Senior Project Manager, Research Administration Systems

Senior Project Manager

Reporting to the Director, eRA and Analytics this position will lead the assessment and modernization of the University's AURA research suite, the University's branded implementation of the Huron Research Suite. The Senior Project Manager will join a dynamic Research Administration Systems team that supports and manages University-wide research related systems and reporting. In addition to other related projects, this role will drive a comprehensive fit-gap analysis to evaluate the transition from our current on-premises environment to Huron's SaaS platform (v12), followed by the phased upgrade of all research administration modules across the University and ultimate support and growth of such modules.

The Senior Project Manager will serve as the primary liaison between the University and Huron, collaborate directly with colleagues in Information Services, champion system optimization across central and departmental offices, and ensure that the University derives maximum value from its Huron subscription by taking advantage of new features. This is a high-impact, cross-functional role requiring deep knowledge of research administration business and systems, strong project management discipline, and the ability to build consensus across diverse stakeholder groups.

This role leads diverse IT projects typically involving multiple groups in the IT Function. Uses deep knowledge of IT processes, leadership skills, and breadth of experience to manage budgets, resources, and schedules. Coordinates work of IT staff and resolves complex issues to ensure project goals and requirements are met.

• Leads a structured fit-gap analysis of the current AURA on-premises environment against Huron's delivered SaaS platform functionality.
• Engages directly with Huron to evaluate compatibility of existing smart-forms, workflows, and business logic with the new SaaS platform.
• Partners with system and office functional leads to inventory existing customizations and reconcile them against out-of-the-box SaaS settings that preserve the University's upgrade path.
• Develops detailed migration recommendations, including disposition of current customizations, retain, retire, or replace with native functionality.
• Documents all findings and presents phased transition plans to senior leadership.
• Leads and coordinates the end-to-end upgrade of all AURA modules, including Grants, Agreements, COI, IRB, IBC, ECC, Prime stores, and related integrations with Workday, Oracle and the Business Objects and Orbit reporting tools.
• Develops and maintains a comprehensive project plan, including timelines, milestones, resource allocation, and dependencies across modules.
• Oversees all phases of each module upgrade, requirements gathering, configuration, testing, training, go-live, and post-implementation support.
• Ensures quarterly SaaS upgrades proceed seamlessly following migration, with minimal disruption to research operations.
• Identifies and mitigates risks and develop contingency plans to maintain project momentum.
• Serves as a primary point of contact with Huron, managing the ongoing vendor relationship and escalating issues as appropriate.
• Monitors and reports on Huron deliverables, SLAs, and product roadmap commitments.
• Troubleshoots system issues in coordination with Huron support, ensuring timely resolution.
• Continuously evaluates the University's Huron subscription to ensure maximum return on investment, identifying underutilized features or modules.
• Collaborates with Procurement on contract management and vendor performance reviews.
• Fosters strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including URA, Office of Research, IT, and departmental research administrators.
• Develops and executes a change management strategy to ensure smooth adoption of upgraded systems across central and departmental offices.
• Facilitates training sessions, workshops, and documentation to ensure all users, central and departmental, are fully proficient in AURA functionality.
• Produces executive-level communications, dashboards, and steering committee materials tailored to senior leadership.
• Addresses stakeholder concerns, manages expectations, and communicates progress proactively throughout the project lifecycle.
• Implements and monitors quality assurance processes throughout all upgrade phases, including test script development and execution.
• Conducts post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and identifies opportunities for ongoing system improvement.
• Analyzes existing business processes and recommends enhancements aligned with industry best practices and Huron platform capabilities.
• Maintains clear, up-to-date documentation of system configurations, workflows, and training materials.
• Drives process improvement within all research administration systems.
• Evaluates and implements best practices, new technologies, and methodologies.
• Leads URA AI Working Group, promoting AI adoption across research administration systems and workflows.
• Identifies and…