Research Program Administrator – Undergraduate Programs

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the "Trojan Family," which is comprised of the faculty, students and staff that make the university what it is.

The USC School of Pharmacy is seeking a Research Program Administrator to lead and coordinate strategic scientific management of its undergraduate programs in Pharmacology and Drug Development as well as Biopharmaceutical Sciences.  This position is based under the School of Pharmacy Undergraduate programs domain.

The Research Program Administrator will support and grow innovative undergraduate programs that combine areas of Pharmacology, Drug Discovery, Pharmaceutical Sciences with an emphasis on research focused educational opportunities to help guide undergraduate students enrolled in School of Pharmacy coursework. In the overall administration of the program. Graduates of the program either continue their professional training in graduate, pharmacy or medical schools or enter dynamic industry careers in drug discovery and biopharmaceuticals as well as medical technology, health insurance and healthcare consulting. In addition, the program administrator will work closely with our local high school STEM program leaders where the administration will help to train the next generation of scientists. This includes the long running Science, Technology and Research (rising STARs) program.  A program focused on providing STEM laboratory training to underrepresented minority students.

Reporting to the Dean of Undergraduate Education, this position manages program activities including professional development, scientific lecture coordination, seminar series, and conferences; disseminate materials to undergraduate trainees; and maintain the central calendar of program activities and deadlines to support the goals and mission of the undergraduate programs at the USC School of Pharmacy. The Research Program Administrator will also liaise with undergraduate program faculty from the School of Pharmacy and with faculty from partner universities including Cal State University, Los Angeles and Charles Drew University to expand our collaborative undergraduate research training.  Moreover, the successful candidate will supervise the fiscal management of the undergraduate research programs, monitoring expenses to assure fiscal integrity and will oversee the preparation of fiscal reports where required. The successful candidate should be self-directed and able to work independently with other members of the program leadership team to develop best-in-class education content, program policies, and focused course delivery.

Job Accountabilities

• Strategically plan and collaborate to develop program objectives, content, and course delivery across an innovative hybrid education formats.
• Proactively evaluate the program to continually seek to improve and enhance its offerings.
• Develop and implement program operating and administrative policies.
• Establish and communicate program priorities and performance standards and assess operations using these criteria.
• Manage undergraduate research programs.
• Develop strategies for marketing and promoting the programs to attract high-quality candidates for admissions.
• Develop programs to enhance student career, leadership and professional development.
• Identify and develop student experiential opportunities including internships and externships.
• Actively collaborate with individuals and groups across the school and university to build and promote our undergraduate programs.
• Keep informed of development in field and participate in professional meetings as appropriate.
• Serve as key resource for program information to resolve questions referred by program staff, university administrators, or external parties.

Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in research program administration
• Training in Addiction Science
• Proven ability to proactively analyze situations, define objectives and develop short and long term scientific strategies.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with project management and program development.
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop relationships across spectrum of internal and external stakeholders.
• Preferred education: PhD

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 3 years Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum experience Minimum Field of Expertise: Related experience with specialized research and/or programs (e.g., counseling, teaching). Ability to analyze and evaluate data, and present findings. Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills, able to problem solve and lead conflict resolutions. Ability to interpret and apply policies/analyses/trends.