Jobs › University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Administration Manager

University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI · Full time

Posted Oct 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you found a problem with spending on an award, like a cost charged to the wrong grant.

What they are checking: Whether they find and correct errors properly and help the PI understand why it matters.

Tell me about a time you had to tell a faculty member no on something they really wanted to charge to a grant.

What they are checking: Whether they can enforce rules while keeping a good working relationship with researchers.

You'd contribute leadership to the broader research administration team. How have you trained or guided less experienced staff?

What they are checking: Whether they can share expertise and raise the skills of the team, not just handle their own portfolio.

What would you do

The College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence is new and growing fast. How would you build processes in a unit where things are still being figured out?

What they are checking: Whether they can create structure that works now and adapts as the college grows.

A faculty member sends you their full proposal the day before the sponsor deadline. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they can protect compliance while still helping, and set expectations for next time.

About the work

Walk me through how you manage a proposal from the moment a faculty member says they want to apply until it's submitted.

What they are checking: Whether they run proposals with clear internal deadlines and checks instead of scrambling at the end.

How do you review a budget for a federal grant, such as NSF, to make sure costs are allowable?

What they are checking: Whether they know Uniform Guidance rules on allowable, allocable and reasonable costs.

Computing research often involves industry partners. What issues do you watch for in sponsored research agreements with companies?

What they are checking: Whether they understand intellectual property, publication rights and data terms in industry contracts.

How do you keep a portfolio of many awards on track with reporting and closeout deadlines?

What they are checking: Whether they have a system for tracking post-award tasks so no reports are late or accounts left open.

How do you stay current with changes in federal sponsor rules?

What they are checking: Whether they actively follow policy changes that can affect proposals and awards.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at University of Wisconsin-Madison from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process. Job Category: Academic Staff Employment Type: Regular Job Profile: Multi-functional Research Administration Manager Job Summary: The Research Administration Manager will provide comprehensive pre- and post-award research administration support for faculty within the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence (CAI). The position will manage a portfolio of sponsored projects across the grant lifecycle, working closely with faculty, college research administration leadership, and campus partners to support proposal development, award management, compliance, and closeout. As part of a new and rapidly growing college, this position requires the ability to work effectively in a highly dynamic research environment, manage competing priorities and deadlines, and adapt as the college’s research portfolio and administrative processes evolve. The manager will bring significant research administration experience, exercise independent judgment in handling complex grants and contracts, and contribute leadership and expertise to the broader research administration team. Key Job Responsibilities: • Serves as a key resource to leadership and staff in the unit as well as a liaison to partners and stakeholders • May have authority to submit proposals, agreements, or invoices to a sponsor on behalf of the principal investigator or project director • Executes activities related to proposal submission, contract negotiation, and/or award setup on behalf of a unit • Executes activities related to financial compliance, audit, or reporting on behalf of a unit • Executes research administration operational policies and procedures including financial, administrative, staffing, and compliance on behalf of a unit • Provides training to faculty, staff, and/or administrators within the unit regarding policy, procedure, and/or execution of sponsored project administration • May supervise the day-to-day activities of research administration staff • Reviews and approves programmatic transactions spanning the life-cycle of sponsored projects to ensure compliance with institutional and/or sponsor policies and procedures Department: College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence Compensation: The minimum salary for this position is $ 74,154 ; Actual pay is determined at time of hire and is based on experience and qualifications. This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax advantage savings accounts and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf Required Qualifications: • Experience applying fiscal and administrative rules, regulations and procedures for administering sponsored projects • Experience with pre- and post- award research administration including grant proposal development and/or budget planning/management. Preferred Qualifications: • Experience working with federal sponsors including NIH, NSF, DOE, DOD • Experience with Workday ERP & UW RAMP • Ability to work collaboratively with multiple groups/stakeholders Education: Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Research Administration or related field How to Apply: For the best experience completing your application, we recommend using Chrome or Firefox as your web browser. To apply for this position, select either “I am a current employee” or “I am not a current employee” under Apply Now. You will then be prompted to upload your application materials. To be considered for this recruitment, you must upload: • Resume • Cover Letter In materials, please address your experience with the job qualifications and duties listed in the posting. There is only one attachment field; please upload all application materials here. All listed application materials must be submitted for your application to be considered. Please submit only the materials specified; additional materials will not be reviewed. Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. Contact Information: Jonathan Wolf jonathan.wolf@wisc.edu Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information. Institutional Statement on Diversity: Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website . To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you. Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .

Apply at University of Wisconsin-Madison