Senior Researcher Jobs in Virginia
Senior Researcher jobs in Virginia are in strong demand, concentrated in defense research, biomedical sciences, public policy analysis, and federal contract work, with openings at every level from research associate through principal scientist. The largest hiring markets are Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads corridor, where employers like Leidos, MITRE Corporation, and George Mason University maintain substantial research operations. The most sought-after specialties include national security and intelligence research, health policy analysis, and applied data science. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find Senior Researcher JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 40+ Senior Researcher jobs
- 10004421
- Fairfax, Virginia, United States
- Virginia, United States
- Col of Humanities and Soc Science
- Default
- Full-Time (Salaried)
- George Mason University
Department: Col of Humanities and Soc Science
Classification: Financial Svcs Specialist 2
Job Category: Classified Staff
Job Type: Full-Time
Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)
Location: Fairfax, VA
Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible
Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship
Pay Band: 05
Salary: $75,000 - $85,000
Criminal Background Check: Yes
About the Department:
The Office of Finance and Human Resources manages the College of Humanities and Social Sciences budget of approximately $75 million (all sources) and hiring faculty and staff. It serves as liaison between the Central Offices (as for example budget, OSP, accounting, financial aid, human resources, and provost) and College departments and programs.
About the Position:
The CHSS Senior Post Award Research Administrator provides post award research administration services to faculty of several different CHSS departments/centers and oversight of the department's post award research activities. The Senior Post Award Research Administrator uses knowledge of grant and contract management rules and regulations, technical expertise and analytical skills to support a variety of post award research activities. Activities will include, but is not limited to: award setup review and management; reconciliation, monitoring and forecasting of award finances; preparing adjustments and corrections; labor allocation processing and direct expenditure processing and approvals; assisting with preparation of financial reports; and ensuring all financial requirements have been met in compliance with university, state, federal and sponsor guidelines. Senior Post Award Research Administrator interacts regularly with and provides high quality customer service to faculty members conducting sponsored research and ensures adherence to quality standards and all policies and award regulations. Anticipated Senior Post Award Research Administrator portfolio of support is expected for approximately $7.5M in research expenditures across approximately 60 externally sponsored awards and ~8 different CHSS departments/centers, and will also monitor and support internally funded research activities as needed.
Responsibilities:
Award Set up for all college assigned awards
- Upon award acceptance, defines and reviews account establishment parameters, including billing and reporting requirements, budget, and cost sharing obligations;
- Coordinates new award meetings with PIs, co-PIs and relevant department staff;
- Communicates with faculty and OSP on award set up process and pending items and assist with completion as needed (i.e. completion of budget revisions, conflict of interest, etc.);
- Maintains SharePoint Document Library with executed award information (uploading documents, creating permanent position modifiers, creating new positions);
- Evaluates documentation and financial setup for accuracy;
- Reviews scope of work and reviews files for missing or inaccurate information, and ensures corrections are made as needed;
- Maintains knowledge of award terms and conditions, reporting requirements and budget restrictions for effective and compliant management of award; and
- Maintains post award research files and documents.
