Senior Research Portfolio Administrator

The Department of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School seeks a dynamic, flexible, and service-oriented Senior Research Portfolio Administrator. This cross-functional role will be responsible for a variety of administrative and financial duties. In particular, they will play a significant role in supporting and filling in for the finance team to respond nimbly to changing team workloads, priorities and needs. The ideal candidate will have experience in all aspects of pre- and post-award grants management and possess the analytical, technical, and interpersonal skills necessary to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities, and support a diverse research portfolio.  Reporting to the Associate Director of Finance, this position is responsible for managing a portfolio of sponsored and non-sponsored research projects while serving as a trusted resource to faculty, trainees, and staff.  Job-Specific Responsibilities: • The Senior Research Portfolio Administrator will independently manage all pre- and post-award activities for an assigned faculty portfolio supported by federal, industry, foundation, internal, and other funding sources. • Responsibilities include proposal development and submission, budget preparation, award management, financial analysis, forecasting, reconciliations, effort management, reporting, and award closeout. • The individual will partner closely with faculty to provide strategic financial guidance, monitor spending and compliance, identify potential risks, and recommend solutions to support effective stewardship of research funds. • The Senior Research Portfolio Administrator will serve as a liaison with University offices, collaborating institutions, sponsors, and vendors; coordinate reporting requirements and deliverables; maintain accurate schedules of deadlines; and help ensure compliance with sponsor, federal, and University policies throughout the award lifecycle. • In addition, this role will support accounts payable functions including invoice payments; purchasing and corporate card transactions; vendor set-ups and employee reimbursements. • They will also review and resolve invoice holds, follow up with researchers and vendors regarding payment issues, and monitor committed funds reports. • Other administrative duties include, but are not limited to, resolving financial and compliance issues, supporting annual budget development and financial audits, contributing to departmental initiatives and process improvements, providing training and mentorship to team members, and communicating policy and regulatory updates to faculty and staff. • The successful candidate will be proactive and detail oriented, use sound judgment, analytical ability, and problem-solving skills to manage complex research portfolios and support the Department's research mission. • As a trusted advisor to faculty and a key partner to the Associate Director of Finance, the Senior Research Portfolio Administrator will take initiative and provide comprehensive financial administration support across the full lifecycle of sponsored and non-sponsored research activities. Basic Qualifications: • Five or more years of experience in pre-and post-award management, including both federal and non-federal awards, or related experience required. Higher education may count toward years of experience. Additional Qualifications and Skills: • Bachelor's degree preferred. • The successful candidate must be able to take initiative, possess strong communication and inter-personal skills, as well as the ability to multi-task and move easily among varied work projects. • Must be highly organized and detail oriented. • Must be able to work as part of a team, as well as to work independently, this role requires seeing t