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Research Administration Jobs in Florida (NOW HIRING)

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Direct research administration, quality assurance, compliance monitoring, education, and continuous process improvement. Recommend investments in research infrastructure, staffing, technology, and ...

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Research Administration information

See Florida salary details

$13.1K

$61.4K

$115.5K

How much do research administration jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for research administration in Florida is $61,401.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $42,200.00 and $83,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is research administration?

Research administration refers to the management and support of research projects within organizations such as universities, hospitals, and research institutes. Professionals in this field help researchers secure funding, ensure compliance with regulations, manage budgets, and oversee grant applications and reporting. Their work is essential for the smooth operation of research activities and helps facilitate scientific discovery and innovation. Research administrators often act as liaisons between researchers, funding agencies, and institutional leadership.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in research administration?

To thrive in Research Administration, you need a strong background in grant management, compliance, budgeting, and knowledge of research regulations, often supported by a relevant degree such as in business, science, or public administration. Familiarity with electronic research administration (eRA) systems, federal grant databases, and certifications like CRA (Certified Research Administrator) are commonly required. Exceptional organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills help professionals effectively coordinate between researchers, sponsors, and institutional offices. These skills and qualities are vital for ensuring that research projects comply with regulations, are properly funded, and progress smoothly within institutional and sponsor guidelines.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals in research administration, and how can they be addressed?

One of the main challenges in research administration is managing complex compliance requirements across various funding agencies, which often necessitates meticulous attention to detail and up-to-date knowledge of regulations. Additionally, research administrators frequently juggle multiple projects with tight deadlines, requiring strong organizational and communication skills. Collaborating effectively with researchers, finance teams, and external sponsors is essential, as is continuous professional development to stay ahead of evolving guidelines. Seeking mentorship from experienced colleagues and participating in professional associations can also help new administrators navigate these challenges.

What is the difference between Research Administration vs Research Coordinator?

AspectResearch AdministrationResearch Coordinator
CredentialsTypically requires a bachelor's or master's degree in a related field; certifications like CRA or CCRP are commonUsually requires a bachelor's degree; some roles may prefer or require additional certifications
Work EnvironmentOffice-based, managing grants, budgets, compliance, and institutional policiesOn-site at research sites, coordinating daily activities of research studies
Employer & IndustryUniversities, research institutes, hospitalsResearch sites, hospitals, academic institutions

Research Administration focuses on managing grants, compliance, and institutional policies, often in an office setting. Research Coordinators handle the day-to-day operations of research studies, working directly with research participants and staff. Both roles are essential in the research process but differ in scope and responsibilities.

What does research administration do?

Research administration involves managing and supporting the process of conducting research projects, including tasks such as preparing grant proposals, overseeing budgets, ensuring compliance with regulations, and coordinating between researchers and funding agencies. Professionals in this field often use project management skills and knowledge of research policies to facilitate successful project execution.

What are the most commonly searched types of Research Administration jobs in Florida?

The most popular types of Research Administration jobs in Florida are:

What cities in Florida are hiring for Research Administration jobs?

Cities in Florida with the most Research Administration job openings:

Infographic showing various Research Administration job openings in Florida as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $61,401 per year, or $29.5 per hour.

Research Administration Manager

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • On-site

$75K - $95K/yr

Full-time

Posted 13 days ago


University Of Florida rating

7.2

Company rating: 7.2 out of 10

Based on 108 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

384th of 618 rated colleges and universities


Job description

Research Administration Manager
Job no: 540860
Work type: Staff Full-Time
Location: Main Campus (Gainesville, FL)
Categories: Grant or Research Administration
Department:29100000 - MD-PHARMACOLOGY - THERAPEUTICS
Classification Title:
Research Administration Manager
Classification Minimum Requirements:
Bachelor's degree and four years of experience in grant and contract administration; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Job Description:
Department Management & Strategic Oversight
  • Oversees and provides strategic direction for the management of all project budget preparation according to agency, sponsored research, and departmental guidelines when faculty and other department/institute personnel apply for extramural funding.
  • Oversees the review of state contracts for accuracy of dates and dollar amounts.
  • Oversees the coordination of the development of grant proposals.
  • Oversees the process of entering proposals into UFIRST along with all required documentation, including conflict of interest disclosures, internal budgets, and supporting materials.
  • Serves as a liaison between the department, the Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP), and other core administrative offices.
  • Supervises research administration staff, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, coaching, workload allocation, and professional development.
  • Monitors the department's sponsored project portfolios and provides regular analyses and projections to Departmental leadership related to proposal activity, award trends, expenditures, and research growth opportunities.
  • Maintains performance dashboards or metrics, tracking proposal volume, turnaround time, and compliance rates, and uses data to guide improvements.
  • Coordinates regular check-ins with department leadership to align on priorities, gather feedback, and address pain points or anticipated changes in research activity.
  • Collaborates with the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics leadership to forecast staffing needs, improve tools/systems, annual space allocation (via SPIN), and contribute to strategic planning for the department.

