment of professional and mandated research-related training for research administrators, research staff, and faculty across the Northeastern campus network. In addition, this role is responsible for creating and curating communications and facilitating the successful deployment of research-related policies, including updating procedure documents and communications. The Manager works collaboratively with research compliance, college leadership, and NU-RES staff to promote the effective use of research project management tools and systems, as well as alignment between these systems, practices, and institutional policy. The Manager is responsible for building a comprehensive plan to design, develop, document, and deliver training related to research administration and the continuous improvement of department initiatives. In addition, the Manager works with identified stakeholders to develop and deploy engaging online instructional content for a variety of research administration, finance, and compliance topics.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Training (40%)

• Assess and identify training needs for faculty and staff in research administration
• Partner with internal stakeholders and subject matter experts regarding training needs and instructional design
• Facilitate learning through a variety of delivery methods, including classroom instruction and virtual training
• Use software to create online videos and modules in partnership with subject matter experts using University-approved systems
• Partner with key stakeholders to update online training materials and tools to ensure they are current and correct
• Provide relevant training metrics and data to leadership to ensure that research trainings are completed
• Gather feedback on all training delivered and measure effectiveness and satisfaction, as well as recommend mitigations and enhancements to services
• Design and apply assessment tools to measure effectiveness and summarize evaluation reports to determine the impact of the training

Policy (20%)

• Work with research compliance leadership to ensure that policies are up to date and revised on a routine cadence or as otherwise needed
• Develop and ensure the execution of critical communications for policy rollouts
• Ensure that all stakeholders are aware of policy changes and that key documents are updated and revised to support successful policy rollouts

Communication (20%)

• Work with the research compliance team to develop effective and engaging content for the website and newsletters
• Offer input and guidance on ways to improve communication with key stakeholder groups across the NU-RES enterprise and build rapport with other stakeholder teams to facilitate well-thought-out communication

Research Administration Training Program (15%)

• Build and deploy a comprehensive training plan covering the research administration lifecycle for research administration professionals and related staff across the University, including gathering and executing feedback and continuous improvement
• Map out training plans and design and develop an in-house training program, including a tiered certificate program
• Monitor and analyze developments and major issues within the research administration field to share with faculty and staff, as appropriate, through newsletters
• Manage and lead monthly continuous learning sessions, including Learn More and Brown Bags, including identifying and managing the need for ongoing education and inviting relevant guest speakers
• Work with Research Compliance leadership to manage the Responsible Conduct of Research series to deliver effective and engaging content geared toward postdoctoral scholars and junior faculty

Special Projects (5%)

• Perform other duties as assigned or special projects to meet the goals of the department and the institution
• Work with the Research Compliance team to oversee document management, including organizing and curating SharePoint documentation and managing access

Minimum Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in business, research administration, education, communication, project management, instructional design, finance, science, or a related field
• At least 5-7 years of relevant experience
• 4-6 years of experience in grants administration
• 1-2 years of training and development experience, which may be concurrent with grants administration experience
• Knowledge of grants administration, communications, and instructional design
• Effective communication, particularly listening, organization, adaptability, and time management skills

Preferred

• Master's degree in business, research administration, education, communication, project management, instructional design, finance, science, or a related field
• Experience with learning management systems, systems integration or data management, and video design/dev