Senior Research Programs Manager, Construction

The University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 64,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a Senior Research Operations Manager for the Construction Industry Institute at the Pickle Research Campus in Austin, TX. You will coordinate across multiple research projects, manage program data, budgets, and contracts, and serve as a liaison among academic partners, industry stakeholders, and leadership.

You'll work closely with the Director of Research, maintain dashboards, and ensure processes are followed from kickoff to closeout, with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in business administration, communications, or a related field.
• Five (5) years in management, project/program coordination, research administration, or program support.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to track multiple concurrent tasks and deadlines reliably.
• Data-oriented mindset with attention to detail and follow-through.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for coordinating with various stakeholders.
• Service-oriented mindset.
• Proficiency in Excel/spreadsheet tools for data organization and tracking.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate across a portfolio of concurrent research projects, including RFQ processes, kickoffs, progress updates, closeout, and event presentations.
• Maintain a master calendar/schedule for projects, meetings, and milestones.
• Track project status, timelines, and dependencies; flag risks or conflicts.
• Ensure each project follows the appropriate structure, scope, and process through lifecycle.
• Maintain program-level data repositories and ensure accuracy and timeliness of information.
• Build and maintain reports and dashboards on program status and performance metrics.
• Design and maintain workflows and role/responsibility frameworks (e.g., RACI matrices).
• Support development of budgets and monitor expenditures; prepare budget reports.

Skills

Strong organizational skills

Excellent written and verbal comms

Excel proficiency

Data-driven mindset

Service-oriented mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration, communications, or a related field

Tools

Excel

Job description

The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a Senior Research Operations Manager for the Construction Industry Institute at the Pickle Research Campus in Austin, TX. You will coordinate across multiple research projects, manage program data, budgets, and contracts, and serve as a liaison among academic partners, industry stakeholders, and leadership.

You'll work closely with the Director of Research, maintain dashboards, and ensure processes are followed from kickoff to closeout, with