Research Project Advisor

Cedars-Sinai is hiring a Research Project Advisor! We’re looking for someone with strong technical writing skills, a scientific background, and excellent project management abilities. This role involves attending meetings, taking notes, and turning them into strategic actions.

The Research Project Advisor works with the Principal Investigator or Department Head to develop and implement research programs, including project planning, identifying funding sources, preparing grant proposals, and presenting results for possible publication. Attends national meetings and conferences, identifies potential collaborators and research sponsors, and maintains relationships with colleagues and National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies. Ensures compliance with all federal and local agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local Institutional Review Board.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Serves as departmental resource for scientific initiatives and major research projects and identifies funding opportunities.
• Communicates the feasibility of study involvement and or participation with the PI.
• Independently and as part of a team, develops and implements research programs, including project planning.
• Participates in the research and academic activities of the department.
• Prepares grant proposals and assists PI in authoring manuscripts for publication, books for publication; and prepares presentations for both expert and lay audiences.
• Works closely with principal investigator and is knowledgeable in the area of research specialization.
• Represents the interests of the department in inter-and intra-institutional research projects; provides expertise for research collaborations.
• Maintains excellent relationships with colleagues, locally, nationally, and internationally; has an excellent, productive relationship with National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies.
• Superior communication skills for interactions with faculty, administrators, and employees.
• Attends national meetings and conferences and identify potential collaborators and research sponsors.
• Special projects as assigned.
• May function as bridge between laboratory, translational, and clinical research programs.
• May be responsible for research process improvement, quality assurance, and problem solving for the department.
• May develop curriculum and oversee coordination of small and large scientific symposia.
• Ensures compliance with all federal and local agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local Institutional Review Board.
• Maintains research practices using Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines.
• Maintains strict patient confidentiality according to HIPAA regulations and applicable law.

The Project and Scientific Writing Manager will work independently and collaboratively with Cedars-Sinai Cancer leadership, researchers, and administrators to support complex initiatives aimed at advancing the goals of CSC. The role will include leading efforts in strategic planning, project management, evaluation, metrics tracking, data visualization, and scientific writing. This individual will also coordinate and support events, retreats, and other key initiatives.

The successful candidate will provide critical writing and editing support for various scientific and administrative documents including grant applications, publications, and scientific manuscripts, ensuring alignment with CSC goals and guidelines.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with CSC leadership, researchers, and administrative staff to support initiatives and activities such as strategic planning, project evaluation, metrics tracking, and data visualization.
• Design, implement, and maintain project/program communication plans to ensure stakeholders work effectively together to meet objectives.
• Facilitate and contribute to the preparation of high-quality scientific documents including grant applications, manuscripts, white papers, protocols, and other reports. Responsibilities include writing, editing, proofreading, and formatting these documents.
• Under the guidance of senior leadership, take a lead role in project planning, including preparation of scientific and administrative reports, coordination of team-building efforts, and the development of timelines and deliverables for the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) documents.
• Monitor and track the CSC Strategic Plan, reporting progress and timelines to senior leadership for review and guidance.
• Edit and proofread presentations, grant applications, protocols, and other scientific documents to ensure consistency with CCSG guidelines and Cedars-Sinai standards.
• Support working groups, researchers, administrators, and committees on CCSG-related activities such as proposal preparations and External Advisory Board (EAB) meetings.
• Participate in the research and academic activities of the institute, including strategic planning and philanthropic development to support research initiatives.
• Provide guidance on CCSG metrics and reporting activities (e.g., publications, grants, patents, trainees, program evaluations, etc.).
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for CSC Administration Office, including CCSG operations and metrics reporting.
• Prepare project plans for annual or bi-annual meetings such as the External Advisory Board and Internal Advisory Board retreats.
• Enhance communication plans related to CSC Administration Office activities to support strategic initiatives and CCSG operations.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in project management, strategic planning, and scientific writing within an academic, clinical, or research setting.
• Strong experience in writing and editing scientific documents (grant applications, publications, protocols).
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders and deliver high-quality results.
• Proficiency with project management tools, data analysis, and visualization software.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Knowledge of Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) processes and National Cancer Institute (NCI) guidelines is preferred.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in coordinating large-scale projects in a research or healthcare setting.
• Familiarity with NCI Site Visits, CCSG metrics, and renewal application processes.
• Basic understanding of cancer research, molecular biology, or related fields is advantageous.