Research Administrator
What this job does:
Manages the business side of research, such as helping scientists find funding, prepare grant proposals, manage budgets, and stay compliant with federal and institutional regulations. Handles the paperwork, finances, and logistics that keep research projects funded, legal, and on track from application through closeout. Serves as the crucial bridge between researchers and funding agencies.
This job is similar to these lab/research tasks:
Writing and contributing to grant proposals, managing lab budgets, coordinating subcontracts with collaborators, navigating IRB and IACUC processes, translating between scientific objectives and administrative requirements
Typical starting salary range
$68k to $110k
Salary estimate represented as 25th to 75th percentile. Gathered from recent job postings, Glassdoor.com, and Salary.com
Daily task breakdown
- Grant proposal development and submission (pre-award) (25%)
- Financial management and reporting (post-award) (25%)
- Regulatory compliance: federal regulations, IRB/IACUC, effort reporting (20%)
- Communication and liaison: PIs, funding agencies, institutional offices (20%)
- Other: record-keeping, database management, policy development (10%)
Skills you'll use in this job:
Grant proposal preparation and submission; federal research regulations (OMB Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR 200); budget development and financial analysis; compliance management (IRB, IACUC, export control, COI); project management; attention to detail; communication and interpersonal skills; electronic research administration systems (eRA Commons, CAYUSE, Grants.gov); contract negotiation; organizational skills
Talk about these PhD skills in your resume and interview:
Talk about your firsthand experience writing or contributing to grant proposals (NIH R01s, NSF grants, foundation applications) and managing lab budgets. If you coordinated subcontracts with collaborators or navigated IRB and IACUC approval processes, highlight this directly. Emphasize your deep understanding of the research lifecycle from the PI perspective - you know what researchers need because you've been one - and your ability to translate between scientific objectives and administrative requirements.
Alternative job titles to search:
Grants Administrator; Sponsored Programs Administrator; Research Finance Manager; Pre-Award Administrator; Post-Award Administrator; Grants Manager; Sponsored Research Officer; Research Program Administrator; Director of Research Administration
*Note:
-Job titles are inconsistent between companies. Try various keywords.
-PhDs tend to undershoot seniority level. Target higher than you think.
