Research Coordinator

Arkana Laboratories•Arkansas, AR

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Arkana's research program sits at the center of our mission, advancing the understanding of kidney disease through federal grants, industry collaborations, and contract research projects. The Research Coordinator provides the administrative and operational backbone for that work, supporting the Director of Research Administration across regulatory compliance, grant submissions, and reporting. This role touches nearly every part of our research portfolio, from helping investigators navigate IRB approvals to keeping federal grant accounts in good standing to coordinating biospecimen requests from partner institutions. It is a highly visible position that requires discretion, organization, and comfort working across departments.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED, with two years of related administrative experience
Demonstrated experience formulating and implementing policies, workflows, and procedures
Ability to take abstract ideas and organize them into a coherent, actionable picture
Experience managing multiple long-term projects across different clients and stakeholders
Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate technical, budgetary, and programmatic details for staff, grantees, and leadership
Working knowledge of human subjects research compliance and federal regulatory requirements
Proficiency in MS Office, with strong Excel skills required

Nice To Haves

Experience in a research setting
Administrative experience with pre-award or post-award management of NIH grants
Proficiency with myNCBI, iEDISON, ASSIST, eRA Commons, EndNote, or Zotero
Experience preparing progress reports across multiple projects with different agencies and timelines
Familiarity with IRB and CAP reporting requirements

Responsibilities

Provide technical assistance to researchers on IRB study approval and modifications, ensuring institutional and investigator compliance and the protection of human subjects
Assist the Director in assessing and ensuring regulatory compliance among collaborators and sponsors, including federal, state, and private institutions
Attain and maintain Good Clinical Laboratory Practice and Human Subjects Training certifications
Assist the Director in monitoring, tracking, and reporting achievement metrics and budgets for grants to principal investigators, Board members, and other leadership
Assist with effort reporting documentation and time and effort tracking for federally funded or sponsored projects
Support excellence in the preparation, implementation, monitoring, management, and reporting of multiple grants and contracts across Arkana's portfolio
Support investigator onboarding into eRA Commons and Login.gov, including account creation, role assignment, and multi-factor authentication setup
Monitor expiration dates and renewal requirements for federal account credentials, notifying the Director in advance of any lapses
Work with Finance, Human Resources, and other departments as needed to resolve research hurdles and answer inquiries
Assist with fulfillment of external biospecimen and materials requests from partner institutions
Collaborate with the Biorepository Research Coordinator to fulfill medical records requests from Arkana physician researchers
Support contract research departments, such as clinical trials and biorepository, by packing slides, preparing kits, and coordinating national and international material requests
Communicate with patients and external institutions regarding new or ongoing clinical and research programs at Arkana
Draft professional correspondence, schedule meetings, and coordinate venue reservations
Handle sensitive, confidential, or complex information with discretion
Support the broader Research department as needed and requested by the Director or CSO