Research Administrator
Content + Source + Freshness • 12 Dec 2025 • 95% confidence
Offer value
Moderate value based on the responsibilities and competitive salary, but may lack clear growth paths in the role.
- Cosmopolitan environment with high-budget projects
- Stable academic institution with structured work
- Requires experience in research proposal development
- Potential for limited career advancement opportunities
Pros
- Stable position in a prestigious institution (MIT)
- Involvement in high-budget, active research environment
- Potential for hybrid work arrangements
Cons
- Limited upward mobility in administrative roles
- Requires specific experience in research administration
- Potentially repetitive facets of work may pose challenges
Who it's for
Mid-Career Professional • Hybrid & In-person
Good fit
- Candidates with research administration background
- Individuals wanting to work in academic research setting
- Finance professionals passionate about education
Not recommended for
- Entry-level applicants without experience
- Candidates desiring high-growth positions
- Individuals who prefer creative research roles
Motivation fit
Key skills
About the job
RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR (RA), Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), is a member of the fiscal team in a large, interdisciplinary laboratory with a diverse sponsor base and annual activities exceeding $70M and more than 225 federal and industrial sponsor proposal submissions per year. Will work collaboratively with the Assistant Director, Research Administration all pre-award administration activities including the development and submission of research proposals in accordance with MIT/sponsor/donor policies; act as a primary information and operations resource for principal investigators (PIs); interact with PIs to develop research proposal budgets and all administrative content for proposals; works collaboratively with the Director, Research Administration on a portfolio of PIs for post award administration; monitors the financial performance of active grants and contracts and provides regular updates and projections for PIs to verify the proper distribution of resources and use of funds.
REQUIRED : A bachelor's degree; a minimum of three years of experience in accounting or finance; related experience with federal contracts and financial administration experience in an academic research environment; highly proficient in the use of Excel and be familiar with other MS Office programs; strong customer service skills and focus; excellent organizational and communication skills with strong attention to detail; willingness to embrace learning new business methods and computational skills, as well as a demonstrated record of assuming greater responsibilities over time; equal ability to work independently and as a member of a productive, collaborative and innovative team; and aptitude for working in a fast-paced and challenging environment. PREFERRED : MIT experience; knowledge of enterprise financial systems, grants management tools and multidimensional databases; and experience with research proposal processing and pre-award administration.
Hybrid work schedules are available.
10/28/2025
