Sponsored Research Administrator IV

Kaiser Permanente; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 148,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaiser Permanente is seeking an experienced Research Administrator to lead sponsored research administration across multiple regions. The role requires expertise in federal and non-federal funding, compliance, and budget management to support award lifecycle activities.

The successful candidate will collaborate with investigators, research staff, and sponsors, ensuring timely submissions, accurate budgets, and adherence to institutional policies. A CRA certification is preferred.

Qualifications

• Minimum five (5) years of research administration experience.
• Knowledge of federal and non-federal funding mechanisms and sponsor requirements.
• Experience coordinating pre- and post-award activities and compliance with KP policies.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative oversight of externally funded research across the award lifecycle.
• Coordinate proposal and award administration and sponsor communications.
• Assist with research contracting, subawards, and budget revisions.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and audit readiness.
• Advise investigators and research staff on complex research administration issues.
• Monitor and support post-award requirements and reporting.

Skills

Research administration

Regulatory compliance

Budgeting & forecasting

Stakeholder management

Consulting/advise investigators

Education

Bachelor's degree (specified fields)

Tools

Grant management software

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced, detail-oriented, and highly knowledgeable Research Administrator, preferably a Certified Research Administrator (CRA), to join our Sponsored Research Administration team. This position plays a key role in supporting the organization's research mission through the effective administration of externally sponsored programs. The ideal candidate will possess advanced knowledge of sponsored research administration, including federal and non-federal funding mechanisms, sponsor requirements, institutional policies, and research compliance standards. Provides comprehensive administrative oversight of externally funded research activities across the award lifecycle, including proposal and award administration, sponsor communications, research agreements, subawards, reporting, and regulatory compliance. Serves as a liaison among investigators, research staff, institutional stakeholders, and sponsoring agencies to facilitate timely and effective management of sponsored projects. Supports organizational accountability through documentation management, oversight of required submissions and approvals, audit and monitoring support, and continuous improvement of research administration processes and practices. The successful individual will be a collaborative problem-solver who can effectively advise investigators and research staff, navigate complex research administration issues, and contribute to the continued success of the sponsored research enterprise. In addition to the responsibilities listed below, this position is also responsible for reviewing and processing applications for federal and non-federal research funding for assigned KP regions to ensure research budget accuracy, completeness, and compliance with sponsor requirements and KP guidelines; providing necessary information, reports, and compliance documentation to meet government and funding agency requirements; proactively monitoring, validating, and troubleshooting data in enterprise-wide research administration systems; providing advanced consultation to physicians, investigators, and research staff; partnering with research and accounting staff for assigned KP regions; reviewing administrative requirements from external research sponsors; and contributing to the accuracy and completion of institutional research documents.