Pre-award - Department Level
  • Oversees the review and interpretation of sponsor guidelines prior to proposal preparation, including but not limited to requirements from federal funding agencies, industry sponsors, private foundations, and internal university funding opportunities.
  • Interprets and communicates agency guidelines to Principal Investigators, highlighting potential
    conflicts with University guidelines or rules and regulations that require special attention.
  • Provides oversight of compliance requirements related to documents such as Other Support, Biosketches, Data Management and Sharing Plans, Diversity Plans, and other sponsor-required materials.
  • Provides oversight of proposal development activities across the department, including budget review, internal documentation, and sponsor-specific form compliance. Direct support may be provided during critical or high-volume periods.
  • Reviews compiled proposal applications to ensure completeness and compliance with sponsor, contractor, and University regulations. Oversees the submission of proposals through UFIRST and sponsor systems, as applicable.
  • Acts as liaison with other departments, colleges, and the Division of Sponsored Programs to ensure all appropriate approvals are achieved and grant/contract is submitted to the agency.
  • Supports preparation and review of Just-in-Time (JIT) requests, budget revisions, and resubmissions, ensuring alignment with initial submissions and sponsor requirements.
  • Tracks and manages proposal deadlines across the department, prioritizing workload and ensuring timely communication with stakeholders.
  • Maintains a repository of current templates, sponsor forms, and best practice documents to support proposal development consistency across the department.
  • Reviews proposal documents in UFIRST for completeness and accuracy prior to routing to the Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP) or other core offices.
  • Ensures that the proposal information log is maintained by grant staff.

Post-award - Department Level
  • Provides oversight and strategic direction for post-award activities across the department, ensuring compliance with sponsor, institutional, and federal regulations.
  • Coordinates with the Division of Sponsored Programs and Contracts & Grants on award setup, including subproject creation, subcontract initiation, and account structure planning for complex awards.
  • Serves as a department-level liaison for effort reporting matters when needed, including coordination of documentation and review of CAS exception justifications.
  • Engages regularly with research administration staff within the department and central offices to resolve post-award challenges, ensure policy alignment, and support audits or compliance reviews.
  • Supports departmental faculty and staff in understanding and complying with post-award sponsor requirements, including progress reports, financial reporting, other support updates, and RPPRs.
  • Facilitates quarterly review sessions with PIs and department RAs to assess spending trends, projections, and compliance with award conditions, and to reinforce best practices in award management.
  • Oversees effort certification, salary allocation, cost transfers, and payroll-related activities on sponsored projects to ensure compliance with sponsor and university requirements.
  • versees closeout activities across the department, ensuring timely completion of final reporting, reconciliations, and account inactivations, and provides guidance on PI transfers, extensions, and project changes.
  • Collaborates with central offices and COM leadership on special audits, compliance reviews, and post-award policy interpretation.
  • Provides direct post-award support only as needed, such as during staffing gaps or for high-priority awards requiring complex oversight or urgent resolution.

