Senior Executive / Assistant Manager (Research)

The Senior Executive / Assistant Manager is responsible for supporting day-to-day research administration, ensuring efficient coordination of research activities. This role serves as a key liaison between Principal Investigators (PIs), research teams, and other stakeholders to facilitate smooth communication and workflow.

The position also involves managing research grants, tracking finances, overseeing administrative requirements, and ensuring compliance with funding regulations.  A strong foundation in scientific concepts is preferred, as the role requires reviewing research proposals and related documents to support administrative processes effectively.

Key Accountabilities:

1. Research Grant Coordination, Administration and Compliance

• Assist in the preparation, submission, and tracking of research grant applications.
• Ensure compliance with funding requirements, institutional policies, and deadlines.
• Liaise with PIs and research teams to gather necessary documentation.
• Maintain accurate records of grant-related documents and communications.
• Review scientific proposals to ensure administrative completeness and compliance.
• Track grant lifecycle for clear visibility.

2. Financial Management and Budget Oversight

• Assist in financial aspects of grants, including budgeting, expenditure monitoring and forecasting 
• Verify claim statements - accurate financial statements with no discrepancy
• Support research-related procurement and financial tracking where necessary

3. Stakeholder Communication & Documentation

• Assist in responding to queries from internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure clear and accurate documentation of research activities and administrative processes.
• Support audit and compliance checks as required

4. Contracts & Agreements Management

• Draft, review and negotiate research contracts, collaboration agreements, material transfer agreements etc., while liasing with legal teams
• Monitor compliance with contractual obligations and funding terms
• Contract lifecycle management - Ensure timely contract extensions and compliance reviews.
• Study and understand relevant IRB protocols to advise research teams about study feasibility

5. Creating visuals and presentations

• Develop clear, accurate, and visually engaging presentations based on available data related to grants and ongoing research projects
• Collaborate with research team members to gather, interpret, and synthesize relevant data for effective communication to internal and external stakeholders
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of project developments and data sources to produce timely and relevant presentation materials.
• Support the research team in preparing materials for meetings, conferences, and funding agencies by translating complex data into accessible formats.

Key Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences, Life Science, or a related field.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of grant documentation reports and correspondence.
• Familiarity with grant management systems, pre-award and post-award grant processes.
• Demonstrated experience in budget preparation, financial tracking for research grants.
• Experience in contract management of research agreements (i.e. work plan creation/amendment, facilitating contract discussions).
• Good critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Possess an understanding of medical and clinical research terminology.
• Candidate should preferably have background in cancer biology and/or genomics and data science.
• Self-motivated and a team player.
• Ability to complete tasks independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work on multiple projects involving multiple stakeholders concurrently.
• Adaptability and able to navigate within an evolving research and regulatory landscape.
• Good organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Attention to detail with strong documentation and record-keeping skills.