Pay Range: Targeted pay range of $78,000 - $83,000 annually, depending on experience.

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Travel: Required

Position Introduction:

The Program Administrator serves as the central operational leader of the Oklahoma Research, Innovation, and Opportunity Network (ORION), an NSF EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems (E-CORE). The Program Administrator leads the operation of the Administrative Core of ORION, which is the connective tissue of ORION. The Administrative Core links investigators, organizations, and sectors across the jurisdiction; coordinates with other federally funded jurisdiction-wide capacity-building awards (RII Track-1, E-CORE, E-RISE, and the EPSCoR State Office); and interfaces with the Jurisdictional Steering Committee (JSC) to inform the jurisdiction's Science & Technology (S&T) Plan. In addition to leading the Administrative Core, the Program Administrator provides cross-core operational support to ORION's two additional cores, including the Research Facilities and Infrastructure Core and the Workforce Development Core.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Program Administration and Operations

• Serve as the center of program management for ORION, coordinating activities across the Administrative Core, Research Facilities and Infrastructure Core, and the Workforce Development Core.
• In coordination with the Project Leadership Team (PLT), helps shape the strategic direction of the Administrative Core and aligns administrative operations with ORION’s goals and Oklahoma’s Science & Technology Plan.
• Develop, maintain, and track the execution of the NSF-approved Strategic Plan, including SMART goals, milestones, and a Gantt-style timeline aligned with the four-year program period.

2. Jurisdiction-Wide Network Building and Coordination

• Serve as the primary operational point of contact between ORION and the Jurisdictional Steering Committee (JSC) and support the JSC in evidence-based assessment of jurisdiction-wide R&D strengths, needs, and opportunities, and in the periodic update of the jurisdiction's S&T Plan.
• Coordinate Administrative Core activities with other NSF-funded jurisdiction-wide capacity-building awards in the jurisdiction (active RII Track-1, E-CORE, E-RISE, and any other relevant federal investments).
• Administer seed funding programs, workshops, and convenings that connect investigators and teams to the wider research ecosystem.

3. Support for the Research Facilities and Infrastructure Core

• Provide operational and administrative support to the Research Facilities and Infrastructure Core lead, coordinating planning, execution, milestones, and reporting for the core.
• Coordinate the establishment, coordination, and ongoing operation of jurisdiction-wide core facilities, including access policies, scheduling, user agreements, training requirements, and cost-recovery arrangements where applicable.
• Track facility utilization across partner institutions and feed that data into the sustainability plan for the core, with emphasis on identifying non-EPSCoR funding to sustain facilities beyond the award period

4. Support for the Workforce Development Core

• Provide operational and administrative support to the Workforce Development Core lead, coordinating planning, execution, milestones, and reporting for the core.
• Build and maintain partnerships with industries and STEM sectors relevant to the jurisdiction, including state workforce agencies, community colleges, technical and trade programs, and regional employers, to ensure workforce activities reflect real labor-market demand. 
• Coordinate STEM workforce-pathway programs (e.g., internships, apprenticeships, research experiences, credentialing programs, and "Bridge" programs supporting the high-school-to-college transition
• Track participant flow through workforce programs and into STEM employment within the jurisdiction; provide these metrics to the independent evaluator and through EDOCS.

5. Reporting, Compliance, and Evaluation

• Coordinate data collection and entry into the EPSCoR Data Outcomes Collection System (EDOCS), including facility-utilization and workforce-pipeline metrics from the two supported cores.
• Track quantitative outputs and outcomes across all cores; integrate EDOCS data with the independent evaluator's qualitative and quantitative findings.
• Serve as ORION’s primary liaison to the independent external evaluator and support the evaluator in conducting formative and summative assessments.

6. Meetings, Convenings, and NSF Engagement

• Provide administrative support to and coordinates the meetings of the Project Leadership Team (PLT), the External Advisory Committee (EAC), and the State Advisory Committee (SAC).
• Organize and host jurisdiction-wide convenings — EPSCoR all-hands workshops, science symposia, and core-specific meetings — including arrangements that support undergraduate and graduate student participation. ).

7. Budget and Personnel Management

• Work with the PI, sponsored research office, and subaward finance staff to monitor expenditures against the four-year budget and annual plans.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and coordination of program personnel across the Administrative Core and partner sites.

8. Communication and Visibility

• Represent ORION to participating institutions, partners, and the public at workshops, conferences, and statewide events.
• Implement ORION's internal and external communication plans, including web presence, newsletters, partner updates, and public-facing materials.
• Support dissemination of program outcomes through publications, conferences, and community-facing channels in coordination with relevant cores.

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Required Education and Experience:

• Master's degree.
• 24 months related experience.

Equivalency/Substitution:  Will accept 72 months experience in lieu of the Master's degree for a total of 96 months related experience.

Department Preferences:

• Experience administering externally funded programs or sponsored research, preferably federal awards such as NSF grants or cooperative agreements.
• Experience supporting large, multi-institutional, or center-scale projects and coordinating multiple partners and stakeholders.
• Experience working with multiple academic institutions, government agencies, industry organizations, nonprofit organizations, and community partners.
• Experience with program budgeting, sponsor reporting, performance tracking, and conference organization.

Hiring Contingent Upon a Background Check: Yes

Special Indications: Hiring contingent upon driver's license check