Process Award Activity for assigned portfolio of grants that require direct post award support
- Works with the PI to determine and process appropriate personnel effort plans, to include timely processing of change labor and hiring actions (to include relative cost share effort);
- Coordinates and prepares requests for:
- No Cost Extensions, carryover, re-budgeting requests, changes in scope, and other changes to the award;
- Ensures all requests are in compliance with sponsor guidelines and university policies and coordinated with the Director or Post Award Manager as needed to complete submission of post award actions;
- Ensures budget revisions have the approval of the Director or Post Award Manager before submission to OSP;
- Facilitates the approval of invoices to pay subcontractors in accordance with the university subaward policy;
- Reviews labor allocations and facilitate annual payroll certification process; applies federal and university rules to management of effort allocation appropriately for individuals compensated from sponsored awards;
- Ensures effort tracking for sponsored awards stays updated with faculty labor allocations applied and forecasted budgeted effort;
- Initiates P-card purchases for human subject research payments, ensuring university procedures are followed and expense is appropriate;
- Works with PI and department administrators in processing sponsored project expenses specific to participant support and student fellowship payments;
- Coordinates with the PI, and as needed department administrators, non-labor direct expenditures such as: consultant agreements, honorariums, tuition, supplies, etc.;
- Ensures all grant financial activity is compliant with university, sponsor, state and federal guidelines;
- Prepares internal budget reports and forecasted spending reports for PIs as needed; regularly communicates with PIs on available balances and spending;
- Reviews and reconciles all award financial activity in compliance with university reconciliation policy, make necessary adjustments as needed; and
- Ensures all award expenditures are allowable and allocable, corrections are made in a timely manner and maintain appropriate documentation for award financial activity.
Award Management for all college assigned awards
- In collaboration with the department/center grant administrator ensures all grant financial activity is compliant with university, sponsor, state and federal guidelines ensuring expenses to sponsored awards are allowable, allocable, reasonable and consistent;
- Sends monthly reports to department/center admins for forecasted change labor actions that should be submitted and monitors submission of needed actions;
- Receives department/center requests to process change labor and new hiring actions; reviews requests for grant and university compliance;
- Creates new hiring actions, future change labor and reallocation of labor requests in Banner/Self-Service for final approval.;
- Receives, reviews and approves requests from department administrators of non-labor expenses charged to grants (through AP forms, MFG, or email); receives, reviews and approves all grant related journal voucher corrections, and processes requests in Banner/Self-Service;
- Assists department and center grant administrators as needed with post award modifications and ensures appropriate documentation is submitted to support requests;
- Reviews department/center grant administrator submissions of completed reconciliation for compliance with university reconciliation policy;
- Provides support and guidance to the department/center grant administrators day-to-day activities to ensure award expenditures are allowable and allocable, and corrections are made in a timely manner;
- Assists department/center administrators with complex purchasing actions, coordinates with central offices as needed to resolve issues; and
- Reviews award terms and conditions and assists department administrators with making decisions on allowable budget revisions and purchasing requests that may be raised, and/or makes appropriate judgement call to involve the Director or Post Award Manager in making such decisions.
Award Close Out
- In collaboration with the Director and Post Award Manager, assists as needed with sponsor/OSP financial reports;
- Closeout all funded projects consistent with university process and timelines in collaboration with PI and OSP;
- Ensure that awards are prepared for closeout, financial activity is verified and provide any supporting information or documentation required for final reporting;
- Ensures any overspent funds are moved to non-sponsored funding sources, and any regularly occurring charges to the grant are moved to an appropriate new funding source at project period end; and
- Assists with providing financial data for final invoicing as needed in a timely manner to meet sponsor deadlines.
Additional research related duties
- Acts as a subject matter expert in managing research activities within CHSS, solving problems, providing guidance and answering post award questions as needed for PIs and departments/center administrators;
- Works with CHSS Pre-award, PIs and OSP to review and edit current PI effort information as needed for proposal and financial report submissions;
- Provides assistance or coordinates assistance as needed with other research support activities such as export control, IRB, IACUC, etc.;
- Maintains and keeps current knowledge of university, sponsor, state and federal guidelines related to sponsored award activities to ensure appropriate research support;
- Additional duties in support of overall CHSS Finance and HR activities:
- Reviews and enters change labor allocations (funding change forms) regardless of funding source into Banner/Self-Service for approval;
- Provides ad hoc reporting and training/support on various systems to departments as needed (MicroStrategy, Banner/Self-Service, RAMP);
- Assists with and provides subject matter support in resolving department issues with processing fiscal transactions (to include coordinating resolutions with the Fiscal Services team);
- Provides recommendations and supports as needed for addressing finance and HR business operational needs (regardless of funding source) and
- Assists with maintaining finance and HR resources for the CHSS Finance and HR team and CHSS departments (including document management of shared folders and maintaining the CFHR website resources)
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
- Experience (typically 3 years) in sponsored programs administration in post-award research support or related field;
- Demonstrated experience in research financial management, to include allocating effort (labor), processing non-labor expenses on sponsored projects and financial reconciliation;
- Strong financial and accounting aptitude required, particularly in financial research administration;
- Knowledge of federal rules and regulations relating to research grant and/or contract activity;
- Knowledge of policies, processes and offices related to grant/contract post award management; and
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Research administration certification;
- Research administration experience in higher education; and
- Experience with Banner Financial (or similar system) and/or research related software systems.
