Project Administrator

University of Southern California•Los Angeles, CA

2d•$80,000 - $86,381

About The Position

USC’s Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry is seeking a collaborative, adaptable, and service-oriented Project Administrator for the Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. The role supports the Ausderau Lab, which focuses on improving health, participation, and well-being outcomes for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their care partner communities, with an emphasis on community-engaged research, health equity, implementation science, and inclusive research approaches. The Project Administrator will play a central role in the PCORI-funded HEALTH 4 ME comparative effectiveness research study. HEALTH 4 ME is a multi-state, community-based cluster-randomized trial conducted with Special Olympics programs to improve healthcare access, health self-advocacy, and health outcomes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The position administers and coordinates the project’s day-to-day activities across participating states and partner organizations. This includes project planning and team coordination, recruitment, data collection and management, study documentation and regulatory processes, PCORI reporting, meetings, budgets and resources, and coordination with participating institutions and community partners. The Project Administrator provides operational guidance to project personnel and supports the Principal Investigator in ensuring that activities follow study protocols, sponsor requirements, and established timelines. Strong organization, attention to detail, and the ability to manage concurrent work and deadlines are essential.

Requirements

Master’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience consistent with USC requirements for the Project Administrator classification.
Minimum of three years of directly related research or project administration experience.
Demonstrated experience coordinating complex projects involving multiple activities, timelines, personnel, and deliverables.
Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
Ability to establish and maintain project management systems, prioritize competing responsibilities, meet deadlines, maintain accurate documentation, and independently follow activities through completion.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work collaboratively with investigators, research staff, community partners, and external organizations.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree in occupational therapy, public health, psychology, social work, education, rehabilitation, health sciences, research administration, or a related field.
Experience administering large externally funded, multi-site, or community-based research projects.
Experience managing sponsor reporting requirements, coordinating budgets or subcontracts, supervising or providing guidance to project staff, managing research data systems, and working with community partners.
Experience with PCORI-funded research, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and/or community-engaged research.

Responsibilities

Administer and coordinate day-to-day operations of the multi-state HEALTH 4 ME project, including timelines, work plans, meetings, cross-site communication, milestones, deliverables, and partner coordination.
Develop, implement, and maintain project procedures, tracking systems, documentation processes, and organizational systems for consistent study operations across sites.
Coordinate recruitment, participant tracking, data collection, and data management; monitor completeness, quality, and timely completion of study activities.
Coordinate PCORI-required reporting and sponsor communications, tracking milestones, recruitment, deliverables, project activities, and progress-report information.
Support administration and monitoring of project budgets, subcontracts, purchasing, expenditures, and other resources in collaboration with the Principal Investigator and administrative staff.
Provide operational guidance to research staff and project personnel; coordinate training and communication of procedures; and monitor completion of assigned activities.
Support preparation of study reports, presentations, dissemination materials, and other project documentation.