Research Administrator

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is seeking a
detail-oriented and Research
Administrator 2 to support its expanding research and
clinical operations. Under the direct supervision of department CFO, this entry-level
role offers hands-on experience in both pre- and post-award research
administration, including proposal preparation, budget development, and
financial monitoring of sponsored projects, while ensuring compliance with
university and sponsor guidelines. The incumbent will also support key
financial functions such as monthly reporting, quarterly profit and loss
analysis, account reconciliation across research and clinical portfolios, and
review of departmental transactions for accuracy and policy adherence. Working
closely with faculty and departmental leadership, this role is ideal for a
highly organized, analytical professional who can manage multiple priorities
and is interested in building expertise in research administration and
financial operations within a dynamic academic health environment.

What You'll Do:

• Partner with
  faculty to develop competitive, accurate proposal budgets and support
  end-to-end grant submission
• Monitor and
  analyze post-award financial performance across a diverse research
  portfolio
• Perform monthly
  financial reporting, variance analysis, and quarterly P&L reviews
  across research and clinical operations
• Reconcile
  accounts and ensure accuracy across multiple funding sources and systems
• Identify
  discrepancies, flag risks early, and implement corrective actions
• Ensure
  compliance with university policies and sponsor requirements
• Leverage Excel
  and data analysis tools such as Tableau to improve reporting, forecasting,
  and decision-making
• Support a
  growing department by designing efficient, detail-driven financial
  processes that can adapt and expand with increasing complexity and volume

Hourly
range: $35.23 - $53.67.

• 1-3 years of Financial, clerical or administrative experience
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, lookups, data validation, financial modeling fundamentals)
• Interpersonal skills to effectively communicate information in a timely, professional manner and establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with students, staff, faculty, external collaborators and administration and to work as a member of a team.
• Ability to set priorities and complete ongoing tasks with competing deadlines, with frequent interruptions, to meet the programmatic and financial needs of PIs and the department, while complying with University and funding agency policies and regulations.
• Analytical skills to assess financial information, define problems, formulate logical solutions, develop alternative solutions, make recommendations, and initiate corrective actions.
• Close attention to detail to ensure accuracy in a fast-paced, fluctuating workload environment.
• Organization skills to create and maintain administrative and financial files effectively as well as independently balance the various tasks to ensure deadlines are met.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Adobe and Microsoft suite software, especially Excel, to perform daily tasks efficiently and accurately.

Preferred:

• 1-3 years of Research Administration experience
• Strong organization skills, ability to prioritize job functions to meet deadlines and ensure smooth workflow, and to handle multiple tasks simultaneously with multiple proposal submission systems.
• Experience preparing, managing and projecting budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze financial data, identify trends, and resolve discrepancies
• Comfort working with large datasets and improving reporting workflows
• Knowledge of and experience working with a variety of external sponsors: federal and state sponsors, private foundations, industry sponsors, etc.
• Working knowledge of various financial concepts, research administration policies and procedures, and contract and grant funding agency guidelines.