Senior Researcher Jobs
Senior Researcher jobs are open across academia, biotech, think tanks, government agencies, and consulting firms, from associate-level to principal and staff researcher, with specializations in qualitative methods, quantitative analysis, and policy research. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.
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Posting Description
SENIOR RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR, Aeronautics and Astronautics, to join the department's Financial Team. The Senior Research Administrator will report directly to the Assistant Director, Research Administration and manage and perform complex, comprehensive financial management of sponsored research activities, including pre-award administration, including developing and submitting research proposals; post-award administration of grants/contracts, including ensuring compliance with MIT policies and sponsor requirements; and advise on matters pertaining to financial management. Will serve as a key advisor to Principal Investigators (PIs), faculty, researchers, staff, and students on research administration matters, including MIT policies, systems, sponsor requirements, and federal regulations; be responsible for the full lifecycle of sponsored projects, from pre-award activities such as reviewing solicitations, developing budgets, coordinating and submitting proposals, and managing multi-investigator or cross-departmental submissions, to post-award administration, including financial monitoring, compliance oversight, project modifications, closeouts, and audit support; and interpret sponsor guidelines and regulations, including FAR, Cost Accounting Standards, and OMB requirements.
Job Requirements
REQUIRED:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field
- A minimum of four years of experience in accounting or finance
- Strong communication, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
- Ability to manage confidential information with sound judgment and discretion
- Knowledge of federal guidelines
- Adaptability to evolving grant management technologies
PREFERRED:
- Experience in academic administration and research environments
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and meet time-sensitive deadlines
- A service-oriented approach to working collaboratively within a team
- Strong mathematical and quantitative skills
- Attention to detail
- Advanced proficiency with Excel and other Microsoft Office applications
- Experience with financial systems, Cognos reporting, Kuali Coeus, and MIT systems and processes
Posting Description
SENIOR RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR, Aeronautics and Astronautics, to join the department's Financial Team. The Senior Research Administrator will report directly to the Assistant Director, Research Administration and manage and perform complex, comprehensive financial management of sponsored research activities, including pre-award administration, including developing and submitting research proposals; post-award administration of grants/contracts, including ensuring compliance with MIT policies and sponsor requirements; and advise on matters pertaining to financial management. Will serve as a key advisor to Principal Investigators (PIs), faculty, researchers, staff, and students on research administration matters, including MIT policies, systems, sponsor requirements, and federal regulations; be responsible for the full lifecycle of sponsored projects, from pre-award activities such as reviewing solicitations, developing budgets, coordinating and submitting proposals, and managing multi-investigator or cross-departmental submissions, to post-award administration, including financial monitoring, compliance oversight, project modifications, closeouts, and audit support; and interpret sponsor guidelines and regulations, including FAR, Cost Accounting Standards, and OMB requirements.
Job Requirements
REQUIRED:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field
- A minimum of four years of experience in accounting or finance
- Strong communication, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
- Ability to manage confidential information with sound judgment and discretion
- Knowledge of federal guidelines
- Adaptability to evolving grant management technologies
PREFERRED:
- Experience in academic administration and research environments
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and meet time-sensitive deadlines
- A service-oriented approach to working collaboratively within a team
- Strong mathematical and quantitative skills
- Attention to detail
- Advanced proficiency with Excel and other Microsoft Office applications
- Experience with financial systems, Cognos reporting, Kuali Coeus, and MIT systems and processes
See All 1,627+ Senior Researcher Jobs
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Find Senior Researcher JobsSenior Researcher Job Market
A snapshot from current openings nationwide, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- AbbVie39
- NVIDIA26
- Johns Hopkins University25
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital24
- KPMG19
Top Industries Hiring
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals467
- Education209
- Science & Research204
- Technology & Software193
- Consulting & Professional Services148
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior researcher jobs.
- Advanced degree in a relevant discipline such as social science, public policy, or life sciences
- Demonstrated experience designing and leading independent research projects end to end
- Proficiency in statistical or qualitative analysis tools such as R, Stata, Python, NVivo, or SPSS
- Strong record of peer-reviewed publication, policy reports, or equivalent research output
- Ability to translate complex findings into clear written reports and presentations for non-specialist audiences
- Experience managing junior researchers, research assistants, or cross-functional project teams
Tips for Your Senior Researcher Job Search
Tailor your methods section precisely
Senior researcher job descriptions often list specific methodologies as requirements. Audit your resume to ensure each method you know, such as regression modeling, ethnographic research, or meta-analysis, appears in the same language the posting uses, not a paraphrase.
Lead with research impact, not activity
Hiring managers at this level want outcomes, not tasks. Reframe each bullet on your resume around what your research changed: a policy adopted, a product decision reversed, a finding that shaped funding. Describing impact outweighs listing study types.
Target postings that match your publication niche
Senior researcher roles in academia and think tanks weight publication record heavily. Filter your search for organizations whose existing publications align with your subject expertise, since reviewers will check whether your work fits their research agenda before reading further.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists senior researcher openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Prepare a concise research pitch for interviews
Interviewers at this level commonly ask you to present a past project in ten minutes or less. Practice distilling your most complex study into a clear problem statement, methodology, finding, and implication. Brevity under pressure signals senior-level communication skill.
Negotiate scope, not just compensation
When you receive an offer, ask about research independence, publishing rights, and access to data infrastructure before signing. Senior researchers who skip this step sometimes find their work shaped by constraints that weren't disclosed during hiring.
Senior Researcher Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most senior researchers?
The companies hiring the most senior researchers right now include AbbVie, NVIDIA, and Johns Hopkins University, with the largest share of openings in California, Massachusetts, and New York, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. Demand is especially consistent at research universities, federal contractors, and large healthcare systems.
How many senior researcher jobs are remote?
About 21% of senior researcher openings are fully remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting how much of the work centers on data analysis and writing rather than lab or fieldwork. Quantitative policy research and qualitative UX research roles tend to carry the highest share of remote options compared to bench science or clinical positions.
How do you become a senior researcher?
Most senior researchers start by completing a master's or doctoral degree in their discipline, then spend several years as a research associate or analyst building an independent project portfolio. Publishing findings, presenting at conferences, and demonstrating you can lead a study from design through dissemination are the practical milestones that move candidates into senior roles.
Can you get hired as a senior researcher with little experience?
Moving into a senior researcher role with limited formal experience is possible if you can show substantive research output from other contexts. Candidates who self-funded studies, led research at nonprofits, or contributed heavily to published projects in graduate school have made successful cases. Targeting smaller organizations or think tanks with lean teams often gives less-experienced researchers the fastest path to a senior title.
What does the senior researcher interview process look like?
The process typically starts with a recruiter or hiring manager screen, followed by a technical or methods interview where you walk through past work in detail. Many employers then ask for a research presentation or a written exercise before a final panel interview with team leads. The whole process commonly runs across multiple weeks and places strong weight on how clearly you can communicate research design decisions.
Where can I find and apply to senior researcher jobs?
You can find and apply to senior researcher jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that fit your methods background and research focus, then apply directly to each one that matches.
See All 1,627+ Senior Researcher Jobs
Jump back to the full list of openings and apply to any senior researcher role that fits.
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