Explore rewarding Senior Business Analyst – Research Administration and Compliance jobs, a specialized career path at the critical intersection of academic/ scientific research, business operations, and regulatory oversight. Professionals in this high-impact role serve as essential translators and strategists, ensuring that the complex ecosystem of sponsored research runs efficiently, ethically, and in full compliance with a myriad of funding and institutional regulations. They are the backbone of research integrity, working within universities, research institutions, hospitals, and the software companies that support them. A Senior Business Analyst in this domain typically acts as a liaison between research administrators, principal investigators, compliance officers, and IT teams. Their core mission is to analyze, design, and optimize business processes and technology systems that manage the entire research lifecycle. This includes pre-award activities like proposal development and grant submission, award management, post-award financial compliance, effort reporting, conflict of interest disclosures, and research ethics protocols. They delve deep into workflows to identify inefficiencies, mitigate compliance risks, and implement solutions that uphold institutional policy and sponsor mandates (e.g., from NIH, NSF, DOE). Common responsibilities for these senior-level jobs involve leading requirement-gathering sessions with diverse stakeholders, documenting current and future-state business processes, and crafting detailed functional specifications for technology implementations or enhancements. They are often tasked with configuring specialized research administration software, leading user acceptance testing, and developing comprehensive training programs for end-users. A significant part of the role is providing expert guidance on how business rules should be modeled within systems to enforce compliance automatically, thus reducing institutional risk. They also play a key role in change management, helping the research community adapt to new processes and technologies. Typical skills and requirements for candidates seeking these jobs include a robust background in business analysis methodologies, coupled with substantive knowledge of research administration principles and the regulatory landscape governing sponsored research. Employers generally seek individuals with a bachelor’s degree (often in a relevant field) and several years of hands-on experience in either research administration offices or in implementing related enterprise systems. Superior analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills are paramount, as is the ability to facilitate meetings and present complex information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. Experience with full software development lifecycles, exceptional attention to detail, and a proactive approach to navigating complex regulatory environments are standard expectations for these pivotal roles. For those passionate about supporting the mission of research while applying sharp analytical skills, Senior Business Analyst – Research Administration and Compliance jobs offer a challenging and deeply meaningful career.
