Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Senior Research Administrator

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute$89K — $101K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree preferred; High School Diploma required.
  • 5 years of relevant experience in research administration or a related field.
  • Expertise with grant management and funding strategies.
  • Strong financial management skills, including budgeting and fiscal oversight.
  • Proficient in Excel and Google Sheets, with excellent computer literacy.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for customer service and collaboration.

Responsibilities

  • Manage complex research portfolios for multiple laboratories autonomously.
  • Oversee grant preparation, ensuring compliance with sponsor guidelines and deadlines.
  • Handle post-award responsibilities, including financial management and reporting.
  • Approve and initiate procurement requests for laboratory resources and expenses.
  • Facilitate onboarding and human resources processes for research staff.
  • Ensure adherence to compliance regulations and policies for research activities.
  • Assist in pricing and billing for cores and centers to maintain financial sustainability.

Benefits

  • Remote work flexibility with occasional onsite requirements in New England.
  • Opportunity to work within a leading cancer research institution.
  • Access to professional development through mentorship and training initiatives.
  • Participation in institutional committees and workgroups to influence strategic direction.
  • A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
Full Job Description
This position's work location is remote, with occasional on-site time at least once a week. The selected candidate may only work remotely from a New England state (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI).

The Division of Hematologic Neoplasia and Hematologic Malignancies in Medical Oncology is seeking a Senior Research Administrator to join our team. Our division continues to grow year after year supporting a wet lab division that includes 26 Independent Laboratories and six disease centers with 60 additional faculty across Leukemia, Lymphoma, Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapies, Plasma Cell Neoplasias, Melanoma, and Hematology.

The Senior Research Administrator is responsible for the management of complex research portfolios for multiple laboratories and completes work autonomously, updating the department administrator as necessary. The Senior RA serves in a leadership role within the department business office, functioning as a senior resource to peers within the department and across the Institute.The Senior Research Administrator is responsible for a diverse set of funding types including federal, industry, foundation, donor, institutional, chargeback, and clinical trials. The Senior Research Administrator collaborates with and advises faculty and researchers on the preparation of sponsored research applications and/or the financial management of sponsored and institutional funds; and is responsible for problem solving on behalf of the department. The Senior Research Administrator has advanced and specialized expertise and regularly provides guidance and mentorship to colleagues with less experience, in addition to leading training and educational efforts within the Institute.The Senior Research Administrator is responsible for collaborating with Institute central offices such as Research Finance, Accounts Payable, Research Administration, Special Funds, Grants and Contracts, the Clinical Trials Office, Office of General Counsel, and the Innovations Office.In addition to grant management responsibilities, the Senior Research Administrator will manage special projects /assignments either within the department or across departments and will represent the Department at Institutional Committees/ Workgroups. The Senior Research Administrator is expected to partner with Department Leadership and Faculty to set strategy and provide guidance and expertise.

The Senior RA is responsible for the following primary functions autonomously with supervisory input as needed.
  • Grant Preparation (pre-award): Responsible for all administrative aspects of grant preparation of sponsored research applications. Review sponsor eligibility and application requirements and ensure applicants understand them, responsible for the entire application excluding scientific content, meet and communicate internal and external deadlines in a strict deadline-driven environment, research funding opportunities for investigators, draft non-scientific materials for proposals, coordinate with administrators and faculty from other departments or organizations to complete proposals, coordinate institutional review of proposals by Grants & Contracts and submission to sponsors, prepare JIT information and responses to other pre-award inquiries.
  • Portfolio Management (post-award): Responsible for the financial management of sponsored and institutional funds portfolio management. Prepare financial and narrative reports for sponsors while managing and adhering to specified deadlines, provide projection and project summary reports to investigators on a regular basis, ensure spending adheres to budget and sponsor and Institute guidelines, invoice and monitor receivables for clinical trial enrollment when appropriate, establish billing agreements as appropriate, track milestones and receivables for industry agreements.
  • Procurement: Approve and/or initiate purchase requests for investigators and laboratory members via Purchase Orders and PCard. Verify funds are available, expenses are allowable and correctly allocated in a timely manner. Review and approve bills for core and center services.
  • Human Resources: Onboarding - conduct financial analysis to determine availability of funding, assist in the development of job descriptions, post positions, approve salary offers, process visa applications and payments as appropriate. Ongoing - process merit, equity and promotions requests. Manage salary allocations in adherence to funding guidelines and availability. Offboarding - manage termination process checklist, process termination paperwork.
  • Compliance: Partners with faculty and researchers to ensure adherence to internal and external policies. This includes consulting with faculty/OGC/Innovations on MTA, DUA and consulting agreement processes. Also includes advising faculty and researchers and/or referring them to appropriate resources for other compliance issues such as financial conflict of interest and foreign influence. Educate new researchers and manage the federal time and effort process for applicable researchers. Continuous learning and educating of researchers on NIH Grants Policy Statement and DFCI Policies. Review Time and Effort prior to routing to researchers for certification.
  • Cores, Centers and Chargebacks: Assist in pricing development and annual review of pricing, process monthly billing for internal and external customers, manage funds to ensure revenue meets expenditures.


KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:
  • Computer literacy: Expert with new applications and software programs. Expertise with Excel/Google Sheets preferred
  • Organization: Extensive experience with electronic document and email file storage. Able to complete projects with expertise, accuracy and on time. Adept at prioritization and managing multiple priorities simultaneously
  • Customer Service: Provides superb written and verbal communication. Demonstrated expertise with listening, inquiry, follow-up, and problem-solving skills
  • Critical Thinking: Demonstrated expertise assessing complex situations and developing solutions. Extensive experience analyzing grant data through research, comprehension and application of regulations, policies, and procedures including NIH and other Federal, state and foundation regulations
  • Financial: Adept with budgeting principles, including projections and the integration of multiple complex awards and types with varying project periods
  • Teamwork and Collaboration: Adept at cultivating relationships with faculty, research staff, department's GM team, GM in other departments, and central departments
  • Institute operations and processes: Adept at directing faculty and researchers to appropriate departmental and institutional resources, including for issues or queries outside the standard scope direct responsibility. In depth knowledge of regulations, policies, and DFCI standard operating procedures (SOPs)
  • Inclusion, Diversity & Equity: Promotes inclusive community where human differences are valued and celebrated and where all are welcome. Creates an inclusive work environment that engages and retains talent
  • Able to lead and influence projects within the Department and across the Institute's research central offices. Independently discusses and troubleshoots complex issues. Shares ideas openly and accurately, and communicates them effectively, both in writing and verbally


MINIMUM JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
  • High School Diploma required; Bachelor's degree preferred
  • 5 years of relevant experience

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

May advise on the work of others.

PATIENT CONTACT: None

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate's relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

$89,000.00 - $101,100.00

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a non-profit organization that provides cancer treatment and research services. The institute was founded in 1947 and is affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is committed to providing the highest quality care to cancer patients, and is dedicated to finding new treatments and cures for the disease. The institute offers a range of services, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is also involved in a number of research initiatives, and has made significant contributions to the field of cancer research.
Learn more about Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Size
5,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1947

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

More Education, Government & Non-Profit Jobs

Find similar Senior Research Administrator jobs: