eRA Product Manager

University of Notre Dame•Notre Dame, IN

3d•$113,500

About The Position

The eRA Product Manager within Notre Dame Research serves as the strategic owner of the University’s electronic Research Administration (eRA) ecosystem. This position is responsible for the vision, roadmap, governance, and lifecycle management of the administrative systems that support the University’s research enterprise. The eRA Product Manager partners closely with Notre Dame Research Administration and Compliance, Campus IT, and external software vendors to ensure research administration and compliance platforms align with institutional priorities, federal compliance requirements, and the evolving needs of faculty and research staff. In this role, the eRA Product Manager acts as a high-level consultant to University leadership, translating strategic research objectives into scalable technology solutions that improve operational efficiency, data integrity, compliance readiness, and proposal competitiveness. Most immediately, the successful candidate in collaboration with the Associate Vice President of Research and the Director of Research Effectiveness and Analytics will play a defining leadership role in steering the University through a major eRA implementation, shaping the future of Notre Dame’s research infrastructure from the ground up.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Information Systems, Research Administration, or a related field.
7+ years of experience in research administration, enterprise systems management, or a related field.
3+ years of experience in a leadership, Product Owner, Product Manager, or similar strategic systems role.
Experience supporting enterprise-level software implementations, preferably within research administration, ERP, or higher education environments.
Expert understanding of the research grant lifecycle, including pre-award, post-award, and compliance functions.
Strong understanding of enterprise systems architecture, integrations, and data governance principles.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders without direct supervisory authority.
Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex data and identify operational trends.
Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences, including faculty and senior leadership.
Ability to balance strategic planning with operational execution in a dynamic environment.
Strong organizational and project management skills with attention to detail and compliance requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience working within higher education research administration environments.
Familiarity with eRA systems, ERP platforms, and SaaS-to-on-premises data integrations.
Experience with reporting and visualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI.
Knowledge of federal research compliance regulations and sponsored program administration.

Responsibilities

Define, manage, and execute the product roadmap for the University’s electronic Research Administration systems, prioritizing enhancements and feature releases that streamline workflows and reduce administrative burden.
Serve as the primary liaison between Notre Dame Research Administration and Compliance, Campus IT, and third-party software vendors to advocate for institutional needs and influence product development.
Lead system governance and integration strategy for research administration platforms, ensuring effective data exchange between eRA systems, HRIS, ERP, and other enterprise applications.
Oversee research data governance practices to establish consistent standards, improve data quality, and support reliable institutional reporting and analytics.
Configure and maintain system validations and workflows to support evolving federal regulations and sponsor requirements, including NSF, NIH, USDA, and other compliance standards.
Collaborate with leadership and stakeholders to identify opportunities for process improvement, automation, and enhanced reporting capabilities.
Develop and maintain system documentation, business processes, and training materials to support successful adoption of system enhancements and transitions.
Lead “train-the-trainer” initiatives and support change management efforts across the research community.
Monitor system performance, user feedback, and emerging industry trends to inform continuous improvement efforts.
Support reporting and data visualization activities to translate research administration data into actionable insights for leadership decision-making.
Support audit readiness activities by ensuring accurate system configurations, data integrity, and compliance documentation.
Participate in vendor user groups, professional organizations, and research administration communities to stay informed on best practices and emerging technologies.