Senior Research Program Coordinator

University of Texas at Austin

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Dell Medical School is seeking a Senior Research Program Coordinator. This position is a grant funded position with an end date of February 28, 2029, renewable based upon availability of funding, work performance, and progress toward research goals. The Senior Research Program Coordinator provides advanced project and program support for a wide variety of non-clinical research initiatives across lab environments within the healthcare system. Reporting to a Principal Investigator, Lab Director, or Research Manager, this role coordinates the day-to-day operations of research projects or laboratories, including project planning, data and documentation management, regulatory compliance, and communication with internal and external stakeholders. The Senior Coordinator supports faculty and research leadership in developing and executing research programs, preparing reports and grant materials, and ensuring alignment with institutional and sponsor requirements.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor's Degree in a related field with at least 5 year(s) of experience in research coordination, laboratory operations, or academic research administration.
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Orchestrates personnel, funding, materials, and support to deliver results efficiently.
Maintains organized project files and documentation.
Coordinates multiple tasks and deadlines across projects.
Ensures timely completion of administrative and operational tasks.
Identifies and defines the workflows required to achieve objectives.
Helps standardize workflows for recurring research tasks.
Identifies inefficiencies and suggests improvements.
Ensures compliance with institutional and sponsor processes.
Meets the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers.
Responds promptly to requests from investigators and lab staff.
Anticipates needs and proactively offers support.
Builds trust with research teams and administrative partner.
Writes clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings and styles.
Drafts clear reports, summaries, and correspondence.
Edits and formats grant applications and manuscripts.
Communicates complex information in accessible language.
Uses time effectively and efficiently.
Prioritizes tasks based on urgency and importance.
Meets deadlines consistently.
Balances competing demands across multiple projects.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in a related field with at least 6 year(s) of experience in a research-intensive academic or healthcare setting.
Experience leading process improvement initiatives or coordinating cross-functional team.
Certified Research Administrator (CRA) – Research Administrators Certification Council
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) certification
Laboratory Safety or Biosafety certification (institutional or external)

Responsibilities

Manages Research Project Coordination and Execution: Coordinates the day-to-day operations of complex research projects or laboratories, develops and maintains detailed project plans, timelines, and deliverables in collaboration with investigators, tracks project milestones, identifies risks, and supports mitigation strategies, facilitates project meetings, prepares agendas, and documents key decisions and action items, ensures alignment of project activities with institutional, sponsor, and regulatory requirements.
Oversees Research Data and Documentation: Manages data collection, entry, and quality control for multi-site or high-volume research projects, maintains and audits databases, lab notebooks, and digital records, prepares data summaries, charts, and reports for internal and external stakeholders, ensures data integrity and compliance with sponsor, institutional, and federal guidelines, supports manuscript development and publication processes.
Leads Program Development and Administration: Administers and coordinates program development and activity execution, develops and implements standards for achieving program goals and objectives, conducts marketing assessments and promotes program visibility, recommends and implements new policies and procedures to improve program effectiveness, maintains frequent interaction with university departments, external agencies, and collaborators.
Facilitates Communication and Reporting: Prepares and distributes internal and external reports, updates, and correspondence, drafts and edits content for grant applications, progress reports, and publications, coordinates communication between investigators, collaborators, and institutional offices, maintains documentation of decisions, timelines, and deliverables for transparency and accountability, supports dissemination of research findings through presentations, newsletters, or digital platforms.
Ensures Regulatory and Grant Compliance: Prepares and submits IRB, IACUC, biosafety, and other regulatory documents, coordinates IRB applications and subject recruitment for non-clinical studies, facilitates compliance activities across multiple protocols or investigators, tracks grant milestones, reporting deadlines, and budgetary requirements, assists with grant writing, formatting, and submission, supports audit preparation and sponsor reporting.
Other duties as identified by department.
Participates in strategic planning for research program growth or restructuring.
Assists with budget forecasting and financial reconciliation.
Represents the research team in institutional committees or working groups.
Contributes to the development of SOPs and process improvement initiatives.
Supports outreach, recruitment, or community engagement activities related to research.