Strategic Leader, Research Administration Hub

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 81,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Tuition assistance

Generous retirement plans

Flexible work options

Time away from work

Job summary

University of Pennsylvania is seeking a Senior Associate Director for the Research Support Hub in Philadelphia, PA. The role leads post-award research administration for diverse faculty portfolios and drives efficient, compliant processes across multiple schools.

The role collaborates with Grants Managers, Office of Research Services, and central offices to implement standardized workflows, improve internal controls, and advance shared services for sponsored programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5–7 years of grants and research administration experience.
• Strong knowledge of financial analysis, forecasting, and Excel.
• Experience with Penn research systems and university compliance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced pre-award and post-award research administration support for an assigned portfolio of faculty with diverse sponsored research programs.
• Serve as the primary research administration contact for assigned investigators and provide expert guidance on proposal development, sponsor regulations, award administration, financial and non-financial post-award management, compliance, reporting requirements, prior approvals, and complex research administration matters.
• Provide operational leadership for post-award research administration activities across the Research Support Hub. Coordinate post-award workflows, establish standardized business practices, monitor completion of post-award activities, and collaborate with Grants Managers to promote consistent service delivery across multiple schools.
• Provide leadership for complex faculty financial planning activities associated with sponsored research portfolios. Oversee processes related to faculty compensation planning, effort reporting coordination, financial forecasting, and other post-award financial management activities.
• Serve as the senior technical resource for Grants Managers and research administration staff by providing mentoring, training, consultation, and guidance on complex research administration issues.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with faculty, school leadership, departmental administrators, the Office of Research Services, and other central administrative offices.

Skills

Grantsmanship

Compliance

Financial analysis

Forecasting

Communication

UPenn systems

Budget management

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

PennERA

Penn GFM

Cayuse

ERS

HS-ERA

RIS

Concur

Workday@Penn

Business Objects

Data Warehouse

Box

Excel

Job description

University of Pennsylvania is seeking a Senior Associate Director for the Research Support Hub in Philadelphia, PA. The role leads post-award research administration for diverse faculty portfolios and drives efficient, compliant processes across multiple schools.

The role collaborates with Grants Managers, Office of Research Services, and central offices to implement standardized workflows, improve internal controls, and advance shared services for sponsored programs.