Senior Director, Research Administration (Hybrid)

Howard University; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 140,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

Work‑Life Balance

Financial Wellness

Professional Development

Additional Perks

Job summary

Howard University invites applications for the Director of Research Administration to build and lead the College Research Administration (CRA) program. This senior role partners across the Office of Research, colleges, and central offices to deliver compliant, standardized research administration from proposals through closeout.

The successful candidate will supervise the Associate Director and CRA team, establish standards and workflows, and drive data‑driven metrics while navigating

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field; equivalent experience will be considered.
• Minimum eight years of progressively responsible research administration experience in higher education across pre‑award and post‑award.
• Prior supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Working knowledge of the full sponsored project lifecycle and sponsor terms and conditions.
• Proficiency with enterprise research administration and financial systems (e.g., Cayuse, Workday, or similar).
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Build and strengthen the department‑level research administration layer with standards, workflows, and support structures.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the CRA program; supervise staff and ensure scalability.
• Engage colleges and create tools to standardize practice and efficiencies.
• Lead strategic projects on organizational change, internal functions, and reporting metrics.
• Serve as SME for Cayuse, Workday, and data integrity for reporting and invoicing.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Research administration

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytics & data

Change management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Cayuse

Workday

Excel

Job description

Howard University invites applications for the Director of Research Administration to build and lead the College Research Administration (CRA) program. This senior role partners across the Office of Research, colleges, and central offices to deliver compliant, standardized research administration from proposals through closeout.

The successful candidate will supervise the Associate Director and CRA team, establish standards and workflows, and drive data‑driven metrics while navigating