Position: Full-time Project Administrator (Fixed-Term)

The Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability (WIES) at the University of Southern California (USC) seeks a detail-oriented, creative, and organized individual to serve as Research Project Administrator for its Carbon Management and Future of Plastics Initiatives, and for projects unfolding across its three Research Launchpads (Earth and Environmental Systems, Applied Environmental Solutions, and Social Transformation).

This is an in-person position that will be based on the USC University Park Campus (UPC) in Los Angeles, CA. The successful candidate will report to the Executive Director of WIES and help coordinate and advance the Institute’s mission of facilitating world-class research in environment and sustainability.

 

Job Description

With direction from the Executive Director and WIES, the Project Administrator will help develop, coordinate, and execute innovative and high-impact research in support of the institute’s mission.

The successful candidate will advance and coordinate research activities within the institute’s high-profile Climate and Carbon Initiative. The research conducted under the umbrella of this initiative is interdisciplinary and focuses on very long-duration, permanent, and/or engineered carbon removal. Current research interests include the efficacy of alternative marine and terrestrial carbon removal approaches; the environmental and social side effects associated with deploying marine and terrestrial carbon removal approaches at scale; addressing challenges associated with monitoring, verification, and reporting associated with deploying marine and terrestrial carbon removal approaches at scale; social license and acceptance, perceptions of risk and benefit, moral hazard, and consumer and buyer preferences associated with alternative marine and terrestrial carbon removal approaches; and the economics of alternative marine and terrestrial carbon removal approaches, including quantifying the effects on the social cost of carbon.

The successful candidate will also help to advance and coordinate activities in parallel initiatives such as the institute’s new Future of Plastics Initiative, which encompasses a range of research including the reduction and replacement of plastics in our everyday lives and the testing of incentives and market solutions for upcycling and recycling. These research activities and others will be synergistically advanced and coordinated across the institute’s three Research Launchpads: Earth and Environmental Systems, Applied Environmental Solutions, and Social Transformation.

The person selected for this role will ensure that researchers working in the above-mentioned areas know and understand their colleagues’ activities and outputs. They will plan and implement research team meetings, symposia, and related engagements such as reporting the outcomes of the institute’s research to funders, partners, and stakeholders. Importantly, the successful candidate will be able to lead and/or participate in the preparation of research proposals, papers, and presentations for lay and scholarly audiences. Depending upon the successful candidate’s experience, they may contribute to/participate as an investigator/collaborator in one or more of the institute’s research activities. Finally, the successful candidate will also assist with other research programs including the administration of the institute’s Faculty Innovation Awards and programming for the Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellowship program.

While the successful candidate will be based at the UPC campus in Los Angeles, they are expected to foster close relations with WIES leadership, affiliated faculty, and staff on the UPC campus and at the Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) on Catalina Island, a 1.5-hour boat ride away. Research activities typically occur on USC’s UPC campus, at the WMSC campus, and/or at other national and international locations.

 

Major Responsibilities

The major responsibilities of the Research Project Administrator include:

  • Research management: Administers the planning, organization, scheduling, implementation, and completion of research activities to meet objectives
  • Research proposals: Authors technical proposals and/or works with researchers to develop project proposals for submission to external funding opportunities, foundations and donors to support work across WIES research initiatives, research launchpads, and related research activities. Identifies funding sources and opportunities
  • Team coordination: Coordinates the activities and meetings of teams of researchers and support personnel. Coordinates and/or links project operations with other administrative and research functions on and off campus
  • Resource management: Works with leadership to allocate resources to meet goals
  • Quality assurance: Ensures research quality and compliance with regulatory standards. Evaluates, recommends and implements procedures for data acquisition, management and quality control
  • Policies, procedures, and systems: Develops and implements operating policies, procedures and systems to support planned operations. Ensures these are well-documented and communicated to project personnel and/or other parties
  • Communication: Serves as a key resource for project information and outcomes between WIES affiliated faculty, relevant departments, and schools and/or external funders and partners
  • Reporting: Prepares technical reports, papers and articles, symposia, and presentations on study plans, progress and results of research activities
  • Program support: Participates in the administration and execution of the institute’s Faculty Innovation Awards program and the institute’s Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellowship program
  • Mentoring: Provides guidance and best practices to more junior team members
  • Calendaring: Maintains engagement calendar with awareness of shifting organizational priorities and adapts schedules and timelines accordingly. Maintains records on research activities, progress and outcomes
  • Budgeting: Develops and administers project budgets and prepares financial reports as requested. Administers ongoing purchasing activities in accordance with USC policy
  • DEIB: Contributes to an inclusive environment, building and maintaining strong cross-functional relationships and a deep understanding of organizational and university cultures; upholds the principles of the USC Code of Ethics; demonstrates alignment to the organization’s and university’s strategic plans through words, actions, and ideas
  • Supports additional WIES research and related programs and initiatives as appropriate.

