Research Project Manager

Trustees of University of Pennsylvania; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Pennsylvania seeks a Research Project Manager to lead strategic planning and daily operations of complex research studies with internal and external collaborators.

The role focuses on study protocols, grant writing, data management, and manuscript preparation, with emphasis on regulatory compliance and stakeholder coordination across sites and the EAB.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in a related field with corresponding years of experience.
• Experience coordinating IRB submissions and regulatory requirements is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership for study activities and timelines.
• Coordinate regulatory submissions, data quality, and protocol adherence.
• Oversee recruitment, informed consent, enrollment, and retention efforts.
• Assist with data collection, interviews, and qualitative analysis activities.
• Support design workshops, prototyping, and dissemination materials.
• Help implement pilot procedures and monitor intervention fidelity.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills

Project management

Regulatory coordination

Research design

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in a related field

Job description

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Research Project Manager

Job Profile Title

Manager Research Project B

Job Description Summary

Responsible for both strategic planning and day to day management of a complex and broad range of projects conducted with collaborators both internal and external to the University. Leads development of study protocols, writing grants, managing the detailed operations of projects, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, cultivating close relationships with community partner organizations, and drafting/editing manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journal.

Job Description

The Project Manager will have a mental health or clinical research background (e.g., psychology, nursing, or social work) and provide day-to-day operational leadership and oversight for all aspects of the study. This position will coordinate timelines, supervise regulatory and IRB submissions, and ensure adherence to study protocols and data quality standards. The Project Manager will support data collection (e.g., surveys/interviews/design activities), oversee and support RCT facilitation procedures, including scheduling sessions, monitoring intervention fidelity, and troubleshooting procedural challenges. This role will also coordinate communication across investigators, sites, and the EAB, and contribute to tracking recruitment, retention, and adverse events, as well as preparing dissemination deliverables.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership for the study; develop and maintain project timelines, work plans, standard operating procedures, and tracking systems; coordinate staff workflows; and monitor progress toward study milestones and deliverables.
• Lead study regulatory and data-quality operations, including preparation and coordination of IRB submissions, amendments, continuing reviews, protocol deviations, and adverse-event documentation; support required progress reports; ensure study activities comply with approved protocols, institutional policies, and data-security procedures.
• Coordinate and oversee participant recruitment, screening, informed consent, enrollment, scheduling, retention, and incentive tracking across study aims; maintain recruitment and retention logs and descriptive summaries of participant characteristics; collaborate with clinical recruitment partners.
• Conduct and support study data-collection activities, including qualitative in-depth interviews, guided SVR walkthroughs, and follow-up interviews; assist with interview transcription review, de-identification, documentation, and qualitative coding for Aims 1 and 3.
• Support human-centered design activities, including co-planning and co-facilitating co-design mini-workshops; preparing workshop materials; coordinating participant logistics; documenting storyboarding, card-sorting, prototyping, walk-through, and beta-testing activities; and synthesizing facilitator notes and participant feedback to inform intervention refinement and manualization.
• Support implementation of pilot RCT procedures, including participant orientation, VR-headset logistics, intervention-session scheduling, fidelity monitoring, facilitator checklists and field notes, troubleshooting technical or procedural challenges, and preparation of basic descriptive reports, presentations, manuscripts, and other dissemination materials.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and 5 to 7 years or Master of Science, Master of Arts, and 2 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is requ