Research Project Manager

Job Posting Title: Research Project Manager ---- Hiring Department: Department of Neurology ---- Position Open To: All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40 ---- FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest Start Date: Sep 28, 2026 ---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue ---- Location: AUSTIN, TX ---- Job Details: GENERAL NOTES Dell Medical School is seeking a Research Project Manager. JOB SUMMARY The Research Project Manager plans, coordinates, and oversees moderately complex research projects to ensure successful delivery of scope, timeline, quality, compliance, and budget objectives. This role typically reports to a Director of Research Operations, Principal Investigator, or Research Administration leader and works closely with investigators, physicians, scientists, biostatisticians, regulatory staff, finance, grants administration, and operational stakeholders. Acting as the central point of accountability, the Research Project Manager translates scientific and operational objectives into executable project plans, manages cross-functional dependencies, mitigates risk, and ensures compliance with institutional, sponsor, and applicable regulatory requirements. Projects may span clinical research, translational and bench research, population health, health services research, quality improvement initiatives, and grant-funded academic studies. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Manages Research Project Planning and Execution ·  Develops and maintains detailed project plans, timelines, milestones, and deliverables. ·  Coordinates sequencing of tasks and dependencies across multidisciplinary teams. ·  Tracks project progress against scope, schedule, and budget. ·  Identifies and resolves execution issues that impact project outcomes. Oversees Compliance and Regulatory Adherence ·  Ensures adherence to IRB requirements, institutional research governance, sponsor terms, and applicable federal, state, and funding-agency regulations. ·  Coordinates protocol submissions, amendments, renewals, and project close-out activities. ·  Maintains accurate and audit-ready project documentation. ·  Partners with regulatory, compliance, and research integrity teams to address findings or issues. Leads Stakeholder and Team Coordination ·  Serves as the primary liaison among investigators, research teams, and administrative partners. ·  Facilitates project meetings, decision forums, and routine status reporting. ·  Aligns stakeholders on priorities, risks, timelines, and resource needs. ·  Escalates issues appropriately to leadership or sponsors. Manages Budgets and Financial Controls ·  Develops and monitors project budgets and forecasts. ·  Tracks expenditures, effort allocation, invoicing, and sponsor payments. ·  Collaborates with finance and grants administration to ensure financial compliance. ·  Identifies variances and recommends corrective actions. Manages Risk, Quality, and Performance Metrics ·  Identifies project risks and develops mitigation strategies. ·  Implements quality control measures to support deliverable accuracy and integrity. ·  Monitors performance indicators such as milestones, enrollment, reporting, or deliverables. ·  Prepares projects for internal or external reviews and audits. Supports Research Process Improvement and Reporting ·  Prepares project reports, dashboards, and leadership updates ·  Develops standardized tools, templates, and workflows ·  Contributes to continuous improvement of research project management practices MARGINAL OR PERIODIC FUNCTIONS: ·  Supports grant proposal development with timelines, milestones, and operational inputs ·  Assists with onboarding and training of research staff on project processes ·  Participates in sponsor site visits, monitoring activities, or inspections ·  Represents research operations on institutional committees or workgroups ·  Adheres to internal controls and reporting structure. Performs related duties as required. KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES Project Management ·  Plans, prioritizes, and balances multiple projects to deliver results on time and within scope. ·  Develops comprehensive research project plans. ·  Manages competing priorities across studies. ·  Adjusts plans proactively based on risk and change. Organizing and Planning ·  Establishes efficient systems and structures to manage work effectively. ·  Creates detailed timelines and work plans. ·  Anticipates downstream impacts of decisions. ·  Maintains accurate project documentation. Process Management ·  Designs and improves processes for efficiency and quality. ·  Standardizes research workflows. ·  Identifies operational bottlenecks. ·  Implements best practices across projects. Integrity and Trust ·  Earns trust through honesty, compliance, and ethical behavior. ·  Maintains regulatory and ethical standards. ·  Protects confidential and sensitive data. ·  Serves as a reliable steward of sponsor funds. Interpersonal Savvy ·  Builds effective working relationships across stakeholders. ·  Navigates complex investigator relationships. ·  Adapts communication to varied audiences. ·  Facilitates collaboration across disciplines. Problem Solving ·  Uses logic and analysis to solve difficult problems. ·  Identifies root causes of delays or failures. ·  Develops actionable solutions. ·  Evaluates trade-offs under constraints. EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Requires a Bachelor's Degree in Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Business, Public Health, or a related field with at least 3 year(s) of experience in research project management, research coordination, or healthcare operations experience ·  Demonstrated experience supporting multi-stakeholder research or clinical initiatives, including timelines, documentation, and compliance activities. For classified jobs, include whether relevant education and experience may be substituted as ap