Director of Research Administration

Job Location: Raleigh, NC

Department: College of Engineering, Research Administration Office

About the Department:

The College of Engineering (COE) Office of Research Administration (ORA) provides comprehensive administrative infrastructure, regulatory governance, and strategic faculty and principal investigator support for one of the nation’s premier engineering research enterprises. Managing hundreds of millions of dollars in annual research proposals and awards, COE ORA ensures strict compliance with university, state, federal, and sponsor guidelines across an ever-changing research landscape.

The College operates under a newly created Research Administration Hub (RA Hub) Operating Model. This shared-services structure combines centralized institutional oversight—such as workload balancing, standardized career progression ladders, and uniform compliance tracking—with embedded, face-to-face support tailored to the specific research portfolios of nine academic departments, three affiliated/joint academic departments across the university, specialized research centers, and extension/outreach units.

Wolfpack Perks and Benefits:

As a Pack member, you belong here, and can enjoy exclusive perks designed to enhance your personal and professional well-being. As you consider this opportunity, we encourage you to review our Employee Value Proposition and learn more about what makes NC State the best place to learn and work for everyone.

What we offer:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Flexible Spending Account
• Retirement Programs
• Disability Plans
• Life Insurance
• Accident Plan
• Paid Time Off and Other Leave Programs
• 12 Holidays Each Year
• Tuition and Academic Assistance
• And so much more!

Attain Work-life balance with our Childcare benefits, Wellness & Recreation Membership, and Wellness Programs that aim to build a thriving wolfpack community.

Disclaimer: Perks and Benefit eligibility is based on Part-Time or Full-Time Employment status. Eligibility and Employer Sponsored Plans can be found within each of the links offered.

Essential Job Duties:

The College of Engineering’s Director of Research Administration provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and operational governance across the full research lifecycle. Reporting to the Assistant Dean for Personnel and Administration & Interim Assistant Dean for College Operations, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Associate Dean for Research and Infrastructure, the Director leads the implementation and evolution of the College’s new Research Administration Hub Operating Model—a shared-services approach designed to strengthen and scale research administration across the College. The Director oversees a distributed network of approximately 50 research administration professionals, including Associate Directors, Hub Managers, and Sponsored Research Administrators, supporting academic departments, affiliated units, major research centers, and extension and outreach programs. In partnership with college leadership, the Director will anticipate and forecast research administration capacity and support needs as the college’s research portfolio, faculty and principal investigators, staff, and student population grow.

In the role, you have the opportunity to shape how this new model operates and evolves at scale, partnering with senior College leadership to align research administration strategy, organizational capacity, workload, and risk with the College’s research priorities. Your proven leadership will help create a more consistent and scalable faculty and principal investigator experience, strengthen service delivery, improve proposal competitiveness, and position the College to effectively manage increasingly complex research portfolios with strong financial and regulatory stewardship.

Key Responsibilities will fall within the following core functional areas:

Executive Leadership, Research Administration Hub Governance & Strategic Initiatives:

• Lead the strategy, evolution, and operational governance of the College’s Research Administration Hub model, aligning research administration with College research priorities, faculty and principal investigator needs, and long-term growth.
• Advise the Dean, Associate Dean for Research and Infrastructure, and other senior leaders on research administration strategy, organizational capacity, emerging needs, and risk.
• Shape the administrative infrastructure for large-scale, multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research initiatives, including major center proposals, complex subrecipient relationships, institutional cost sharing, and industry partnerships.
• Establish enterprise-wide standards, service expectations, professional development, and leadership pathways that strengthen consistency, accountability, and long-term capacity across the research administration organization.

Enterprise Capacity, Resource Allocation & Service Delivery:

• Lead enterprise-wide workload and capacity planning across research administration hubs, centers, and affiliated units, using research activity and organizational needs to inform resource allocation.
• Direct strategic deployment of resources during high-volume sponsor deadlines, staffing transitions, and other periods of heightened demand to sustain faculty and principal investigator support and operational continuity.
• Identify and scale effective practices across the College while balancing standardized service delivery with the distinct needs of a complex research enterprise.

