Research Operations Director

for more information about equivalencies:

Required License/Registration/Certification

None

Physical Requirements

Sitting for long periods of time; extensive computer use; lifting/carrying/pushing/pulling up to 15lbs on occasion

Shift

Monday – Friday; occasional evening/weekend based on deadlines.

Job Summary

The University of Kentucky is seeking a Research Operations Facilitator to join the College of Pharmacy
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This position plays a central role in advancing the College of Pharmacy’s research mission by aligning resources, workflows, budgets, partnerships, and research support services with strategic priorities. Working closely with college leadership, faculty, research administrators, and institutional partners, the successful candidate will strengthen research competitiveness, support faculty development, enhance research operations, and help drive the continued growth and impact of the college’s research enterprise.

• Provide strategic and operational coordination for the College of Pharmacy Office of Research Operations, including planning, project tracking, resource management, and implementation of research initiatives.
• Support development and execution of the college’s research strategic plan and help align budgets, workflows, policies, and partnerships with research priorities.
• Coordinate proposal development activities, peer review processes, grantsmanship support, faculty mentoring programs, and research training opportunities.
• Serve as a liaison with institutional research administration, compliance, and regulatory offices to facilitate approvals, sponsor compliance, and efficient research operations.
• Develop and manage reporting systems, dashboards, assessments, and analyses that inform research planning, resource allocation, and decision-making.
• Track research productivity, awards, proposals, scholarly output, patents, and other key metrics to support leadership reporting and strategic planning.
• Coordinate collaborative and multi-institutional research activities and support faculty engagement with internal and external research and entrepreneurship partners.
• Manage office budgets, monitor center budgets, and support fiscal planning activities.
• Organize and support major research programs, symposiums, seminars, and related events, including logistics, communications, documentation, and follow-up.
• Partner with marketing and communications teams to promote research achievements, maintain research-related content, and enhance visibility of faculty expertise and research impact.

• Strong experience with strategic planning, resource planning, project management, and operational coordination.
• Knowledge of research administration, sponsored research, proposal development, and sponsor compliance processes.
• Experience analyzing research metrics, developing dashboards and reports, and using data to support decision-making.
• Financial management skills, including budget development, monitoring, and resource prioritization.
• Ability to build productive relationships with faculty, research administrators, institutional partners, and external stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail and organizational abilities.
• Experience developing streamlined processes, automated workflows, and operational improvements.
• Critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a collaborative environment.
• Familiarity with research commercialization, intellectual property development, and entrepreneurship support activities.
• 6 years of related experience

• Opportunity to play a key role in supporting and expanding a nationally recognized research enterprise within the College of Pharmacy.
• Collaborative…