Assistant/Associate Director - Research Systems

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Assistant/Associate Director, Research Systems

Job Profile Title

Associate Director, Research Services

Job Description Summary

The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Office of Research Services (ORS) supports the full lifecycle of federal and non-profit sponsored awards. In FY 2026, UPenn submitted more than 4,800 proposals to research sponsors and issued close to 1,500 outgoing subawards to collaborating institutions.



PennERA is a full life-cycle system for research project development, support, and management. The RIS system manages non-monetary and outgoing subaward agreements. The PennERA support team focuses on providing the highest level of service to faculty, staff and program participants with accuracy and efficiency, providing subject matter expertise for use of the PennERA system, for resolving technical issues with proposal submissions to sponsors, and in supporting PennERA system improvements.



The Subaward contracting unit is responsible for all outgoing subawards where the Prime award to Penn is from a federal or non-profit sponsor. The team ensures appropriate agreement templates (e.g. the Federal Demonstration Partnership templates) are utilized and that agreements re issued expeditiously.



This position will have responsibilities across both the PennERA team and the subaward contracting unit.

The Assistant/Associate Director for Subawards and PennERA support will provide support for electronic research administration and research business practices both within Research Services and across the University via a functional support help desk. This includes active monitoring and support of end users as well as testing and resolution of reported issues. As part of the PennERA support team, they will proactively manage administrative functions and configurations in the PennERA application, ensuring configuration and programs are within quality standards. Design and execute functional test schemes to be used in testing software, verifying results and data in systems. Contribute to the development of new and revised training materials and user documentation. Contribute to, and facilitate the design and delivery of electronic research administration training.



As a member of the Subaward Contracting team, the Assistant/Associate Director will participate in management of assignment of requests for new subawards, contribute to the maintenance of appropriate templates for the subawards, and contribute to training of the Penn research community on subaward requirements and system use.

Other Responsibilities will focus on creating and distributing reports within the Office of Research Services and to outside parties within the University of Pennsylvania.

Job Description

• Provide exceptional customer service, responsiveness and support for electronic research administration systems and research business practices both within Research Services and across the University via a functional support help desk.

• Effectively utilize active monitoring and support of end users as well as testing and resolution of reported issues. Provide timely service and feedback to management team and diverse customers across Penn.

• Organize large amounts of information by creating and maintaining well organized systems; follows logical approaches to completing work; brings a project from inception to successful completion; translates strategies into step-by-step plans for action; monitors work progress to completion; effectively prioritizes; pays close attention to detail. 

• Design and execute functional test schemes to be used in testing software, verifying results and data in systems.

• Maintain ORG lists, master BA list

• Assist with internal and external reporting and metrics

• Invention Reporting

• Review and respond to Freshservice and JIRA tickets related to subaward matters.

• Subaward Monitoring

• Subaward System Support:

• Manage subaward mailbox and assignment of subawards to drafters

• Support RIS system by: 

• Accurately maintaining and updating RIS subaward agreement templates

• Ensuring SAT team has appropriate levels of access to RIS subaward module and monitor usage and troubleshooting/problem solving in a timely manner.

• Ensuring that Penn investigators (PIs) and departmental administrators (BAs) can access and submit requests in the RIS subaward module. Provide ad-hoc training on subaward module to users.

• Partnering with Pre-Award Systems Manager and Penn’s central IT group to monitor system and overall administration of RIS related to subawards. Escalate and proactively inform team of issues with workflows, communications, etc.

• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

 
Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 3 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.

• Take responsibility for all work activities and personal actions; follows through on commitments; implements decisions that have been agreed upon; maintains confidentiality with sensitive information; acknowledges and learns from mistakes without blaming others; recognizes the impact of one's behavior on others. 

• Knowledge and comfort working with various software systems and programs is required.

• Experience with the InfoEd Proposals software module and end-user software system support is helpful.

• Familiarity with and/or experience in university grants management is preferred.

• Excellent analytical, communication, organizational skills required. Must have strong attention to detail and working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Access, and Outlook). 

• Ability to work collaboratively as well as independently, handle varied work assignments, prioritize tasks, demonstrated strong written and verbal communication skills and customer service orientation.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills. Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and accurate. Acts professionally and calmly at all times when interacting with others; consistently demonstrates concern and courtesy towards colleagues and customers; treats all people respectfully; takes personal responsibility for correcting problems; follows up with individuals to ensure satisfaction with the level of service they have received.

• Able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Demonstrated organizational and prioritization skills, along with the ability to work within tight and often conflicting deadlines.

• Must be flexible, show effective judgement, discretion and have the ability to handle confidential financial matters.

• Work effectively in a highly matrixed and decentralized environment with the ability to navigate through ambiguity and demonstrate appreciation and support for diversity, inclusion and belonging in a constantly evolving academic/higher education environment.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Division of Finance

Pay Range

$77,330.00 - $90,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin(including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protectedunder applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements 
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours:Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay