Program Manager- Research - McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics

UTHealth Houston; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% paid medical premiums for full-time employees

Generous time off (approximately 37-38 days per year)

Milestone-based vacation accrual

Comprehensive retirement/pension plan

Free mental health counseling services

Gym membership discounts

Job summary

UTHealth Houston is seeking a Program Manager to provide project management and grant administration support for BIG-ARC, a research group within the McWilliams School. The role ensures that grant projects and service requests are executed efficiently and comply with all requirements.

Ideal candidates will have a relevant Bachelor's degree and at least 5 years of experience. Comprehensive benefits and a supportive work environment are offered, including generous time off and health benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience (education may substitute for years of experience).
• Registered Nurse (RN) State Licensure or Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) may be required.
• Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) may be required.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day project management for research grants and service engagements.
• Support grant administration throughout the lifecycle with proposal preparation and budget development.
• Monitor PI and project team activity against sponsor and internal timelines.
• Maintain project documentation and tracking systems.
• Coordinate budget activities in partnership with department administrators.
• Serve as the primary administrative point of contact for project stakeholders.
• Prepare meeting agendas, materials, and minutes for meetings.
• Assist with preparation of progress reports and other deliverables.
• Stay current on relevant sponsor requirements and university policies.

Skills

Project management

Grant administration

Advanced grant-writing skills

Strong communication

Knowledge of NIH and UTHealth policies

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Science or a health-administration related field

Job description

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics is shaping the future of patient care, disease prevention, and biomedical discovery by transforming data into innovative solutions powered by artificial intelligence, data science, and informatics. We are the only biomedical informatics program that offers advanced doctoral degrees in Texas and the largest and only free‑standing informatics school in the nation.

The Program Manager provides project management and grant administration support for BIG‑ARC, a service center and research group within the McWilliams School that conducts primary and collaborative research and provides biomedical informatics services to the UT Health Houston clinical research community. This role is primarily administrative, ensuring that Principal Investigators (PIs), project teams, and service requests stay on schedule, on budget, and in compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements.

Job Responsibilities

• Coordinate day‑to‑day project management for BIG‑ARC research grants, service engagements, and internal initiatives, tracking milestones, deliverable due dates, progress reports, and close‑out activities across multiple concurrent projects.
• Support grant administration throughout the lifecycle: assist PIs and co‑investigators with proposal preparation, budget development and submission, just‑in‑time requests, progress reports, no‑cost extensions, and renewals in coordination with the school’s grants office and sponsors (NIH, foundations, internal funding).
• Monitor PI and project team activity against sponsor and internal timelines; proactively ensure that PIs, faculty collaborators, and staff complete assigned tasks, reports, and deliverables on time, escalating issues to BIG‑ARC leadership as needed.
• Maintain project documentation and tracking systems, including project plans, deliverable calendars, effort allocations, subcontract milestones, IRB and data use agreement statuses, and service center workload (e.g., iLab requests, Clinical Data Warehouse projects).
• Coordinate budget activities in partnership with department administrators: help draft budgets and justifications, track expenditures against awards, review monthly financial reports, flag variances, and support effort reporting and personnel actions related to grant‑funded staff.
• Serve as the primary administrative point of contact for BIG‑ARC project stakeholders, including investigators, service requestors, collaborators, sponsors, and internal UTHealth offices (grants, contracts, compliance, IRB, finance).
• Prepare meeting agendas, materials, and minutes for project, leadership, and sponsor meetings; track action items to completion and maintain follow‑through across the team.
• Assist with preparation of progress reports, abstracts, presentations, and other deliverables required by sponsors and/or institutional leadership; help maintain BIG‑ARC web pages, service descriptions, and outreach materials so investigators can readily access services.
• Stay current on relevant sponsor requirements and university policies (NIH, CTSA, UTHealth, HIPAA, and data governance) and ensure projects, budgets, and reporting comply with all applicable federal, state, and institutional rules.

Benefits

• 100% paid medical premiums for full‑time employees.
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave, vacation, and sick time – approximately 37–38 days per year).
• Milestone‑based vacation accrual that increases with tenure.
• Longevity Pay (monthly payments after two years of service).
• Comprehensive retirement/pension plan.
• Free financial and legal counseling.
• Free mental health counseling services.
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs.
• Additional employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc.
• Resources for child and elder care.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Science or a health‑administration related field (minimum).
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience (education may substitute for years of experience).
• Advanced grant‑writing skills (depending on research focus).
• Registered Nurse (RN) State Licensure or Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) by Texas Board of Nursing (BON) may be required.
• Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) by Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) may be required.
• Physical requirement: ability to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently.
• Security‑Sensitive designation pursuant to Texas Education Code 51.215 and Texas Government Code 411.094; candidates must be willing to comply with required security training and background checks.
• Residency requirement: must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.