Lab Manager, C.R.I.T.

University of Pennsylvania•Meadville, PA

5d•$55,000 - $65,000

About The Position

The Lab Manager oversees the day-to-day operations of SAFE Lab, supervising MSW students and managing a portfolio of research and community-engaged projects. This role is responsible for maintaining efficient lab systems, supporting grant-funded initiatives, and coordinating partnerships, programming, and events. In addition, the Lab Manager provides oversight of the Center’s logistical and administrative functions while actively contributing to research, including initiatives such as the Creator Cohort Institute. The Lab Manager manages the calendar and scheduling for the Center Director and plays a central role in supporting the development, submission, and management of grants, including IRB protocols and compliance processes. Serving as a key liaison, the Lab Manager coordinates communication between SAFELab, the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), and other university departments and external partners. The role includes supervising student interns, administrative staff, and research personnel, as well as training and supporting work-study students, casual staff, and research assistants engaged in lab projects. The Lab Manager also facilitates collaboration by coordinating meetings and engagements with community partners, university collaborators, and other research centers. In addition to administrative and supervisory responsibilities, the Lab Manager contributes to the lab’s research output by assisting in the preparation of manuscripts and working closely with Principal Investigators to advance project deliverables. This position is contingent based on availability of funding. All SP2 staff are required to participate in convocation and graduation ceremonies as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and 2 to 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
Research experience
Strong writing (academic/grant)
Administrative/project management experience
Student supervision experience
Strong organizational skills

Nice To Haves

Masters degree in social work or related field and 2 years of progressively responsible experience in research, administration, and project management preferred.
Community-engaged research
Digital media/public health familiarity
Grant-funded university experience
Event planning experience

Responsibilities

Lab operations oversight – scheduling lab meetings, organizing weekly lab check-ins that involve all lab members/students/staff, purchasing lab materials, etc.
Providing supervision for MSW students and research assistants. For MSW supervision, the lab Manager will provide weekly supervision with MSW students, help students with educational tasks that align with learning competencies, and ensure that students have experience to practice focus groups/interviews with community members. For research assistants, the Lab Manager will meet with RA’s weekly or bi-weekly to ensure their tasks are being completed.
Project management for grants / specific projects such as creator cohort institute and research support
Event coordination: for certain projects, the Lab Manager will assist with event planning, such as for the Annual Creators for Community Safety Summit. The Lab Manager will work with communications to conduct outreach for the event, reach out to speakers/panelists, organize financial compensation for speakers, and organize catering. The Lab Manager will be in charge of RSVP’s, and other administrative tasks such as ordering supplies for the event. This typically occurs 1-2 times per academic year. The Lab Manager will also be responsible for planning writing retreats 2 times per academic year, which involves planning the agenda, catering, and working with finance to ensure the retreat goes smoothly.
Calendar/communications support for founding director/principal investigator of SAFELab. The Lab Manager will support the SAFELab PI by helping schedule speaking engagements and meetings, and coordinating the PI’s calendar so there are no overlaps. They will also support the PI with admin tasks such as working with the grants team to help submit NIH biosketches and sending his bio/headshot for speaking engagements.
Grant writing/ writing lab reports
Budget tracking: the Lab Manager will receive financial reports monthly from the SP2 finance & administration team (and have a quarterly meeting with the finance team to discuss all budgets.) The Lab Manager will be responsible for ensuring that no budgets are in deficit, and will often utilize the Discretionary budget for lab materials/supplies. The PI will additionally oversee all budgets and financial reports.
Perform additional duties as assigned, including participation in convocation and graduation ceremonies as needed.

Benefits

Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.