Research Administrator II

Position Summary:

Within the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing Research Administration team, the Research Administrator II independently manages the administrative and financial components of sponsored projects and supports principal investigators throughout the award lifecycle. This position has a particular focus on large-scale, complex, and multi-party awards requiring disciplined project planning, financial forecasting, risk identification, stakeholder coordination, and timely follow-through.

Reporting to the Director of Research Administration, the position develops and reviews proposal budgets, coordinates submissions with the Office of Sponsored Research, oversees award setup and financial activity, monitors compliance and deliverables, and maintains complete and accurate project documentation. The Research Administrator II assesses the overall financial health of assigned projects and provides principal investigators with reliable information and proactive guidance for successful project execution.

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues. Applicants must also respond to the following supplemental questions: 

(1) Briefly describe the types of grants you have worked with (NIH, DoD, other federal, state, private, foundation, etc.). 

(2) Briefly describe your grants management experience with large-scale project management, such as a center grant or a complex award like an ARPA-H.

Ideal Candidate Statement: 

The ideal candidate will have strong research administration and financial management skills, with experience developing budgets, monitoring expenditures, ensuring compliance, and collaborating with the Office of Sponsored Projects and the Office of Research and Cost Accounting on complex projects with changing priorities. They possess excellent organizational and communication abilities, strong attention to detail, and a proactive approach to supporting PIs in the successful execution and financial oversight of grant-funded projects.

About George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing:

The George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing ranks among the top 20 undergraduate engineering programs (US News & World Report) and is strongly committed to nurturing the aspirations of faculty, staff, and students in an inclusive environment. We seek greater representation of women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans in disciplines in which they have historically been underrepresented; to attract international students from a wider range of countries and backgrounds; to accelerate progress in building a faculty and staff who are diverse in background and thought, and we support an inclusive environment that fosters interaction and understanding within our diverse community.

Workplace Requirements: This position is fully remote, permitting duties to be performed from an approved location within the United States. The incumbent must generally be available during Central Time business hours. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: Starting at $75,000/year

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

This is a regular, full-time, benefits eligible position.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience above and beyond the required experience may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• Two or more (2+) years of related experience in research administration, sponsored-project administration, grants management, financial administration, or project management. 

Skills: 

• Proficiency with word-processing, spreadsheet, email, database, and related business software.
• Knowledge of sponsored-project budgeting, financial forecasting, proposal administration, compliance, and recordkeeping.
• Ability to analyze the financial health of sponsored projects, identify variances and risks, and support responsible financial management.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, with the initiative to identify issues and recommend solutions.
• Strong customer-service and relationship-management skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with principal investigators, research administrators, central offices, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to apply project-management practices—including planning, prioritization, risk identification, stakeholder coordination, and follow-through—to complex sponsored projects.
• Ability to work independently and contribute effectively within a team while managing multiple priorities and deadlines.

Preferences:

• Experience administering a diverse portfolio of federal, state, foundation, industry, or other sponsored awards.
• Experience managing large-scale, center, cooperative agreement, consortium, ARPA-H, or similarly complex awards.
• Experience with Cayuse, Oracle or a comparable enterprise financial system, sponsor electronic research administration systems, and advanced spreadsheet analysis.

Essential Functions:

• Independently plans, manages, and oversees the administrative and financial aspects of assigned sponsored projects, including large-scale and complex awards.
• Translates award requirements into project plans, timelines, financial forecasts, deliverables, and administrative processes; monitors progress and identifies risks.
• Develops and finalizes proposal budgets and budget justifications with principal investigators and prepares cost-sharing documentation when applicable.
• Reviews proposal and award requirements, verifies financial and administrative information, and monitors compliance with sponsor, university, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Coordinates collection and review of subaward statements of work, budgets, budget justifications, and related documentation and confirms principal investigator approval.
• Creates and verifies complete and accurate proposal records in Cayuse and coordinates submissions with the Office of Sponsored Research.
• Coordinates award and account setup; reviews and tracks expenditures and commitments; monitors budgets and forecasts; and provides information for financial and progress reports.
• Works with faculty and administrative partners to ensure charges are appropriate, allowable, allocable, and recorded correctly and supports timely corrective action.
• Coordinates post-award actions including rebudgeting, prior approvals, no-cost extensions, progress-reporting support, subaward administration, and account closeout.
• Serves as liaison among investigators, central research offices, administrators, subrecipients, and other stakeholders; maintains complete records and performs other duties as assigned.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits 
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Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.