Center Administrator- Petrucelli Lab

University of Miami•Miami, FL

23h•Onsite

About The Position

The Center Administrator oversees the management and administrative support functions. The incumbent on this role works with leadership to meet the needs and ensure that the organizational structure is operational. Moreover, this employee develops short and long-term plans for financial forecasting, budgeting and management, human resources, facilities, and research and grant funding. Additionally, the incumbent assumes responsibility for developing and expanding programs for scientific research, preventive medicine, medical and vocational rehabilitation, and community health and welfare. The Center Administrator serves as the chief administrative leader for the University of Miami Neuroscience Institute, partnering directly with the Institute Director, to operationalize the Institute’s strategic vision. In this capacity, the administrator provides comprehensive oversight of institute‑wide administrative, financial, facilities, research, and operational functions spanning basic, translational, and disease‑focused neuroscience programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required
Minimum 5 years of relevant experience required
Strategic Alignment: Skilled in aligning departmental goals with enterprise-wide strategy and develops comprehensive strategic plans.
Financial Management: Ensures fiscal responsibility, and optimization of financial performance.
Resource Management: Ability to allocate resources and drive innovation and growth.
Adaptability: Proven ability to adjust to changes and leads/inspires transformational change.
Team Leadership: Ability to build and lead high-performing teams, manage complex projects, and ensure successful project delivery.
Technology & Analytics: Understanding of technology, data analytics, and performance measurement to drive strategic decisions and identify opportunities.
Communication: Ability to influence others, articulate strategic vision, and ensure clear and persuasive communication.
Minimum 7–10 years of progressively responsible administrative leadership in an academic medical center, research institute, or large scientific organization.
Demonstrated experience supporting complex research operations, including grant administration, financial management, and laboratory/facilities oversight.
Experience supporting senior scientific leadership and overseeing administrative teams in a matrixed research environment.
Deep understanding of research administration, academic operations, and scientific program development.
Ability to manage large budgets, develop financial strategies, and oversee complex operational infrastructures.
Strong analytical, strategic planning, and project management skills with the ability to anticipate institute needs.
Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with faculty, researchers, staff, donors, collaborators, and executive leadership.
Demonstrated commitment to fostering a collaborative, high‑performance culture supporting scientific excellence.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Health, Science Administration, or related field strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provides leadership with the identification of obstacles that impede the center’s progress and develops administrative vehicles to overcome these obstacles.
Assists in developing substantive changes in institutional policy and procedure and familiarizes faculty, staff, and constituents with these.
Directs the communications, media relations, and public information programs designed to further the mission of the Center.
Coordinates medical communications to maintain accuracy and consistency.
Works with the Center’s faculty and staff to identify key issues and strategies and incorporates these in an effective and consistent public relationship program.
Meets the center’s faculty and staff on a routine basis to keep abreast of research, treatment, and academic activities.
Develops and maintains media contacts and scientific media in local, regional, national, and international markets.
Assists in generating evaluative data on special and target programs and develops administrative solutions to ensure their seamless operation.
Establishes and continuously assesses the effectiveness of the internal controls within the unit and compliance with University policies and procedures. Ensures employees are trained on controls within the function and on University policy and procedures.
Serves as the senior administrative partner to Institute Director, contributing to long‑range strategic planning, scientific program growth, and organizational design for a large, multidisciplinary neuroscience enterprise.
Manages the development, implementation, and assessment of operational policies, administrative workflows, and institute‑wide support structures that ensure seamless execution across all divisions, labs, and programmatic units.
Leads administrative integration efforts across basic science departments, clinical entities, shared cores, and external partners to support highly collaborative research.
Oversees multimillion‑dollar operating budgets, financial forecasting, cost allocation models, recharge/cost‑center activities, and institute‑wide resource distribution to support scientific priorities.
Supports the expansion of research programs by coordinating grant‑related planning, staffing, compliance, and post-award functions in collaboration with central Sponsored Programs and Research Administration offices.
Develops financial models and business plans to support major investments, philanthropic initiatives, faculty recruitment packages, and capital requests.
Monitors portfolio performance, identifies funding risks, and implements financial controls for large‑scale neuroscience research operations.
Directs facilities planning and operations for institute‑assigned locations, including wet labs, shared core facilities, computational spaces, translational research units, and administrative offices.
Coordinates buildouts, renovations, capital projects, and space optimization strategies aligned with the scientific needs of rapidly evolving neuroscience programs.
Ensures compliance with environmental health & safety, biosafety, laboratory operations standards, and facilities regulatory requirements across all institute spaces.
Oversees organizational design, talent strategy, staffing plans, and workforce development initiatives across all administrative and research support functions within the Institute.
Partners in faculty recruitment processes—including high‑level scientific recruitments, lab start‑ups, and onboarding—to ensure operational readiness and long‑term support structures.
Advises leadership on performance management, culture-building, and staff engagement strategies to sustain a high‑performing scientific enterprise.
Manages the administrative coordination of large programmatic grants, multi‑PI projects, training grants, and interdisciplinary initiatives.
Serves as the primary liaison with MSOM leadership, central administrative offices, external partners, and federal agencies related to neuroscience operations and compliance matters.
Leads project management for scientific initiatives, donor-engaged projects, external collaborations, and institute‑wide events.