Entry Level Research and Development Associate Jobs
New grad research and development associate jobs attract recent graduates and entry level candidates with zero to two years of experience, where a strong portfolio or internship in a lab or research setting can matter more than a long resume. Most openings are on-site roles across Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, Education, and Manufacturing, with employers like Aldevron, ENOVIS, and Cambrex hiring at this level now.
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Showing 4 of 10+ Entry Level Research and Development Associate jobs
- 45002765
- 907 Floyd Avenue, MCV Main Campus, Virginia, United States, 23284
- SVP Health Sciences SML
- Health Sciences
- Research
- Full-Time (Salaried)
- Virginia Commonwealth University
The Grants Research Administrator – Research Development and Compliance provides comprehensive pre-award and post-award grant administration support, research development assistance, and regulatory coordination to investigators and research teams. This position facilitates competitive funding applications; assists with award setup, financial and administrative monitoring, reporting, and closeout; and supports investigators in preparing, submitting, and maintaining Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols. Working collaboratively with principal investigators, research staff, departmental leadership, sponsored programs offices, and institutional compliance offices, the position helps research teams meet sponsor and institutional requirements throughout the grant and protocol lifecycles.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Grant administration, Pre-Award and Post-Award Support
Coordinate the preparation, review, and submission of grant applications to federal agencies, foundations, and other funding organizations.
Assist investigators with application timelines, submission requirements, budget development, supporting documentation, and sponsor-specific guidelines.
Review proposals for administrative completeness, consistency, and compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements.
Coordinate with departmental administrators and institutional sponsored programs offices to facilitate timely submissions.
Track funding opportunities, application deadlines, award status, and reporting requirements.
Assist with post-award grant management, including award setup and review of award terms, budget and expenditure monitoring, effort and personnel coordination, progress reporting, sponsor communications, and award closeout in collaboration with institutional offices.
Track project spending, budget balances, commitments, and upcoming reporting deadlines; identify potential discrepancies and communicate issues to the appropriate grant manager or investigator.
Assist with budget revisions, rebudgeting requests, no-cost extensions, and other post-award administrative actions in accordance with sponsor and institutional requirements.
Coordinate collection of information for annual and final progress reports, including milestones, personnel updates, and required supporting documents.
Research Development Support
Identify relevant funding opportunities aligned with investigators’ research interests and departmental priorities.
Help incoming graduate students and research staff identify opportunities for early-career awards, career development funding, pilot grants, and other mechanisms that support research growth.
Provide individualized support to research personnel preparing funding applications or regulatory submissions.
Serve as a resource for investigators navigating grant application processes, research development opportunities, and regulatory requirements.
Develop templates, guidance documents, checklists, and educational materials to improve grant preparation and protocol submission efficiency.
IACUC Protocol Development and Compliance Support
Assist investigators with preparing, drafting, organizing, submitting, and revising IACUC protocols, including new submissions, amendments, renewals, and continuing reviews as applicable.
Provide educational support to researchers regarding protocol preparation, animal welfare principles, and responsible conduct of animal research.
Assist with aligning animal research protocols with grant applications to ensure consistency between proposed experiments and approved or pending animal use activities.
Coordinate with investigators, laboratory personnel, veterinarians, and the institutional IACUC office to obtain required protocol information, address administrative feedback, and track submission and approval deadlines.
Help maintain protocol records and monitor review or expiration dates, ensuring that investigators are informed of upcoming actions and documentation needs.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
Advanced degree in biomedical, biological, health, or related scientific discipline.
Ability to interpret scientific proposals and communicate effectively with investigators and administrative or compliance personnel.
Excellent project management skills, including the ability to coordinate multiple deadlines and competing priorities.
Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience contributing to National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other competitive grant applications.
Familiarity with pre-award grant administration, institutional sponsored programs processes, and federal funding requirements.
Knowledge of IACUC protocol development, animal research regulations, and institutional animal care and use policies.
Experience supporting post-award grant administration, including budget monitoring, sponsor reporting, award modifications, and closeout activities.
Experience mentoring trainees, educating researchers, or developing scientific training materials.
Experience with research compliance, investigator support, or research program development.
Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.
Salary Range: Commensurate
FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite
Restricted Position: Yes
Hours per Week: 40
Employment Type: Staff / University Academic Professional (UAP)
University Job Title: Research Administrator
Contact Information:
Contact Name: Dr. Kevin Byrd
Contact Email: byrdk6@vcu.edu
- 45002765
- 907 Floyd Avenue, MCV Main Campus, Virginia, United States, 23284
- SVP Health Sciences SML
- Health Sciences
- Research
- Full-Time (Salaried)
- Virginia Commonwealth University
The Grants Research Administrator – Research Development and Compliance provides comprehensive pre-award and post-award grant administration support, research development assistance, and regulatory coordination to investigators and research teams. This position facilitates competitive funding applications; assists with award setup, financial and administrative monitoring, reporting, and closeout; and supports investigators in preparing, submitting, and maintaining Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols. Working collaboratively with principal investigators, research staff, departmental leadership, sponsored programs offices, and institutional compliance offices, the position helps research teams meet sponsor and institutional requirements throughout the grant and protocol lifecycles.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Grant administration, Pre-Award and Post-Award Support
Coordinate the preparation, review, and submission of grant applications to federal agencies, foundations, and other funding organizations.
