Position Summary
We are seeking a research administrator to support and lead implementations of our research administration platform at universities, academic medical centers, and independent research institutions. The platform covers pre-award, post-award, research compliance, reporting, and funding discovery.
This is a client-facing role. You will work with client stakeholders, implementation, product, and engineering teams to gather requirements, configure the platform, and bring it live, and you will help shape the product based on what research offices need.
Key Responsibilities
Lead implementations
- Own the functional side of client implementations from kickoff to go-live, often across two or three institutions at a time.
- Run discovery workshops with sponsored programs, compliance, and research development staff, and map current-state and future-state workflows.
- Configure the platform yourself: routing and approval chains, institutional forms, compliance committee workflows, notifications, and reports.
- Define data migration requirements for proposals, awards, and protocols, and validate migrated data.
- Write integration requirements for HR, finance, and identity systems such as Workday, Banner, Oracle, and PeopleSoft, and work with engineering to deliver them.
- Plan and run user acceptance testing, train client administrators and super users, and support go-live.
- Raise risks to scope, timeline, or data quality early, with a recommended fix.
Shape the product
- Turn what you learn from clients into clear requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria for product and engineering.
- Identify needs that are common across institutions and bring them to the product team.
- Review new features for pre-award, post-award, and compliance accuracy before release, including sponsor and federal rule changes.
- Help define and test AI features in the platform.
Be the client’s trusted advisor
- Serve as the main functional contact for assigned clients, from directors of sponsored programs to vice presidents for research.
- Recommend process improvements to clients.
- Present at client meetings, webinars, and our annual users conference.
Build the practice
- Create repeatable implementation assets: configuration templates, discovery guides, test scripts, and training materials.
- Mentor junior analysts and implementation staff on research administration and on how our clients work.
- Help sales scope new deals and answer functional questions in RFPs and product demonstrations.
Required Qualifications
- 2 or more years of research administration experience at a university, academic medical center, or research institute, in a central sponsored programs office or a department.
- Hands-on experience across the award lifecycle, including proposal preparation and submission, award setup, and post-award management.
- Working knowledge of at least one compliance area, such as IRB, IACUC, conflict of interest, or export control.
- Experience leading or serving as the institution’s functional owner on an electronic research administration (eRA) implementation or major upgrade, whether a commercial system or one built in-house.
- Solid knowledge of Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), NIH and NSF policies, and FDP agreements and templates.
- Proven ability to run a working session with senior administrators and faculty, keep it on track, and leave with decisions.
- Clear, structured writing: process maps, requirements, and documentation other people can act on.
- Comfort learning software configuration in depth and working directly with data in spreadsheets and reporting tools.
- Ability to manage several client projects at once without dropping details.
Preferred Qualifications
- Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA).
- System administrator or super user experience with an eRA platform such as Cayuse, Kuali, InfoEd, Huron, or ours.
- Experience with data migration or with integrations to HR, finance, or identity systems.
- Working knowledge of SQL or a business intelligence tool.
- Experience in research development, limited submissions, or internal funding competitions.
- Experience using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Claude in research administration work.
- Active involvement in NCURA, SRAI, or NORDP.
- Experience with Jira, Confluence, or similar tools.
Work Environment
This role is remote and works closely with implementation, product, engineering, and customer success teams. Expect regular client meetings across US time zones and periodic travel for onsite discovery, go-live support, and our annual users conference.