Research Operations Manager

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Greensboro (NC); On-site; USD 590 - 69,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation & sick leave

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Employee discounts

Job summary

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University seeks a Research Operations Manager to oversee the Mechanical Engineering laboratories, ensuring safe operation, maintenance of equipment, and long-term planning to support faculty and students in classes and research.

The role involves coordinating with external vendors, managing lab schedules, budgets, and compliance with EH&S guidelines. Reports to the department chair; primarily on-site with occasional extended hours.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and two years of general research experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• BS or MS in Mechanical or Aerospace preferred.
• 2-5 years of experience managing research labs (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations and long-term planning of Mechanical Engineering laboratories.
• Maintain lab equipment and safety protocols.
• Schedule labs and support faculty and students in classes and research activities.
• Coordinate with external vendors for equipment and services.
• Manage budgets and identify cost-saving opportunities.

Skills

Lab management

Research oversight

Education

Bachelor’s degree

BS/MS in Mechanical or Aerospace

Job description

Position/Classification Title

Research Operations Mgr

Classification Type

SHRA

Position required to work during periods of adverse weather orother emergencies:

N - Not Mandatory

Minimum Experience/Education

Bachelor’s degree and two years of general research experience; oran equivalent combination of training and experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accreditedinstitutions.

Preferred Years Experience, Skills, Training, Education

• BS or MS in Mechanical or Aerospace
• 2-5 years of experience managing research labs

Primary Purpose of Position

The Lab Manager for Mechanical Engineering oversees the dailyoperations and long-term planning of the Mechanical Engineeringlaboratories within the Department of Mechanical Engineering in theCollege of Engineering. This role includes maintaining labequipment, ensuring safety protocols, managing lab schedules,supporting faculty and students in lab classes and researchactivities, and coordinating with external vendors. The Lab Managerwill play a crucial role in fostering a productive and safelearning environment for Mechanical Engineering students. Theposition reports to the department chair.

Primary Function of Organizational Unit

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is apublic land-grant, high research activity university enrollingapproximately 13,560 students. The College of Engineering, withover 2,800 students, offers EAC ABET -accredited undergraduateprograms, 9 Master’s programs, and 6 Doctoral programs. The COE’s 5core research clusters are Autonomous Systems, Cybersecurity andResilience, Energy and Sustainability, Healthcare Applications, andComplex Systems and Networks. Additional information about theCollege and the University can be found at www.ncat.edu/coe.

The Mechanical Engineering ( MEEN ) department produces graduatesat the BS, MS, and PhD degree levels. The department enrolls over300 undergraduate students and nearly 50 graduate students at themasters and doctoral levels. The faculty members are engaged inteaching, research, and services to the University as well as thecommunity. The department’s quality educational programs, excellentfaculty, and world class research attract students from all overthe nation and the world.

Work Hours

8AM-5PM, Monday-Friday; Occasional weekend work, as needed.

Is this position eligible for a remote or hybrid workarrangement, consistent with university and statepolicies.

On-site (Employees are primarily in the office and/or have acritical job requirement that requires dedicated office spaceon-site)

Key Responsibilities and Related Competencies

Required Competency

Knowledge - Professional/Scientific

Duties

• Responsible for a number of professional/scientific activitiesincluding but not limited to calibrating and reading instruments,conducting preventive and corrective maintenance on equipment, andoperating associated instrumentation.
• Provides engineering knowledge to direct, research, and developinnovative approaches to mechanical engineering laboratories.