Essential Responsibilities

• Promotes learning in others by proactively providing and/or developing information, resources, advice, and expertise with coworkers and members; builds relationships with cross-functional/external stakeholders and customers. Listens to, seeks, and addresses performance feedback; proactively provides actionable feedback to others and to managers. Pursues self-development; creates and executes plans to capitalize on strengths and develop weaknesses; leads by influencing others through technical explanations and examples and provides options and recommendations. Adopts new responsibilities; adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback; demonstrates flexibility in approaches to work; champions change and helps others adapt to new tasks and processes. Facilitates team collaboration to support a business outcome.
• Completes work assignments autonomously and supports business-specific projects by applying expertise in subject area and business knowledge to generate creative solutions; encourages team members to adapt to and follow all procedures and policies. Collaborates cross-functionally and/or externally to achieve effective business decisions; provides recommendations and solves complex problems; escalates high-priority issues or risks, as appropriate; monitors progress and results. Supports the development of work plans to meet business priorities and deadlines; identifies resources to accomplish priorities and deadlines. Identifies, speaks up, and capitalizes on improvement opportunities across teams; uses influence to guide others and engages stakeholders to achieve appropriate solutions.
• Contributes to post-award administration by: coordinating and contributing to the revision of the budget to correspond with pending award documents in collaboration with project team; coordinating progress reports and prior approval request due dates, and completing administrative requirements from funders; ensuring that day-to-day post-award activities(e.g., purchasing items; reviewing expenses, effort, and projections; performing reconciliations; invoicing) are completed to support projects in collaboration with the project team; proactively monitoring and notifying project team of upcoming deadlines, and facilitating completion of post-award requirements (e.g., annual reports, final reports); planning and scheduling the establishment and maintenance of award systems, files, and accounts; proactively monitoring, reviewing, and routing incoming and outgoing agreements for negotiation and execution; and proactively monitoring and conducting award closeout and partnering with project team to finalize closeout reports for submission to sponsor.
• Contributes to pre-award administration by: utilizing base knowledge of complex proposals to provide consultation on and independently draft and review research proposal application elements, in collaboration with the project team, according to proposal guidelines for the submission; independently applying and possibly providing consultation on the application of research methodologies, processes, and/or protocols, and the utilization of grant management software and other related systems; advising, answering, and proactively monitoring questions from stakeholders related to pre-award administration and proposal development, including the interpretation and application of granting agency policies, procedures, and regulations; serving as a resource while independently developing and justifying project budgets in collaboration with the project team; and partnering with project team and Investigator to prepare submissions (e.g., just-in-time) and contribute to the award acceptance process.
• Contributes to research accounting by: proactively monitoring, preparing, and providing accounting documentation (e.g., invoice, financial reports) of contracts and grants; independently making allowability, allocability, and reasonableness determinations in collaboration with project team; and independently preparing, submitting, reviewing and possibly approving accounting entries (e.g., cost transfers, accruals), journal adjustments, and interregional invoicing documentation, contributing to month-end, year-end, and/or audit-related close, and completing related analysis, as needed.
• Facilitates research administration compliance by: providing subject-matter advice and/or serving on review board or committee for proposals to ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and KP policies and procedures; and facilitating the implementation of research processes, procedures, and guidance for compliance with federal and KP regulations.
• Contributes to research contracting by: independently negotiating basic contracts or agreements (e.g., amendments/modifications, confidentiality), standard contracts or agreements (e.g., subawards, subcontracts, data use agreements, clinical trial agreements), and complex contract and agreements (e.g., data sharing and management plans, intellectual property licensing agreements); reviewing, editing, and providing consultation to research administrators and Investigators on basic contract and legal terms (e.g., contract law, statements of work), standard contract and legal terms (e.g., publication, confidentiality, intellectual property, data use, privacy and/or human subject regulations) and complex contract and legal terms (e.g., multi-site collaborations/consortia, multi-lateral data use and transfers); and gaining advanced knowledge through consulting with senior team members on complex contracts and agreements (e.g., data sharing and management plans, intellectual property licensing agreements, artificial intelligence projects, unique regulatory requirements) and/or on complex contract and legal terms (e.g., multi-site collaborations/consortia, multi-lateral data use and transfers, detailed genetic/genomics data, novel investigational drugs/devices, unique research collaboration structures).
• Maintains internal and external stakeholder relationships by: providing subject-matter expertise when communicating with internal (e.g., legal, purchasing) and external (e.g., funders, contractors) stakeholders, as appropriate.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum five (5) years of research administration experience.
• Minimum one (1) year of experience in a leadership role with or without direct reports.
• Bachelors degree in Humanities, Sciences, Public Health, Engineering, Public Administration, Business, or Accounting with emphasis in Business, Accounting, Management, Finance, Research Administration, or Health Care, or related field AND minimum five (5) years of experience in health care, research, academia, award management, or a directly related field OR Minimum eight (8) years of experience in health care, research, academia, award management or a directly related field.

Additional Requirements

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Negotiation; Expense Management; Financial Acumen; Financial Plan Budgeting; Business Relationship Management; Consulting; Managing Diverse Relationships; Stakeholder Management; Project Management; Project Management Tools; Accountability; Adaptability; Autonomy; Organizational Skills; Research Compliance Management; Business Acumen

Preferred Qualifications

• One (1) year of research finance experience.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Administrator (CPRA), and/or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA) certification from Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC).

Primary Location: California,Oakland,Ordway

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

Shift: Day

Workdays: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri,

Working Hours Start: 08:00 AM

Working Hours End: 05:00 PM

Job Schedule: Full-time

Job Type: Standard

Worker Location: Flexible

Employee Status: Regular

Employee Group/Union Affiliation: NUE-PO-01|NUE|Non Union Employee

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Department: Po/Ho Corp - Kaiser Fdn Research Inst. - 0308

Pay Range: $114700 - $148390 / year

Travel: No

Work Setting: Flexible

Worker location must align with Kaiser Permanente's Authorized States policy.

Kaiser Permanente strives to offer a market competitive total rewards package and is committed to pay equity and transparency. The posted pay range is based on possible base salaries for the role and does not reflect the full value of our total rewards package. Actual base pay determined at offer will be based on labor market data, internal alignment, and a candidate's years of relevant work experience, education, certifications, skills, and geographic location.

Kaiser Permanente is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair, respectful, and inclusive workplaces. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic or status.