Research Project Manager

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

About the Role

The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) is seeking an experienced Research Project Manager to join its Research Project Management Office. This role will manage one or more complex research and team science coordination projects, often funded by NIH, NSF, or other federal and state government organizations. It will also involve leading collaborative efforts between RENCI and UNC campus units.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of project management strategy, supporting business cases, and detailed project plans.
• Manage project execution to ensure adherence to leadership priorities, timelines, budgets, and expected outcomes, while guaranteeing the quality of project deliverables.
• Manage day-to-day operations for assigned projects in collaboration with RENCI leadership.
• Schedule and facilitate meetings, take notes, and capture/track action items.
• Communicate with applicable teams and engage staff to drive outcomes.
• Foster strong teamwork among internal and external stakeholders.
• Create and maintain project tracking tools, track project deliverables, and maintain project documents and artifacts.
• Identify, monitor, and address project risks and escalate issues as appropriate.
• Support budget development and monitoring, setting and tracking budgets, reporting budget or effort changes.
• Assist with contracts and manage subawardee deliverables.
• Aid in the preparation and writing of funder reports and other sponsor communications.
• Utilize project task tracking tools and methods to oversee one or more projects lifecycle.
• Recognize opportunities for internal improvement and develop plans for implementing updated or new processes and methods.
• Help propose, initiate, and develop activities to meet project goals (e.g., workstream or tiger team formation, webinars, office hours, educational resources).
• Help identify and put plans in place to address potential project risks and challenges.
• Ensure broad awareness of project risks and recommend risk mitigation measures.
• Maintain and update project tracking tools.
• Provide content for or prepare complete reports in accordance with sponsor requirements and project scope.
• Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs), and maintain project documentation.
• Update and develop new SOPs as needed.
• Establish and maintain a variety of positive and constructive working relationships.
• Understand internal workings of the department relative to external expectations of clients and stakeholders.
• Assist with the research, development, and execution of proposals, including internal and external communications and client engagement.
• Constructively engage research project staff to facilitate project outcomes.
• Edit and analyze scientific and technical informational materials or content.
• Write according to correct English usage and appropriate style guide or accepted industry standards.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Ability to independently draft project plans, milestones, deliverables, and timelines.
• Ability to lead complex project initiatives, develop and implement program strategies, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proven ability to lead and participate in technical conversations.
• Ability to use and incorporate various hardware and software packages.
• Familiarity with a range of project management tools, particularly online tools including Atlassian (Jira, Confluence), GitHub, and Monday.com.
• Understanding of Agile metrics (tasks, backlog tracking, burndown metrics, velocity, user stories etc.) to analyze and improve sprint planning.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree and 0-2 years’ experience in a related field; or will accept a combination of related education and experience in substitution.
• Highly motivated, detail-oriented strategic thinker.
• Collaborative team player.
• Demonstrated problem solver with a proven ability to make sound decisions independently and in partnership with leadership.
• Three years’ experience in project management and/or program coordination and organization. (Preferred)
• CSM or equivalent certification. (Preferred)
• Experience with federally funded projects. (Preferred)
• Experience using project management skills and tools in an academic setting and/or a background in education. (Preferred)
• Experience with software development teams. (Preferred)