Senior Research Programs Lead

University of Central Florida; Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Pegasus Research Institute (PRI) is the University of Central Florida's applied research institute. It partners with faculty, researchers, students and external partners to transform ideas into validated, deployed solutions across space, health, energy, immersive tech and national security.

The Opportunity: provide strategic and operational leadership for complex sponsored research programs, ensuring objectives, budgets, schedules and deliverables are met while coordinating with investigators,

Qualifications

• Master's degree from an accredited institution with 8-12 years of experience leading large, multidisciplinary research, engineering, or technology programs.
• Integrated program plans, work breakdown structures, schedules, budgets, and milestones.
• Sponsor reporting, deliverable acceptance, and executive briefings.
• Leadership of cross-functional and multi-institution teams.
• Risk, issue, dependency, and change management.
• Mentoring program managers and promoting consistent execution practices.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, industry, and sponsored-research award structures.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, execution, monitoring, and closeout of complex research programs and projects.
• Develop and maintain integrated program plans, work breakdown structures, schedules, budgets, milestones, and performance metrics.
• Coordinate and lead cross-functional and multi-institutional teams to ensure alignment of program goals, deliverables, and timelines.
• Monitor program performance and progress, proactively identifying and mitigating risks, issues, dependencies, and changes that may impact project outcomes.
• Ensure timely and accurate sponsor reporting and facilitate deliverable reviews and acceptance processes.
• Prepare executive-level briefings, program updates, and strategic reports for institute leadership and external stakeholders.
• Support proposal development, project startup activities, and ongoing program administration for sponsored research awards.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration among researchers, sponsors, partners, and administrative units.
• Oversee program budgets and resource allocations to ensure effective stewardship of sponsored funds.
• Promote consistent project and program management practices across the institute, including the development of tools, templates, and standard operating procedures.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk management

Mentoring

Education

Master's degree

Job description

Pegasus Research Institute (PRI) is the University of Central Florida's applied research institute. It partners with faculty, researchers, students and external partners to transform ideas into validated, deployed solutions across space, health, energy, immersive tech and national security.

The Opportunity: provide strategic and operational leadership for complex sponsored research programs, ensuring objectives, budgets, schedules and deliverables are met while coordinating with investigators,