Required Competency

Planning and Organizing Work

Duties

• In consultation with Principal Investigator (PI), organizes andplans experiments ensuring project objectives are attained.
• Also responsible for environmental, health and safetyregulations, standards, and guidelines related to research andteaching laboratories, as well as the functionality and appearanceof lab and teaching spaces.
• Coordinate and conduct safety- and health-related awarenessactivities for faculty, staff, and students.
• Oversees and manages collection, maintenance, analysis,evaluation, and management of data that will be used in grantsubmissions, presentations and publications.
• Ensures that information is entered correctly intodatabases.
• Assists PI in reviewing, analyzing, interpreting, summarizing,formatting, editing, and preparing tables, charts, graphs, progressand final reports, etc.
• Coordinates between sponsoring agencies, collaborationorganizations and/or other research and/or educationalinstitutions.
• Plans work operations and priorities daily and weekly to meeteducational and research objectives.
• Sets short-range deadlines.
• Operates within assigned budget.
• Identifies potential cost savings.

Required Competency

Laboratory Management

Duties

• Assists the department chair with developing long-termstrategic plans for laboratory and facility development inalignment with the College of Engineering’s vision.
• Collaborates with and supports the activities of the College ofEngineering facility staff.
• Provides comprehensive management for mechanical engineeringlaboratories to support faculty and students in lab classes andresearch activities.
• Establishes priorities in the use of resources including space,field, equipment and/or facilities.
• Manages and improves quality assurance programs in thelaboratories.
• Oversees safety and environmental compliance.
• Ensures strict compliance with procedures and work standards,suggesting improvements as needed.
• Provides instruction and training to others.

Position Information

Working Title

Research Operations Manager

Competency Level

Contributing

Position Number

002215

Recruitment Range

$58,496 - $68,819

FLSA

Non-Exempt

Appointment Type

Permanent - Full-time

FTE

40 hours/week, 12 months

Organizational Division

Mechanical Engineering

Organizational Location

College of Engineering

Organizational Unit

Mechanical Engineering

Posting Number

SHRA3260

Open Date

09/03/2026

Close Date

09/17/2026

Special Instructions to Applicant

You must complete and submit an electronic application foremployment to be considered. Resumes will not be accepted in lieuof completing an electronic application. Applicants seekingVeteran’s Preference must attach a DD 214 form. Certificate ofRelease or Discharge from Active Duty with your application duringthe process of applying to the job posting. Final candidates aresubject to criminal and sex offender background checks. NorthCarolina A&T State University participates in E-Verify. Federallaw requires all employers to verify the identity and employmenteligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.North Carolina A&T State University is an Equal Opportunity andAffirmative Action Employer. No one who applies or seeks employmentwill be denied admission to or employment at North Carolina A&TState University on the basis of race, religion, color, nationalorigin, sex, age, disabling condition, veteran status, politicalaffiliation, genetic information or sexual orientation and sexualidentity.

Employee Benefits available to NC A & T permanent employeesinclude the following and more;

• Accrued Vacation and Sick Leave for Eligible Employees
• Community Service Leave
• Aetna – State Health Benefits of North Carolina
• NCFlex – Vision, Dental, Flexible Spending Account, LifeInsurance and more
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Teachers and State Employees Retirement System ( TSERS )
• Optional Supplemental Plans – 401k, 403b, 457b and 457
• Employee Assistance Program ( EAP )
• Campus Recreation Center Discount
• University Bookstore Discount
• and more

This position may be eligible for a remote or hybrid workarrangement, consistent with university and state policies. N.C.A&T employees are generally required to reside in North Carolina, within a 2-hour commuting distance of their assigned duty station.

Supplemental Questions

1. Please indicate how you learned of the vacant position forwhich you are applying.
   • NCA&T Website
   • UNC System Job Board
   • Indeed.com
   • NCA&T Employee
   • Chronicle of Higher Education
   • Inside Higher Ed
   • Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
   • Other_____________
2. If you selected "Other" please provide the name of the resourcehere.(Open Ended Question)

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter

Optional Documents

1. Letter of Reference 1
2. Letter of Reference 2
3. Letter of Reference 3
4. Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty(DD-214)
5. Bachelor's Degree - Copy of transcripts
6. Master's Degree - Copy of transcripts
7. Other Degree - Copy of transcripts