April 9, 2025

National Standards for Research Admin Jobs

A new NSF-funded initiative to develop a standardized job classification system for research administrators.

Research administrators play a critical role in the research ecosystem. You manage grant proposals, ensure compliance, handle budgets, and support faculty across the entire funding lifecycle. Despite this, job titles, responsibilities, and compensation remain inconsistent across institutions.

A new NSF-funded initiative aims to change that. Led by the University of Pittsburgh and the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI), the project is laying the groundwork for a national job classification system. The goal is to create consistent titles, salary structures, and career pathways for research administrators across the country.

The project collected input from over 2,400 research administrators and HR professionals through focus groups, a national survey, and a workshop during the 2024 SRAI Annual Meeting.

What the Data Shows

The survey captured perspectives from R1s, PUIs, minority-serving institutions, and more. Most respondents had over a decade of experience and worked in hybrid or central office roles.

Key findings:

• 62% reported compensation disparities for similar roles
• 35% said their job titles only somewhat reflect their responsibilities
• 36% are considering leaving their current position within the next year, with salary as the top reason
• Fewer than half reported access to professional development or structured advancement opportunities

Recruitment is also strained. Institutions struggle to attract qualified candidates, especially in under-resourced regions and at minority-serving institutions. The lack of standardization in titles and compensation contributes to high turnover, fragmented team structures, and an ongoing loss of institutional knowledge.

Priorities for Change

Based on the data and workshop feedback, ten focus areas were identified:

• Aligning job titles and responsibilities across institutions
• Creating salary structures that reflect role complexity and experience
• Building clear career progression pathways and training frameworks
• Addressing pay disparities, particularly in Pre-award vs Post-award roles
• Supporting collaboration across departments and institutions
• Clarifying the value of research administration as a specialized field
• Accounting for regional cost of living differences in salary bands
• Developing shared services and mentorship programs
• Investing in infrastructure and staffing to reduce burnout
• Leveraging indirect cost recovery (IDC) to sustainably fund RA positions

These recommendations aim to reduce turnover, improve equity, and strengthen institutional capacity.

Why This Work Matters

A shared classification system can provide a baseline for job design, compensation, and growth opportunities. It can also help HR teams, hiring managers, and leadership better understand the scope and value of research administration work.

For research administrators, this initiative represents a shift toward equity and visibility. It makes space for well-defined roles, fair compensation, and recognition of the specialized knowledge required to support research at scale.

Moving Forward

You can review the full white paper and access the public dataset here:

• 📄 NSF GRANTED White Paper (PDF)
• 📊 Survey Data on Figshare

These resources offer a detailed view of institutional trends, workforce challenges, and strategies for improvement.

Atom’s Role

At Atom, we’re building AI-powered tools designed specifically to support research administrators. We believe your time is too valuable to spend navigating broken processes or outdated systems.

This initiative reinforces what we already know: research administrators need better infrastructure, smarter tools, and more support. We're here to help build that future.

For feedback, questions, or ideas, reach out anytime at tomer@atomgrants.com.