Instructions to Applicants:
For full consideration, applicants must apply for Senior Post Award Research Administrator at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.
Posting Open Date: August 21, 2026
For Full Consideration, Apply by: September 4, 2026
Open Until Filled: Yes
- 10004421
- Fairfax, Virginia, United States
- Virginia, United States
- Col of Humanities and Soc Science
- Default
- Full-Time (Salaried)
- George Mason University
Department: Col of Humanities and Soc Science
Classification: Financial Svcs Specialist 2
Job Category: Classified Staff
Job Type: Full-Time
Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)
Location: Fairfax, VA
Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible
Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship
Pay Band: 05
Salary: $75,000 - $85,000
Criminal Background Check: Yes
About the Department:
The Office of Finance and Human Resources manages the College of Humanities and Social Sciences budget of approximately $75 million (all sources) and hiring faculty and staff. It serves as liaison between the Central Offices (as for example budget, OSP, accounting, financial aid, human resources, and provost) and College departments and programs.
About the Position:
The CHSS Senior Post Award Research Administrator provides post award research administration services to faculty of several different CHSS departments/centers and oversight of the department's post award research activities. The Senior Post Award Research Administrator uses knowledge of grant and contract management rules and regulations, technical expertise and analytical skills to support a variety of post award research activities. Activities will include, but is not limited to: award setup review and management; reconciliation, monitoring and forecasting of award finances; preparing adjustments and corrections; labor allocation processing and direct expenditure processing and approvals; assisting with preparation of financial reports; and ensuring all financial requirements have been met in compliance with university, state, federal and sponsor guidelines. Senior Post Award Research Administrator interacts regularly with and provides high quality customer service to faculty members conducting sponsored research and ensures adherence to quality standards and all policies and award regulations. Anticipated Senior Post Award Research Administrator portfolio of support is expected for approximately $7.5M in research expenditures across approximately 60 externally sponsored awards and ~8 different CHSS departments/centers, and will also monitor and support internally funded research activities as needed.
Responsibilities:
Award Set up for all college assigned awards
- Upon award acceptance, defines and reviews account establishment parameters, including billing and reporting requirements, budget, and cost sharing obligations;
- Coordinates new award meetings with PIs, co-PIs and relevant department staff;
- Communicates with faculty and OSP on award set up process and pending items and assist with completion as needed (i.e. completion of budget revisions, conflict of interest, etc.);
- Maintains SharePoint Document Library with executed award information (uploading documents, creating permanent position modifiers, creating new positions);
- Evaluates documentation and financial setup for accuracy;
- Reviews scope of work and reviews files for missing or inaccurate information, and ensures corrections are made as needed;
- Maintains knowledge of award terms and conditions, reporting requirements and budget restrictions for effective and compliant management of award; and
- Maintains post award research files and documents.
