USC Hiring – Research Administrator

The Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering is seeking a seasoned Research Administrator to lead its research administration team. Under the direction of the Department Chair, Department Business Manager, and faculty — and working in close partnership with the Viterbi Office of Research and University-level partners — this position will manage daily departmental contracts and grants research activity as well as supervise a team of associate research administrators .

This is an exceptional opportunity for the right candidate to build a successful research team in a dynamic and growing academic department, and to serve as a valuable resource in supporting the team’s professional development.

Primary Responsibilities Include

Leadership & Strategy (20%)

• Work in close partnership with departmental and School-wide leadership to deliver excellent services across all elements of ISE’s research operation.
• Manage departmental staff: recruit, screen, hire, train, and directly supervise subordinate research administrator(s). Assess performance and provide feedback, counseling, or corrective action, as needed, to ensure high team productivity and performance.
• Serve as the primary subject matter expert/resource for research administration within the department. Maintain a leadership role on departmental and university committees to stay well-informed on issues impacting research administration.

Research Administration (80%)

• Provide institutional research support to assigned faculty, research associates/assistants, and post-docs with the submission of proposals to ensure all necessary university and agency requirements are satisfied.
• Prepare budgets and gather data necessary to submit proposals in accordance with agency and university guidelines. Conduct monthly forecasts/projections for awards received to ensure that original scope of work will be satisfied and communicate with faculty if discrepancies arise. Present results coherently, concisely, and in a manner that is appropriate to the audience.
• Monitor account activity and reconcile accounts on a monthly basis to ensure that all account activity is related to the project and is charged appropriately. If/when discrepancies are found, inform faculty and take necessary steps to correct the transactions, such as expense transfers or object code corrections. Monitor account balances and process budget changes when necessary to comply with original scopes of work. Reference agency guidelines to make sure that budget changes comply with specified requirements from individual agencies.
• Process, track, and post expenditures for travel reimbursements, settlements of advances, and invoices on the assigned accounts. Expedite procurement orders and reimbursements, requisitions, and foreign drafts.
• Develop methods for data collection to track outcomes, targets, and performance indicators as necessary to support institutional goal setting and performance monitoring.
• Prepare payroll for research staff, faculty, research assistants, student workers, visiting scholars. Enter graduate research assistant awards in the University student information system, and generate semester offer letters as needed.

Executes other duties as assigned.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the mission of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Viterbi staff are expected to facilitate a culture of support and service, to model civility and respectful engagement at all times, and to maintain the highest ethical standards and to maintain strict confidentiality across all facets of their work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent analytical skills; demonstrated proficiency in Excel and web-based tools.
• Expert in project management, including managing international collaborations and complex multi-sub award contracts.
• Proven capacity to create learning and development programs and initiatives that provide internal development opportunities for research teams.

Additional Information

This is a hybrid position. The Research Administrator is expected to work onsite for 1-2 days per week.

The annual base salary range for this position is $ 96,227.26 – $114,302.49. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope of responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Required Applicant Documents

A resume/CV and a cover letter are required. Please feel free to upload your application materials in a single document.

USC And The Viterbi School

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, students, and staff that make the university what it is.

Founded in 1905, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering is named for Andrew Viterbi who developed an algorithm to connect the world’s citizens. Similarly, the school, located in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology and international business in the heart of the Pacific Rim, is a hub for entrepreneurship that connects students from 64 countries.

USC Viterbi is a pioneer in restoring sight to the blind; restoring memory to sufferers of Alzheimer’s; and socially assistive robots to aid seniors with stroke or children with autism. It is the home of the first operational quantum computing center in academia. Our alumni include Neil Armstrong, first human on the moon; A.C. Mike Markkula, co-founder of Apple; and Wanda Austin, former CEO of the Aerospace Corporation.

The USC Viterbi School is consistently ranked among the top graduate programs (U.S. News and World Report). Under the leadership of Dean Yannis C. Yortsos, the school helped re-imagine the 21st century engineer, pioneering the Grand Challenge Scholars Program in schools across the globe. Our mission is to serve California, the nation and the world. At USC Viterbi, we call this the enabling power of Engineering+.

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s Degree Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 5 Years Minimum Field of Experience: Expert knowledge and fluency of governmental regulations (e.g. FAR, A-21, A-110, A-133, CAS). Knowledge and ability to understand, interpret, and communicate University policies and procedures. Excellent oral, written, and communication skills. Excellent analytical skills; demonstrated proficiency in Excel and web-based tools. Strong accounting skills; knowledge of accounting principles. Expert in project management, including managing international collaborations and complex multi-sub award contracts. Knowledge of personnel management, including proposing effort for and training and hiring of students, post-doctorals, academic appointments, regular staff, bargaining unit staff, and consultants, along with the circumstances appropriate for each type of position.