Sr. Research Specialist - Contract

Department

BSD PSY - Lyons Lab

About the Department

To transform mental health through compassionate, innovative interdisciplinary care, pioneering research, and the education of future leaders dedicated to advancing the well-being of individuals, families, and their communities.

Job Summary

The Research Senior Specialist provides advanced leadership and expertise in supporting the scientific and administrative operations of a complex research enterprise. This role plays a critical part in facilitating the development, implementation, and stewardship of interdisciplinary research programs, ensuring that investigators and teams are well supported across all phases of the research lifecycle. Working closely with institutional partners, the Research Senior Specialist integrates research administration with the strategic and scientific goals of the organization. The position oversees key aspects of proposal development, regulatory and compliance processes, and research project coordination, ensuring alignment with institutional standards and sponsor expectations.
Serving as a central liaison between investigators, administrative offices, and external collaborators, the Research Senior Specialist translates complex research policies and procedural requirements into effective operational practice. Through this work, the Specialist strengthens the infrastructure that underpins scientific inquiry—promoting collaboration, enabling innovation, and advancing the institution’s broader research mission.

Responsibilities

• Interpret and operationalize institutional policies and sponsor requirements, ensuring seamless integration of university systems with the organization’s research activities.

• Provide leadership and oversight for research administration activities, including the coordination of grants, contracts, and compliance processes that enable effective research operations.

• Serve as the primary liaison with the University of Chicago’s research, contracts, and compliance offices to facilitate effort reporting, contract review, and agreement execution in support of ongoing research programs.

• Review, negotiate, and coordinate research-related contracts, agreements, and amendments in collaboration with leadership and university partners.

• Provide timely and transparent updates to the Director and leadership team on the status of awards, agreements, and research operations.

• Collaborate with the Deputy Director and Associate Directors to develop and manage data use and sharing agreements, ensuring that research integrity, compliance, and collaboration standards are upheld.

• Contribute to cross-functional initiatives that strengthen research infrastructure, enhance collaboration, and advance the scientific mission of the organization.

• Provides expertise to researchers on compliance of research activities with institutional, state, and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives and mandates.

• Provides expertise to researchers and research support staff. Oversees activities related to data collection and analysis.

• Leads the establishment of new laboratories and provides assistance with purchasing new laboratory equipment; ensuring efficient operation of laboratory, including overseeing maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment.

• Improves financial, personnel, planning, compliance and other administrative aspects of research project. Collaborates with other researchers on long-range plans for research projects. Leads, investigates, modifies and applies new procedures, techniques or applications of technology. Establishes goals and operating procedures, practices, and guidelines.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Advanced degree.

​Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Knowledge of research regulatory policies and procedures.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365, Excel, and financial systems.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong project management and organizational skills.

• Strategic thinker who can balance innovation, financial accountability with consistency.

• Organizational skills.

• Verbal and written communication skills.

• Work indepe