Research Intelligence, Analytics & Executive Reporting:

• Transform research administration and portfolio data into actionable intelligence by evaluating and adapting emerging tools, technologies, and approaches to integrate data, surface insights, and improve access to information that informs College strategy, resource decisions, research growth, and operational priorities.
• Lead executive-level reporting on research activity such as NSF HERD, USNWR, ASEE, proposal performance, sponsor trends, research strengths, interdisciplinary activity, and center performance.
• Establish meaningful performance measures that assess service effectiveness, identify opportunities for improvement, and demonstrate the impact of the Research Administration Hub model.

Research Compliance, Risk Management & Institutional Stewardship:

• Provide strategic oversight of complex research administration requirements, financial stewardship, effort commitments, cost sharing, project modifications, and other regulatory obligations.
• Anticipate and mitigate operational and compliance risks while guiding College leaders through complex, high-impact research administration matters.
• Represent the College with central research administration offices and university-wide initiatives, strengthening institutional alignment and advocating for effective, scalable research administration practices.

We are seeking a leader who can communicate with clarity, build trust, influence across organizational boundaries, and turn a compelling vision into an effective and sustainable research administration enterprise. If you are energized by the opportunity to shape a new model for research administration and lead meaningful change at the College level, we invite you to bring your perspective and leadership to this role.

Other Responsibilities:

In addition to the core responsibilities of this role, there may be occasional opportunities to take on additional duties. This offers an opportunity to build on your skills, explore new areas, and gain a deeper understanding of the department’s operations.

Minimum Education and Experience:

Require post-baccalaureate credentials (Master’s degree) or a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Higher Education, or a related field plus alternative or equivalent professional training and experience (8–10 years of progressively responsible research administration experience in a large research university or complex enterprise, including at least 5 years of senior management experience)

Other Required Qualifications:

• Enterprise Leadership: Demonstrated success managing large, matrixed, or distributed teams and driving organizational change within a Tier-1 (R1) research university or complex academic or business enterprise.
• Regulatory Expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of federal circulars (Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200), FAR, CAS, public fund accounting, and major funding agency frameworks (NSF, DoD, DOE, NIH, State, Industry).
• Large-Scale Research Initiatives Oversight: Demonstrated ability to manage multi-institutional center proposals, complex subrecipient structures, and cost-share commitments.
• Systems Proficiency: High proficiency with electronic research administration portals, effort reporting tools, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms.
• Strategic Communication: Verbal and written communication skills with proven ability to build collaborative relationships with Deans, Department Heads, faculty and principal investigators, central administrators, and external sponsors.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 10+ years of senior-level research administration experience within an R1 Engineering program.
• Direct experience designing, implementing, or managing shared-service/hub-based research administration operating models.
• Direct experience staging and managing multi-million-dollar center grants (e.g., NSF Engineering Research Centers).
• Active Certified Research Administrator (CRA) credential.

Required License(s) or Certification(s): N/A

Valid NC Driver's License required: No

Commercial Driver's License required: No

Job Open Date: 10/06/2026

Anticipated Close Date: 10/20/2026; if posting is still active we are accepting and reviewing applications.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

As part of your application please include a cover letter, resume and full contact information for at least three professional references, including former supervisors. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

In your cover letter, tell us what draws you to this opportunity and how your leadership experience has prepared you to shape and scale a research administration model, lead through organizational change, and partner across institutional boundaries to advance research and faculty success.

Position Number: 00061988

Position Type: EPS/SAAO

Full Time Equivalent (FTE) (1.0 = 40 hours/week): 1.00

Appointment: 12 Month Recurring

Mandatory Designation - Adverse Weather: Non Mandatory - Adverse Weather

Mandatory Designation - Emergency Events: Non Mandatory - Emergency Event

Department ID: 143301 - Engineering Research Administration

EEO:

NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.

If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at (919) 515-2135 or workatncstate@ncsu.edu.

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.

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