Senior Director, Research Administration

University of Pennsylvania

About The Position

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023. Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play. The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more. The Senior Director, Research Administration serves as the senior administrative leader and final departmental authority for all research administration functions supporting the Department of Surgery (DOS) across the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Penn Presbyterian (PMC), Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH), and the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM). Reporting to the CFO and working in close strategic partnership with the Chair, Vice Chairs of Research, and COO, this role holds enterprise-level accountability for advancing the strategic growth and national competitiveness of the DOS research enterprise. The position leads the full pre and post-award lifecycle for a $26M+ sponsored programs portfolio, inclusive of basic, translational, and clinical research, as well as industry and PI-initiated clinical trials (IDE/IND). In close partnership with the DOS Chair, Vice Chairs of Research, COO, and CFO, the Senior Director provides strategic oversight and financial stewardship of all research funding streams including grants, contracts, endowments, gifts, and PSOM funds, and holds ultimate accountability for compliance with sponsor, federal, and institutional requirements. The Senior Director drives strategic growth of the research portfolio, leads infrastructure development, and enhances faculty support across divisions. The role drives operational excellence by integrating clinical research finance with departmental research administration, championing process redesign, data and systems integration, and KPI-driven performance management. Serving as the principal departmental representative with PSOM central offices (e.g., Research Services, Office of Clinical Research, Office of General Counsel), the Senior Director directs and sustains high-impact partnerships with Division Chiefs and Directors of Division Administration to enable portfolio growth, support timely onboarding of new faculty, and develop scalable, high-performing support models aligned with DOS strategic priorities.

Requirements

Master’s degree (MBA/MPA or related field preferred).
Bachelor's and 7–10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in academic medical center research administration or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
Expert knowledge of federal and sponsor regulations (e.g., NIH, NSF, FDA/IDE/IND), clinical research compliance (IRB/IACUC), and University/PSOM sponsored programs policies.
Demonstrated success leading pre- and post-award administration, financial planning and analysis, and research operations at scale.
Proven experience integrating research administration with clinical research finance (coverage analysis, budgeting, billing compliance) and improving processes through KPIs and continuous improvement.
Experience supervising managers and multidisciplinary teams, building training, mentoring, and career pathways for research administration staff.
Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and change leadership across faculty, divisional administrators, and central offices.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership and enterprise-level oversight of pre- and post-award administration across the DOS sponsored research portfolio, ensuring operational excellence and fiscal stewardship in support of the Chair, Vice Chairs, Division Chiefs, and departmental leadership. Lead onboarding new and recruited faculty research programs, including workforce planning and staffing assessments, research space planning, COA/COI transfers, grant and clinical trial change-of-institution submissions, and required regulatory filings. Direct divisional research administrators in portfolio monitoring, financial operations, and compliance with departmental standards. Deliver monthly and quarterly financial reports to the Chair, Vice Chairs, Division Chiefs, and Administrators, providing comprehensive analysis of grant, endowment, gift, and PSOM fund activity, expenditures, projections, and available balances. Serve as the senior administrative authority for departmental research initiatives and strategic research operations.
Provide strategic oversight of financial and administrative operations supporting the department’s research, academic, and teaching missions. Lead development and management of research and academic budgets, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and long-term financial sustainability. Direct high-level monthly financial reviews and variance analysis, translating findings into actionable recommendations and consolidated reports for Senior Leadership. Direct fiscal operations across departmental divisions—including the Office of the Chair, Education, and Research —and manage the monthly financial close. Develop multi-year financial projections, ensure accuracy of financial statements, and oversee stewardship of departmental commitments including faculty startup packages, protected effort, and space and infrastructure costs. Lead integration and optimization of financial and research administration systems (Workday, Business Objects, PennERA) to strengthen reporting, data integrity, and decision-making across the department.
Exercise overall responsibility for pre- and post-award administration of the department’s $26M+ sponsored programs portfolio, spanning basic, translational, and clinical research, including IDE/IND clinical trials and corporate sponsored studies. Hold ultimate accountability for financial stewardship and policy adherence across all grants, contracts, gifts, endowments, and PSOM funds, ensuring compliance with federal, sponsor, and University regulations. Serve as the departmental signatory authority for IRB, IACUC, and RIS submissions, providing final review and approval across all research operations. Develop and implement internal controls, departmental policies, and standardized workflows to support compliance, reduce risk, and improve efficiency. Lead audit readiness, corrective action planning, and enterprise-level risk mitigation across the full research portfolio.
Provide senior leadership and direct supervision of a multidisciplinary research administration team of 10 staff, including managers who themselves supervise research administration and support personnel across grants, PSOM fund management, regulatory submissions, clinical research finance, HR activities, and laboratory research support. Lead all aspects of talent management including recruiting, onboarding, performance evaluation, workload planning, compensation review, and career development. Exercise final authority in resolving complex personnel matters involving performance, classification, and HR policy. Drive organizational development by designing and implementing process improvements, training curricula, and standard operating procedures that build team capability, ensure consistency, and establish scalable infrastructure to support the department's growing research enterprise.
Provide enterprise-level oversight and final departmental authority for all DOS sponsored program submissions, ensuring compliance with Penn, PSOM, and sponsor policies. Lead or directly execute proposal development and submission for senior departmental leadership, including complex NIH R, F, and K applications, supplemental awards, and fellowship activations, as well as submissions to federal agencies, foundations, and industry sponsors. Oversee management of no-cost extensions and unfunded proposals in PennERA, maintaining accurate documentation across the portfolio. Exercise final departmental authority to initiate and approve MTAs, DUAs, NDAs, equipment loan agreements, service agreements, and collaborative research agreements, in coordination with OCR, OGC, and Research Services. Serve as the departmental signatory authority for IRB and IACUC submissions.
Perform additional duties as required to support departmental operations, strategic initiatives, process improvements, and institutional priorities.

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.