Research Program Manager

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Division of Urology seeks a Research Program Manager to oversee and coordinate a diverse portfolio of basic, clinical, translational, and academic research activities. This position serves as a central resource for investigators, faculty, staff, trainees, and collaborators by providing research administration, regulatory guidance, study and project management support, grant and publication tracking, compliance oversight, and research consultation. The Research Program Manager supports research activities across multiple disciplines and funding sources, facilitates onboarding and training for research personnel, and promotes operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and scholarly productivity. The position independently manages research operations and resource allocation for the Division's research portfolio and plays a key role in advancing the Division's overall research and academic mission through strategic coordination, process improvement, and collaborative leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public health, public administration, social/behavioral sciences, physical sciences, nursing, healthcare, finance, accounting, business administration, business, or a directly related field from an accredited institution and 4-6 years of professional experience supporting research programs, research administration, research operations, clinical research, academic research, or a related research environment.
A combination of education and related technical/military/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree on a year for year basis.
Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.
Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and orally.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees at all levels throughout the institution.
Outstanding customer service skills.
Demonstrated commitment and leadership ability to advance diversity and inclusion.
Advanced knowledge and understanding of federal regulations and Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
Knowledge of basic human anatomy, physiology medical terminology
Ability to interpret and master complex research protocol information (SME)
Expert level knowledge of clinical research processes.

Nice To Haves

Five (5) years of research administration, research program management, clinical research, academic research, or related experience in an academic medical center or higher education environment.
Experience supporting multiple types of research activities, including basic, translational, clinical, or outcomes research.
Supervisory or team leadership experience.

Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate the day-to-day operations of the Division's research portfolio, including basic, translational, clinical, and academic research activities.
Serve as a primary resource and coordinator for research projects and initiatives from concept development and feasibility assessment through project completion and dissemination of results.
Independently manage research activities in accordance with institutional policies, sponsor requirements, regulatory guidelines, and applicable federal, state, and university regulations.
Coordinate research project initiation, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and closeout activities across multiple research programs and funding sources.
Maintain knowledge of research protocols, project requirements, compliance standards, and operational processes to ensure successful execution of research activities.
Support research participant recruitment, screening, enrollment, informed consent, retention, and follow-up activities, as applicable, while also supporting non-human-subject research initiatives.
Ensure research resources, equipment, databases, and operational infrastructure are available and effectively managed to support divisional research activities.
Collaborate with investigators, faculty, trainees, sponsors, institutional research offices, and external partners to facilitate successful research and scholarly activities.
Serve as the primary liaison among investigators, research personnel, trainees, sponsors, institutional departments, and research collaborators to support the Division's research mission.
Ensure compliance with applicable federal regulations, institutional policies, sponsor requirements, IRB requirements, FDA regulations, ICH-GCP guidelines, and other research compliance requirements as applicable.
Maintain complete and accurate regulatory documentation, study files, project records, essential documents, and other research documentation.
Manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions including initial applications, continuing reviews, amendments, reportable events, and study closures.
Develop protocol-specific source documents, workflow tools, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Case Report Forms (CRFs), process maps, training manuals, and quality assurance documentation.
Identify compliance risks, proactively prevent protocol deviations, implement corrective actions, and ensure Principal Investigator oversight requirements are met.
Lead quality improvement initiatives to enhance regulatory compliance, operational consistency, and research quality across multiple research programs and projects.
Provide leadership and daily operational oversight for division research coordinators, students, research residents, and other research personnel across multiple hospital locations.
Train, mentor, and onboard new research staff while ensuring ongoing competency in research regulations, study procedures, and institutional policies.
Evaluate staffing needs, assign and redistribute workloads, prioritize daily operations, and provide guidance to ensure efficient study management.
Conduct annual performance evaluations and provide coaching, professional development, and performance feedback for research staff.
Identify training opportunities and foster continuous learning and professional growth within the research team.
Serve as the division Subject Matter Expert (SME) for research operations, regulatory compliance, and best practices.
Oversee accurate collection, coding, validation, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of research data.
Maintain research databases and research management systems, including OnCore, REDCap, and other electronic data capture systems.
Review research proposals and conduct literature reviews to support investigators and research initiatives.
Assist investigators, residents, fellows, and medical students with research design, abstracts, manuscripts, presentations, and publication efforts.
Monitor and report division research productivity, including publications, abstracts, conference presentations, enrollment metrics, and study milestones.
Present research updates, study progress, operational metrics, and findings during team and investigator meetings.
Lead research feasibility assessments and develop strategic plans to support successful project implementation, recruitment, retention, and overall research program growth.
Design, implement, and evaluate operational workflows to improve efficiency, regulatory compliance, research performance, and stakeholder experience.
Develop, monitor, and manage research project and program budgets, ensuring financial feasibility, sponsor compliance, and appropriate cost recovery.
Analyze operational performance metrics and provide strategic recommendations to leadership for continuous process improvement.
Develop contingency plans, optimize research workflows, and implement innovative solutions to support successful research program execution and long-term program growth.