The Research Project Administrator is expected to provide a collaborator and partner experience of outstanding quality that includes a friendly, service-oriented approach; the ability to work in a team setting with students, staff, visitors and administrators; a work ethic that fosters timely responses to inquiries; and effective and innovative problem-solving skills.

 

Minimum Qualifications

  • Minimum Education: Masters degree in a field or discipline that aligns with WIES research initiatives and/or Research Launchpads, or combined experience/education as substitute
  • Minimum Experience and Field of Expertise: 3 years of experience with research coordination.
  • Project administration experience in a relevant field
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple programs, initiatives, activities, and schedules
  • Excellent interpersonal, and written and oral communication skills.
  • Grant-writing experience
  • Ability to work within a team atmosphere and to build and maintain positive relationships with researchers, colleagues, and partners
  • Ability to work with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community including faculty, students, and staff

 

Preferred Qualifications

  • Preferred Education: PhD in a field or discipline that aligns with WIES research initiatives and/or Research Launchpads, plus 3-5 years of experience working as a research coordinator in higher education
  • Other Preferred Skills: Track-record in interdisciplinary environmental and/or sustainability research; established project management abilities; data management and analysis skills; experience planning and coordinating large-scale research projects; proven grant-writing abilities; understanding contemporary trends in environmental and/or sustainability research; established network of environmental and/or sustainability researchers in the United States and abroad

 

Schedule

Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm. Some weekend and after-hours work required. This position is exempt and not eligible for overtime.

 

Location

Los Angeles, USC University Park Campus (flexibility to work 1-2 days/week remotely)

 

Compensation

$78,000 – $85,000 annual salary depending on experience; generous benefits package, including health insurance, a retirement account, life insurance, tuition benefits, and a wide range of discounts. The university invests hundreds of millions of dollars every year to provide these benefits, and they represent an important and substantial part of your overall compensation package. For more details on USC Benefits and Perks, visit the Employee Benefits and Perks webpage.

When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

 

To Apply

Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate has been identified. This position has an anticipated start date of Spring 2025 and is being posted as a 2-year fixed-term position, with the expectation that it will be extended to 3+ years depending upon the performance of the incumbent and the availability of funding.

To apply, please send the following materials to WIES-Opportunities@usc.edu. Please include “Application: WIES Research Project Administrator” in the subject line, with:

  • A letter of interest
  • A curriculum vitae
  • Names and contact information for at least 2 professional references. Please include name, title, organization; URL to biographical sketch or similar; address, phone number, and email address; and relationship to the candidate.
  • A document with short (<300 words), high-level answers to the following questions:
    • Tell us about a recent project or program you helped develop or manage. How did you work or coordinate with others to do that work?
    • Tell us about any professional experiences that demonstrate a connection or commitment to environmental or sustainability topics.

 

About the Wrigley Institute

A hilltop view of the Wrigley Institute on Catalina Island

The Wrigley Marine Science Center, our satellite campus on Catalina Island (Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute)

The mission of the Wrigley Institute is to create a more sustainable and environmentally just future for our planet and all who live on it by educating, training, and empowering the next generation of leaders and change agents; leading solutions-focused research at the intersection of people and planet; and engaging with the public and our partners to raise awareness and inspire positive change.

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, one of the nation’s premier research universities, we also have a satellite campus on California’s beautiful Santa Catalina Island. Through education, research, and engagement, we train the next generation of environmental leaders, develop original solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems, and encourage nonpartisan action for sustainability and environmental justice.

WIES is part of USC’s oldest and largest school, the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and a key player in the university’s high-profile sustainability initiatives. We are home to:

  • Dornsife’s Environmental Studies academic program, which grants both undergraduate and graduate degrees;
  • The Wrigley Marine Science Center, our Catalina Island campus;
  • USC Sea Grant, which conducts outreach and advocacy on the urban ocean;
  • Research Launchpads on Earth & Environmental Systems, Applied Environmental Solutions, and Social Transformation; and
  • Signature public events that bring together business leaders, policymakers, activists, and scholars for conversations of consequence on the environment and sustainability

A job with the Wrigley Institute is an opportunity to help solve some of the most important challenges of our era. We are impact-focused, with dedicated communications and DEI programs to help maximize our reach and ensure that the work we do is beneficial for everyone. Join us to help create a more sustainable future!

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.