Department
BSD PSY - Lyons IDEA

Job Summary
The Sr. Research Specialist serves as the department's lead for project coordination and operational planning, overseeing the organization, prioritization, and execution of initiatives across multiple teams. This role provides leadership in establishing project management standards, coordinating timelines, monitoring progress, and ensuring organizational priorities remain on track. Acting as a central resource for cross-functional collaboration, the Research Specialist promotes consistency, accountability, and effective communication across projects while supporting strategic departmental goals. As the project management function expands, this role is expected to provide guidance and direction to Project Managers and help shape the department's project management infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the departmental lead for coordinating complex projects and strategic initiatives across multiple teams, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and timelines.
• Develop, implement, and maintain standardized project management processes, tools, templates, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to promote consistency and operational excellence.
• Provide functional leadership, guidance, and project management support to team members, fostering collaboration, accountability, and adoption of best practices.
• Coordinate cross-functional efforts among operational, research, education, and technology teams to ensure effective communication, resource alignment, and successful project execution.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, timelines, milestones, and tracking mechanisms, proactively identifying risks and implementing solutions to keep initiatives on schedule.
• Monitor project performance, prepare reports and dashboards, and provide leadership with regular updates, recommendations, and analysis to support strategic decision-making.
• Facilitate project meetings, document action items, and ensure timely completion of follow-up activities.
• Lead the development, review, and continuous improvement of departmental workflows, methodologies, and operational procedures, adapting existing processes to meet evolving organizational needs.
• Independently analyze and resolve complex operational and project-related challenges by recommending and implementing process improvements and innovative solutions.
• Apply subject matter expertise and industry best practices to support the design, implementation, and evaluation of departmental initiatives and research-related activities.
• Serve as a central resource for project coordination, promoting collaboration across teams and ensuring initiatives are executed efficiently and consistently.
• Support organizational initiatives beyond core responsibilities, including operational planning, event coordination, communications, and other strategic projects as assigned.
• Provides expertise to researchers on compliance of research activities with institutional, state, and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives and mandates.
• Provides expertise to researchers and research support staff. Oversees activities related to data collection and analysis.
• Leads the establishment of new laboratories and provides assistance with purchasing new laboratory equipment; ensuring efficient operation of laboratory, including overseeing maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment.
• Improves financial, personnel, planning, compliance and other administrative aspects of research project. Collaborates with other researchers on long-range plans for research projects. Leads, investigates, modifies and applies new procedures, techniques or applications of technology. Establishes goals and operating procedures, practices, and guidelines.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• Experience coordinating programs, trainings, or projects strongly preferred.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Knowledge in computational methods and statistical tools for the analysis of large-scale neural data.
• Knowledge of research regulatory policies and procedures.
• Experience with Microsoft Office 365 and project management tools (e.g., Planner, Asana, Trello).

Preferred Competencies

• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication and coaching abilities.
• Strategic thinker who can balance innovation with consistency.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365.
• Prior leadership experience.
• Organizational skills.
• Verbal and written communication skills.
• Work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
Research

Role Impact
Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours
40

Drug Test Required
No

Health Screen Required
No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No

Pay Rate Type
Salary

FLSA Status
Exempt

Pay Range
$80,000.00 - $120,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.