Research Project Manager

UNC-Chapel Hill•Chapel Hill, NC

About The Position

The SDSS is seeking an experienced Research Project Manager to report to its Office of Research Strategy and Leadership Team. The position manages one or more highly complex research and team science coordination projects and/or leads collaborative efforts between SDSS and UNC campus units. Projects may be internal to SDSS and UNC or supported by external sponsors, including NIH, NSF, other federal agencies, state agencies, and non-government sponsors. The Research Project Manager develops project management strategies, supporting business cases, and detailed project plans, and manages execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, reporting, and scope in collaboration with SDSS and project leadership and, as applicable, other Research Project Managers. The role also manages day-to-day project operations in collaboration with SDSS leadership, including scheduling and running meetings, taking notes, tracking action deliverables, communicating with teams, and maintaining project tracking tools, documents, and other artifacts. The successful candidate is a motivated, detail-oriented strategic thinker and team player, with demonstrated problem-solving and decision-making abilities. The role includes program management, coordination of collaborative groups, milestone tracking, process improvement, budget and resource oversight, report writing, proposal development support, and event planning for project-related activities.

Requirements

Ability to plan and manage large, multifaceted, specialized projects and assist with project events.
Ability to manage day-to-day business operations of a project.
Proven ability to lead complex project initiatives, develop and implement program strategies, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Ability to generate routine project reporting.
Ability to establish and maintain a variety of positive and constructive working relationships.
Familiarity with a range of project management tools, particularly online tools such as Jira and/or Monday.com.
Motivated, detail-oriented strategic thinker and team player with demonstrated problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

Nice To Haves

Three years of experience in project management and/or program coordination and organization preferred.
PMP certification is a plus.
Experience with federally funded projects is a plus.
Experience applying project management skills and tools in an academic setting and/or a background in education is a plus.
Experience supporting faculty in applying for sponsored project funding is a plus.

Responsibilities

Provide program management, including strategic planning, communications, and outreach to funded collaborators and project stakeholders to help manage team relations.
Coordinate multiple collaborative groups and activities.
Monitor and track project milestones and deliverables.
Identify opportunities for internal improvement and develop plans to implement updated or new processes and methods that facilitate project outcomes.
Work with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
Work with relevant business offices and project leadership to develop project budgets and supervise project resources to keep projects on track and within budget.
Work with relevant teams to write reports.
Support research proposal development by gathering, summarizing, and analyzing information about funding opportunities, sponsors, and competitors.
Manage proposal development processes, including tracking and gathering required materials and creating final documents.
Support planning and execution of project-related events, including workshops, hackathons, training events, and multi-institutional meetings.
Develop project management strategies, supporting business cases, and detailed project plans.
Manage project execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, reporting, and scope.
Manage day-to-day project operations, including scheduling and running meetings, taking notes, tracking action deliverables, communicating with teams, and maintaining project tools, documents, and other artifacts.