Process Award Activity for assigned portfolio of grants that require direct post award support
- Works with the PI to determine and process appropriate personnel effort plans, to include timely processing of change labor and hiring actions (to include relative cost share effort);
- Coordinates and prepares requests for:
- No Cost Extensions, carryover, re-budgeting requests, changes in scope, and other changes to the award;
- Ensures all requests are in compliance with sponsor guidelines and university policies and coordinated with the Director or Post Award Manager as needed to complete submission of post award actions;
- Ensures budget revisions have the approval of the Director or Post Award Manager before submission to OSP;
- Facilitates the approval of invoices to pay subcontractors in accordance with the university subaward policy;
- Reviews labor allocations and facilitate annual payroll certification process; applies federal and university rules to management of effort allocation appropriately for individuals compensated from sponsored awards;
- Ensures effort tracking for sponsored awards stays updated with faculty labor allocations applied and forecasted budgeted effort;
- Initiates P-card purchases for human subject research payments, ensuring university procedures are followed and expense is appropriate;
- Works with PI and department administrators in processing sponsored project expenses specific to participant support and student fellowship payments;
- Coordinates with the PI, and as needed department administrators, non-labor direct expenditures such as: consultant agreements, honorariums, tuition, supplies, etc.;
- Ensures all grant financial activity is compliant with university, sponsor, state and federal guidelines;
- Prepares internal budget reports and forecasted spending reports for PIs as needed; regularly communicates with PIs on available balances and spending;
- Reviews and reconciles all award financial activity in compliance with university reconciliation policy, make necessary adjustments as needed; and
- Ensures all award expenditures are allowable and allocable, corrections are made in a timely manner and maintain appropriate documentation for award financial activity.
Award Management for all college assigned awards
- In collaboration with the department/center grant administrator ensures all grant financial activity is compliant with university, sponsor, state and federal guidelines ensuring expenses to sponsored awards are allowable, allocable, reasonable and consistent;
- Sends monthly reports to department/center admins for forecasted change labor actions that should be submitted and monitors submission of needed actions;
- Receives department/center requests to process change labor and new hiring actions; reviews requests for grant and university compliance;
- Creates new hiring actions, future change labor and reallocation of labor requests in Banner/Self-Service for final approval.;
- Receives, reviews and approves requests from department administrators of non-labor expenses charged to grants (through AP forms, MFG, or email); receives, reviews and approves all grant related journal voucher corrections, and processes requests in Banner/Self-Service;
- Assists department and center grant administrators as needed with post award modifications and ensures appropriate documentation is submitted to support requests;
- Reviews department/center grant administrator submissions of completed reconciliation for compliance with university reconciliation policy;
- Provides support and guidance to the department/center grant administrators day-to-day activities to ensure award expenditures are allowable and allocable, and corrections are made in a timely manner;
- Assists department/center administrators with complex purchasing actions, coordinates with central offices as needed to resolve issues; and
- Reviews award terms and conditions and assists department administrators with making decisions on allowable budget revisions and purchasing requests that may be raised, and/or makes appropriate judgement call to involve the Director or Post Award Manager in making such decisions.
Award Close Out
- In collaboration with the Director and Post Award Manager, assists as needed with sponsor/OSP financial reports;
- Closeout all funded projects consistent with university process and timelines in collaboration with PI and OSP;
- Ensure that awards are prepared for closeout, financial activity is verified and provide any supporting information or documentation required for final reporting;
- Ensures any overspent funds are moved to non-sponsored funding sources, and any regularly occurring charges to the grant are moved to an appropriate new funding source at project period end; and
- Assists with providing financial data for final invoicing as needed in a timely manner to meet sponsor deadlines.
