Research Project Manager

Job description

Job Posting Title: Research Project Manager ---- Hiring Department: Department of Neurology ---- Position Open To: All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40 ---- FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest Start Date: Sep 28, 2026 ---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue ---- Location: AUSTIN, TX ---- Job Details: GENERAL NOTES Dell Medical School is seeking a Research Project Manager. JOB SUMMARY The Research Project Manager plans, coordinates, and oversees moderately complex research projects to ensure successful delivery of scope, timeline, quality, compliance, and budget objectives. This role typically reports to a Director of Research Operations, Principal Investigator, or Research Administration leader and works closely with investigators, physicians, scientists, biostatisticians, regulatory staff, finance, grants administration, and operational stakeholders. Acting as the central point of accountability, the Research Project Manager translates scientific and operational objectives into executable project plans, manages cross-functional dependencies, mitigates risk, and ensures compliance with institutional, sponsor, and applicable regulatory requirements. Projects may span clinical research, translational and bench research, population health, health services research, quality improvement initiatives, and grant-funded academic studies. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Manages Research Project Planning and Execution · Develops and maintains detailed project plans, timelines, milestones, and deliverables. · Coordinates sequencing of tasks and dependencies across multidisciplinary teams. · Tracks project progress against scope, schedule, and budget. · Identifies and resolves execution issues that impact project outcomes. Oversees Compliance and Regulatory Adherence · Ensures adherence to IRB requirements, institutional research governance, sponsor terms, and applicable federal, state, and funding-agency regulations. · Coordinates protocol submissions, amendments, renewals, and project close-out activities. · Maintains accurate and audit-ready project documentation. · Partners with regulatory, compliance, and research integrity teams to address findings or issues. Leads Stakeholder and Team Coordination · Serves as the primary liaison among investigators, research teams, and administrative partners. · Facilitates project meetings, decision forums, and routine status reporting. · Aligns stakeholders on priorities, risks, timelines, and resource needs. · Escalates issues appropriately to leadership or sponsors. Manages Budgets and Financial Controls · Develops and monitors project budgets and forecasts. · Tracks expenditures, effort allocation, invoicing, and sponsor payments. · Collaborates with finance and grants administration to ensure financial compliance. · Identifies variances and recommends corrective actions. Manages Risk, Quality, and Performance Metrics · Identifies project risks and develops mitigation strategies. · Implements quality control measures to support deliverable accuracy and integrity. · Monitors performance indicators such as milestones, enrollment, reporting, or deliverables. · Prepares projects for internal or external reviews and audits. Supports Research Process Improvement and Reporting · Prepares project reports, dashboards, and leadership updates · Develops standardized tools, templates, and workflows · Contributes to continuous improvement of research project management practices MARGINAL OR PERIODIC FUNCTIONS: · Supports grant proposal development with timelines, milestones, and operational inputs · Assists with onboarding and training of research staff on project processes · Participates in sponsor site visits, monitoring activities, or inspections · Represents research operations on institutional committees or workgroups · Adheres to internal controls and reporting structure. Performs related duties as required. KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES Project Management · Plans, prioritizes, and balances multiple projects to deliver results on time and within scope. · Develops comprehensive research project plans. · Manages competing priorities across studies. · Adjusts plans proactively based on risk and change. Organizing and Planning · Establishes efficient systems and structures to manage work effectively. · Creates detailed timelines and work plans. · Anticipates downstream impacts of decisions. · Maintains accurate project documentation. Process Management · Designs and improves processes for efficiency and quality. · Standardizes research workflows. · Identifies operational bottlenecks. · Implements best practices across projects. Integrity and Trust · Earns trust through honesty, compliance, and ethical behavior. · Maintains regulatory and ethical standards. · Protects confidential and sensitive data. · Serves as a reliable steward of sponsor funds. Interpersonal Savvy · Builds effective working relationships across stakeholders. · Navigates complex investigator relationships. · Adapts communication to varied audiences. · Facilitates collaboration across disciplines. Problem Solving · Uses logic and analysis to solve difficult problems. · Identifies root causes of delays or failures. · Develops actionable solutions. · Evaluates trade-offs under constraints. EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Requires a Bachelor's Degree in Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Business, Public Health, or a related field with at least 3 year(s) of experience in research project management, research coordination, or healthcare operations experience · Demonstrated experience supporting multi-stakeholder research or clinical initiatives, including timelines, documentation, and compliance activities. For classified jobs, include whether relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate: Yes According to Executive Order No. GA-48 of the State of Texas: for all positions that research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 117.001(2), Business and Commerce Code, it is required that both candidates for employment and employees have the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Master's Degree in Public Health (MPH), Clinical Research, Business Administration, or related field with at least 5 year(s) of experience in research or healthcare project management experience. · Experience supporting NIH-, FDA-, or industry-sponsored studies within an academic medical center or integrated health system. · Demonstrated capability managing independent project workstreams with minimal supervision. LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS OR CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED: · None PREFERRED: · Project Management Professional (PMP). · Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP). · Certified Research Administrator (CRA). · Lean, Six Sigma, or Agile project management certifications. Salary Range: $73,515+ depending on qualifications Required Materials Resume/CV 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor Letter of interest WORKING ENVIRONMENT/EQUIPMENT · Primarily works in an office, clinical, and research environment. · May work remotely or in hybrid settings as operationally appropriate. · Interacts frequently with clinical and research staff in patient-care settings. · Standard office equipment. · Repetitive use of a keyboard. Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes. Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above. ---- Employment Eligibility: Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval. ---- Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. ---- Background Checks: A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position. ---- Equal Opportunity Employer: The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. ---- Pay Transparency: The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. ---- Employment Eligibility Verification: If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university. ---- E-Verify: The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following: E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF] ---- Compliance: Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 . The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.