Research Administration Manager

About the role

The Research Administration Manager is the operational lead for the Department of Surgery clinical research team. Working closely with the Chair of Surgery, this position manages the clinical research staff, oversees departmental research operations—including project tracking, database management, metrics dashboards, and compliance—and supports grant development, faculty, resident, and student research initiatives as well as departmental events.

Responsibilities

• Departmental Leadership: Provide official supervision, mentorship, and performance evaluation for Department of Surgery research staff in partnership with the Chair or Vice Chair. Lead operational activities, develop and maintain departmental research standards, processes, procedural workflows, onboarding materials, and expectation documents for faculty, residents, students, and staff. Oversee the departmental research portfolio to ensure projects progress on schedule and comply with regulatory, ethical, and institutional standards, working closely with the Clinical Research Office and the IRB.
• Grant Development: Contribute to the department’s growth in grant funding and national research. Coordinate multidisciplinary grant teams, internal/external collaborators, and institutional resources for large grant applications and post‑award implementation. Review, edit, and provide strategic input into grant applications, manuscripts, abstracts, and presentations.
• Faculty, Resident, and Student Research Development: Facilitate partnerships between learners and faculty mentors; manage research interest groups; help launch new surgical specialty research interest groups and the Surgery Research Council. Work with research core faculty on scheduling and arranging resident research projects that require significant statistical input and engage the Department of Clinical Research statistics and analytics team.
• Operational Oversight & Metrics Management: Oversee departmental research operations, including project tracking, database management, metrics dashboards, and compliance. Lead high‑profile project meetings, stakeholder engagement, and cross‑departmental collaborations. Maintain all departmental research metrics and reporting structures with regular updates to the Chair of Surgery and Vice Chair for Research. Continue to assist with day‑to‑day research operational needs (e.g., scheduling meetings).
• External Relations and Events: Represent the Department of Surgery at high‑profile meetings, collaborative initiatives, and strategic external partnerships. Oversee, schedule, and manage the quarterly surgery council with the Chair of Surgery. Lead departmental visibility and communications strategy for research initiatives. Conceptualize, coordinate, and execute high‑profile events. Schedule and arrange research‑enhancing efforts (e.g., meetings and didactics) and report Department of Surgery research dashboard metrics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Master’s degree in a related field preferred.
• 4+ years of related experience required (research office administration, grant management, or Institutional Review Board).
• Knowledge of IRB submission process and federal grant regulations, grants accounting practices, with the ability to interpret complex grant guidelines.
• Experience with preparation, implementation, and management of grant submissions preferred.
• Prior people management experience, project management, and financial management preferred.
• Experience with policy and procedure development preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to translate complex scientific information into practical communication.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work cooperatively with colleagues, leaders, and staff at all levels.
• Ability to use good judgment in working independently and as part of a team, and to show initiative.

Licenses/Certifications

• Clinical Research Professional Certification (CCRP) or other research‑related certification preferred.

Creighton University is committed to providing a safe and non‑discriminatory educational and employment environment. The university admits qualified students, hires qualified employees, and accepts patients for treatment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.