Additional research related duties
- Acts as a subject matter expert in managing research activities within CHSS, solving problems, providing guidance and answering post award questions as needed for PIs and departments/center administrators;
- Works with CHSS Pre-award, PIs and OSP to review and edit current PI effort information as needed for proposal and financial report submissions;
- Provides assistance or coordinates assistance as needed with other research support activities such as export control, IRB, IACUC, etc.;
- Maintains and keeps current knowledge of university, sponsor, state and federal guidelines related to sponsored award activities to ensure appropriate research support;
- Additional duties in support of overall CHSS Finance and HR activities:
- Reviews and enters change labor allocations (funding change forms) regardless of funding source into Banner/Self-Service for approval;
- Provides ad hoc reporting and training/support on various systems to departments as needed (MicroStrategy, Banner/Self-Service, RAMP);
- Assists with and provides subject matter support in resolving department issues with processing fiscal transactions (to include coordinating resolutions with the Fiscal Services team);
- Provides recommendations and supports as needed for addressing finance and HR business operational needs (regardless of funding source) and
- Assists with maintaining finance and HR resources for the CHSS Finance and HR team and CHSS departments (including document management of shared folders and maintaining the CFHR website resources)
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
- Experience (typically 3 years) in sponsored programs administration in post-award research support or related field;
- Demonstrated experience in research financial management, to include allocating effort (labor), processing non-labor expenses on sponsored projects and financial reconciliation;
- Strong financial and accounting aptitude required, particularly in financial research administration;
- Knowledge of federal rules and regulations relating to research grant and/or contract activity;
- Knowledge of policies, processes and offices related to grant/contract post award management; and
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Research administration certification;
- Research administration experience in higher education; and
- Experience with Banner Financial (or similar system) and/or research related software systems.
Instructions to Applicants:
For full consideration, applicants must apply for Senior Post Award Research Administrator at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.
Posting Open Date: August 21, 2026
For Full Consideration, Apply by: September 4, 2026
Open Until Filled: Yes
See All 40 Senior Researcher Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Senior Researcher JobsSenior Researcher Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Senior Researcher Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Education
- Aerospace & Defense
- Marketing & Advertising
- Non-Profit & Social Services
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior researcher jobs across Virginia.
- Master's or doctoral degree in a relevant field such as life sciences, social sciences, or engineering
- Five or more years of research experience in a government, academic, or defense contractor setting
- Demonstrated ability to design and lead independent research projects from inception through publication
- Experience working with federal agencies or holding an active U.S. government security clearance
- Proficiency in statistical analysis software such as R, SPSS, SAS, or Python for data-driven research
- Strong record of peer-reviewed publication, grant writing, or technical report authorship
Senior Researcher Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior researcher in Virginia?
Most senior researcher roles in Virginia require at minimum a master's degree, with a doctorate strongly preferred for positions at federal agencies, research universities, or defense contractors. Virginia does not issue a state license specific to researchers, but roles tied to federal contracts often require security clearance adjudicated through federal channels. Candidates typically progress from research assistant or associate positions, building a portfolio of published work, grant experience, or technical reports before reaching senior level.
Which companies hire senior researchers in Virginia?
Employers hiring senior researchers in Virginia right now include Two Six Technologies, University of Virginia, and ICF, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Virginia's dense concentration of federal agencies and defense contractors means many senior researcher openings are tied to long-term government contracts, creating consistent demand across the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads regions.
Which Virginia cities have the most senior researcher jobs?
Arlington, Reston, and Herndon have the most senior researcher openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia's proximity to federal agencies in Washington, D.C. drives the largest share of postings, while Richmond's health systems and policy think tanks and Hampton Roads' naval and engineering research commands account for strong hiring outside the D.C. metro area.
Are there remote senior researcher jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 61% of senior researcher openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting the desk-based, analytical nature of much research work. Roles focused on literature reviews, data analysis, policy writing, and grant development are most likely to be fully remote, while laboratory-based or classified-facility positions typically require on-site presence.
How can I get hired as a senior researcher in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a research assistant or junior analyst role at a Virginia university, think tank, or federal contractor. Institutions like George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and large contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton regularly bring on entry-level research staff. Building a publication record, completing a research-focused graduate program, and obtaining even an interim security clearance significantly improve candidacy for advancement into senior roles.
Where can I find and apply to senior researcher jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to senior researcher jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across defense, health, policy, and academic research sectors. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly to the employers posting them.
See All 40 Senior Researcher Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Senior Researcher Jobs