Research Project Lead

Join the Office of Research as the Research Project Lead and help advance the University's research mission through leadership of complex research programs, sponsored projects, and strategic initiatives. This role provides oversight of project and portfolio management, fiscal stewardship, compliance, and program development while building strong partnerships with researchers, sponsors, and university stakeholders. If you are an experienced leader with expertise in research administration, sponsored programs, project management, and team development, we encourage you to apply and help drive research excellence and innovation across Alaska and beyond.

As the Research Project Lead, you will serve as a trusted resource for Sponsored Programs and Research staff by providing guidance on research administration practices, sponsor requirements, project documentation, and internal workflows. You will coordinate daily activities across assigned projects and teams, help resolve operational and administrative challenges, support onboarding and cross-training efforts, and promote consistent application of established procedures. Acting as a functional lead, you will mentor colleagues, review selected work products, identify training and process-improvement opportunities, and elevate complex policy, compliance, personnel, or high-risk matters to Office of Research leadership when appropriate.

You will independently manage complex sponsored and externally funded projects from proposal development through closeout, ensuring compliance with sponsor requirements, university policies, budgets, schedules, and project objectives. You will develop project plans, budgets, schedules, risk-management tools, reports, and sponsor-facing materials; coordinate activities among Principal Investigators, sponsors, research administrators, and institutional partners; monitor project performance and financial activity; and provide clear documentation, analysis, and recommendations to support informed decision-making.

You will also lead efforts to improve research administration and project-management practices by developing tools, templates, guidance materials, and workflow improvements that enhance service, efficiency, consistency, and collaboration across the Office of Research.

To thrive in this role, the successful candidate brings advanced expertise in research project management, sponsored project administration, and research operations across the full lifecycle of externally funded projects. The position requires extensive knowledge of federal, state, university, and sponsor requirements related to proposal development, award administration, fiscal management, compliance, reporting, procurement, and project closeout. Success depends on the ability to serve as a trusted technical resource, providing guidance to colleagues, coordinating workflow, resolving operational challenges, and leading through expertise and collaboration rather than formal supervisory authority.

Strong project management, analytical, and organizational skills are essential, including the ability to develop workplans, schedules, risk-management strategies, tracking systems, and documentation processes that support complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.

The ideal candidate demonstrates advanced written and verbal communication skills, sound independent judgment, and the ability to interpret sponsor guidance, award terms, institutional procedures, and complex project information. Success also requires the ability to analyze fiscal and programmatic data, identify risks and discrepancies, support informed decision-making, and maintain productive relationships with Principal Investigators, administrators, sponsors, government agencies, and…