Research Administrator

University of California - Los Angeles Health; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 48,532 - 73,935; Full time

Job summary

A leading academic health institution in Los Angeles seeks a detail-oriented Research Administrator 2 to support research and clinical operations. This entry-level role involves pre- and post-award administration, financial performance monitoring, and proposal budget development. Ideal candidates should have 1-3 years of relevant experience, advanced Excel skills, and strong analytical abilities while adhering to compliance with university and sponsor guidelines. Compensation ranges from $35.23 to $53.67 per hour.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of Financial, clerical or administrative experience.
• Ability to set priorities and complete ongoing tasks with competing deadlines.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Adobe and Microsoft suite software.

Responsibilities

• Partner with faculty to develop competitive, accurate proposal budgets.
• Monitor and analyze post-award financial performance across a diverse research portfolio.
• Perform monthly financial reporting and variance analysis.

Skills

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel

Interpersonal skills

Analytical skills

Close attention to detail

Organization skills

Tools

Excel

Adobe suite

Tableau

Job description

Description

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is seeking a detail-oriented and Research Administrator 2 to support its expanding research and clinical operations. Under the direct supervision of department CFO, this entry-level role offers hands‑on experience in both pre‑ and post‑award research administration, including proposal preparation, budget development, and financial monitoring of sponsored projects, while ensuring compliance with university and sponsor guidelines. The incumbent will also support key financial functions such as monthly reporting, quarterly profit and loss analysis, account reconciliation across research and clinical portfolios, and review of departmental transactions for accuracy and policy adherence. Working closely with faculty and departmental leadership, this role is ideal for a highly organized, analytical professional who can manage multiple priorities and is interested in building expertise in research administration and financial operations within a dynamic academic health environment.

What You’ll Do

• Partner with faculty to develop competitive, accurate proposal budgets and support end‑to‑end grant submission
• Monitor and analyze post‑award financial performance across a diverse research portfolio
• Perform monthly financial reporting, variance analysis, and quarterly P&L reviews across research and clinical operations
• Reconcile accounts and ensure accuracy across multiple funding sources and systems
• Identify discrepancies, flag risks early, and implement corrective actions
• Ensure compliance with university policies and sponsor requirements
• Leverage Excel and data analysis tools such as Tableau to improve reporting, forecasting, and decision‑making
• Support a growing department by designing efficient, detail‑driven financial processes that can adapt and expand with increasing complexity and volume

Hourly range: $35.23 - $53.67.

Qualifications

Required

• 1-3 years of Financial, clerical or administrative experience
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, lookups, data validation, financial modeling fundamentals)
• Interpersonal skills to effectively communicate information in a timely, professional manner and establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with students, staff, faculty, external collaborators and administration and to work as a member of a team.
• Ability to set priorities and complete ongoing tasks with competing deadlines, with frequent interruptions, to meet the programmatic and financial needs of PIs and the department, while complying with University and funding agency policies and regulations.
• Analytical skills to assess financial information, define problems, formulate logical solutions, develop alternative solutions, make recommendations, and initiate corrective actions.
• Close attention to detail to ensure accuracy in a fast‑paced, fluctuating workload environment.
• Organization skills to create and maintain administrative and financial files effectively as well as independently balance the various tasks to ensure deadlines are met.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Adobe and Microsoft suite software, especially Excel, to perform daily tasks efficiently and accurately.

Preferred

• 1-3 years of Research Administration experience
• Strong organization skills, ability to prioritize job functions to meet deadlines and ensure smooth workflow, and to handle multiple tasks simultaneously with multiple proposal submission systems.
• Experience preparing, managing and projecting budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze financial data, identify trends, and resolve discrepancies
• Comfort working with large datasets and improving reporting workflows
• Knowledge of and experience working with a variety of external sponsors: federal and state sponsors, private foundations, industry sponsors, etc.
• Working knowledge of various financial concepts, research administration policies and procedures, and contract and grant funding agency guidelines.