Training, Mentorship & Outreach (Department level)
• Leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of structured onboarding and continuing education programs for research administrators and faculty within the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
  • Collaborates with department leadership, UF campus experts, and research stakeholders to identify gaps in knowledge or compliance and to design training content that addresses emerging needs.
  • Creates and maintains departmental research administrator onboarding plans, ensuring consistent and effective onboarding implementation.
  • Develops and delivers in-person, virtual, and asynchronous trainings covering pre-award, post-award, compliance, and financial management topics.
  • Facilitates ongoing mentorship for new research administrators through one-on-one support, shadowing opportunities, and skill-building sessions, fostering long-term professional development.
  • Designs and executes outreach strategies to encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing among departmental staff, central offices, and faculty.
    Regularly evaluates training effectiveness using participant feedback, performance metrics, and learning assessments; uses findings to update content and formats.
  • Prepares and maintains high-quality, user-friendly training materials, including guides, forms, videos, manuals, and visual aids, that are accurate, accessible, and aligned with current policies.
  • Ensures all resources are written clearly and presented in formats that are visually appealing and easy to understand.
  • Identifies and champions opportunities for cross-training and process alignment to promote operational consistency and team resiliency across units.
  • Ensures training responsibilities are coordinated effectively among team members and embedded into onboarding workflows for consistent delivery.

Resource Development and Compliance (Department level)
  • Oversees the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of research administration resources used across the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, including internal guides, templates, checklists, SOPs, and policy summaries.
  • Ensures all materials are reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current federal, sponsor, university, and college-level policies, procedures, and best practices.
  • Partners with central offices (e.g., DSP, C&G, IRB) and college leadership to ensure that resources are aligned with institutional expectations and responsive to evolving compliance requirements.
  • Oversees the creation of user-friendly content to support research administrators and faculty in navigating the full research lifecycle-from proposal preparation to project closeout.
  • Integrates compliance-focused guidance into training and resource materials, proactively addressing topics such as effort reporting, allowable costs, cost share, and financial reporting.
  • Maintains centralized document libraries and repositories (e.g., shared drives, Teams channels, internal websites) and ensures they are well-organized and accessible.
  • Tracks and responds to changes in sponsor or federal guidance (e.g., NIH, NSF, Uniform Guidance), initiating updates and communication strategies as needed.
  • Oversees subaward monitoring and coordination activities to ensure compliance with sponsor requirements and timely execution of agreements and amendments.
  • Collaborates with department leadership to identify recurring compliance issues or resource gaps and proposes creative, scalable solutions.

Expected Salary:
$75,000-$95,000 annually
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree and four years of experience in grant and contract administration; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Preferred:
  • Deep knowledge of federal, state, university, college, and departmental regulations governing sponsored research and financial compliance.
  • In-depth understanding of accounting principles and regulatory frameworks related to State, Federal, and institutional sponsored programs.
  • Strong familiarity with major funding agencies (e.g., NIH, NSF, DOD), private foundations, and corporate sponsors, including their application and compliance requirements.
  • Demonstrated experience navigating University of Florida systems and sponsored projects policies, with proficiency in UFIRST, ASSIST, ProposalCentral, Grants.gov, Fastlane, and related platforms. Familiarity with UF and College of Medicine procedures is highly preferred.
  • Experience with PeopleSoft and related enterprise systems.
  • Proven ability to lead, train, and support research administrators; applies sound administrative judgment and fosters a culture of compliance and customer service.
  • High-level proficiency in Microsoft Office (particularly Excel and Word); experience with WordPress and database tools is essential.
  • Strong analytical skills, including program evaluation, financial forecasting, and interpreting complex data to inform strategic decision-making.
  • Exceptional organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
  • Demonstrated discretion in handling confidential information and maintaining professionalism in all interactions.
  • Proactive, solution-oriented mindset with a proven ability to lead through change and improve operational efficiency.
  • Track record of achieving performance goals and delivering high-quality support to investigators and departments.

Special Instructions to Applicants:
In order to be considered, you must upload your cover letter and resume.
Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.
Health Assessment Required:No
Advertised: 06 Aug 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 20 Aug 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
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About University of Florida

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

The University of Florida is one of the top ranked public universities in the United States (ranked top 5 amongst public universities in 2023 US news and world report). It is one of only a few comprehensive universities, having medical, veterinary, dental, nursing, public health, and engineering disciplines all co-localized on the same, contiguous campus to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration. Gainesville is located in the northern region of Florida, within 1-1.5 hours of each coast, and just 1.5-2 hours to Orlando and Tampa. It is a small to medium-sized city with a low cost of living, excellent public and private schools, and southern hospitality. While Gainesville is widely recognized as the home of the Gators, it is quickly becoming known as a center for innovation and a place with a lifestyle that's comfortable for families, yet attractive for young professionals.

Industry

Colleges, universities, and professional schools

Company size

5,001 - 10,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Gainesville, FL, US

Year founded

1853