Assist investigators with application timelines, submission requirements, budget development, supporting documentation, and sponsor-specific guidelines.
Review proposals for administrative completeness, consistency, and compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements.
Coordinate with departmental administrators and institutional sponsored programs offices to facilitate timely submissions.
Track funding opportunities, application deadlines, award status, and reporting requirements.
Assist with post-award grant management, including award setup and review of award terms, budget and expenditure monitoring, effort and personnel coordination, progress reporting, sponsor communications, and award closeout in collaboration with institutional offices.
Track project spending, budget balances, commitments, and upcoming reporting deadlines; identify potential discrepancies and communicate issues to the appropriate grant manager or investigator.
Assist with budget revisions, rebudgeting requests, no-cost extensions, and other post-award administrative actions in accordance with sponsor and institutional requirements.
Coordinate collection of information for annual and final progress reports, including milestones, personnel updates, and required supporting documents.
Research Development Support
Identify relevant funding opportunities aligned with investigators’ research interests and departmental priorities.
Help incoming graduate students and research staff identify opportunities for early-career awards, career development funding, pilot grants, and other mechanisms that support research growth.
Provide individualized support to research personnel preparing funding applications or regulatory submissions.
Serve as a resource for investigators navigating grant application processes, research development opportunities, and regulatory requirements.
Develop templates, guidance documents, checklists, and educational materials to improve grant preparation and protocol submission efficiency.
IACUC Protocol Development and Compliance Support
Assist investigators with preparing, drafting, organizing, submitting, and revising IACUC protocols, including new submissions, amendments, renewals, and continuing reviews as applicable.
Provide educational support to researchers regarding protocol preparation, animal welfare principles, and responsible conduct of animal research.
Assist with aligning animal research protocols with grant applications to ensure consistency between proposed experiments and approved or pending animal use activities.
Coordinate with investigators, laboratory personnel, veterinarians, and the institutional IACUC office to obtain required protocol information, address administrative feedback, and track submission and approval deadlines.
Help maintain protocol records and monitor review or expiration dates, ensuring that investigators are informed of upcoming actions and documentation needs.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
Advanced degree in biomedical, biological, health, or related scientific discipline.
Ability to interpret scientific proposals and communicate effectively with investigators and administrative or compliance personnel.
Excellent project management skills, including the ability to coordinate multiple deadlines and competing priorities.
Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience contributing to National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other competitive grant applications.
Familiarity with pre-award grant administration, institutional sponsored programs processes, and federal funding requirements.
Knowledge of IACUC protocol development, animal research regulations, and institutional animal care and use policies.
Experience supporting post-award grant administration, including budget monitoring, sponsor reporting, award modifications, and closeout activities.
Experience mentoring trainees, educating researchers, or developing scientific training materials.
Experience with research compliance, investigator support, or research program development.
Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.
Salary Range: Commensurate
FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite
Restricted Position: Yes
Hours per Week: 40
Employment Type: Staff / University Academic Professional (UAP)
University Job Title: Research Administrator
Contact Information:
Contact Name: Dr. Kevin Byrd
Contact Email: byrdk6@vcu.edu
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Entry Level Research and Development Associate Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an entry level research and development associate job?
Employers hiring entry level research and development associates look for hands-on experience from coursework, lab internships, or undergraduate research projects. Highlight any work with experimental protocols, data collection, or product testing on your resume. A science or engineering degree is common, but candidates from related fields who can show practical lab skills and attention to detail are competitive at this stage.
Which companies hire entry level research and development associates?
Companies hiring entry level research and development associates right now include Aldevron, ENOVIS, and Cambrex, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Hiring at this level comes from a mix of large manufacturers, consumer goods companies, biotech firms, and specialty chemical or materials producers that bring in junior talent to support ongoing product and process development work.
Are there remote entry level research and development associate jobs?
Yes, though most research and development associate roles require some on-site lab or facility presence. About 0% of entry level research and development associate openings are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with hybrid arrangements more common than fully remote, often covering documentation, data analysis, or regulatory reporting tasks that don't require direct lab access.
Are these new grad research and development associate jobs?
Yes, these listings include new grad, recent graduate, and junior research and development associate roles. A new grad friendly posting typically welcomes zero to two years of experience, counts internships or co-ops toward the requirement, and accepts a strong academic project or portfolio in place of full-time work history, making them accessible to candidates coming directly out of a degree program.
Which industries hire the most entry level research and development associates?
Entry Level research and development associate roles concentrate in Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, Education, and Manufacturing, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These sectors drive consistent entry level hiring because they rely on continuous product innovation, formulation testing, and process improvement cycles that require junior associates to support senior researchers and move projects from concept through validation.