Assistant Manager/ Deputy Manager - Office Of Research And Development

Job Title: Assistant Manager / Deputy Manager - Office of Research and Development

Location: Sonipat, Haryana

Department: Office of Research and Development

Role Type: Full-time, Permanent

Experience: 2 - 6 years

About the role:

The Research and Development Office (RDO) is Ashoka Universitys strategic hub for providing end-to-end support to faculty and scholars in advancing academic research at Ashoka. RDO plays a central role in strengthening the Universitys research ecosystem by empowering researchers at Ashoka through extramural grant management, research infrastructure management, management of research scholars, and effective research communication. Ashokas multidisciplinary and ever-evolving body of scholarly work exhibits the Universitys commitment towards high-quality research.

Within RDO, this role anchors the Research Personnel Management function, currently responsible for 160+ active research staff engaged across the Universitys grant-funded projects – a number set to grow steadily as Ashokas grant portfolio and sponsored projects expand. The incumbent works closely with faculty Principal Investigators, HR, Finance, and funding agencies (UGC, ICMR, DBT, DST, ANRF, CSIR) to ensure research personnel are hired, onboarded, paid, and exited accurately and on time. Within six months, success looks like error-free payroll cycles, audit-ready personnel records, and faculty and PIs relying on the office to manage the full personnel lifecycle without escalation.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Coordinate end-to-end hiring for research personnel

• o Develop and finalize JDs in consultation with the faculty members
• o Liaise with HR for job postings
• o Develop contracts ensuring compliance with funding agency guidelines
• o Manage onboarding of research personnel (ID Card issuance, medical insurance, accommodation related arrangements)

• Manage monthly payroll processing and exit processes for research personnel in line with institutional procedures, ensuring accurate documentation and timely system updates.
• Maintain accurate, audit-ready records and ensure compliance with OMs from relevant funding bodies (UGC, ICMR, DBT, DST, ANRF, CSIR).
• Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of 160+ active research personnel engaged across ongoing grants and projects, with volumes expected to rise in line with Ashokas growing grant portfolio.
• Reconcile research personnel data against grant budgets and sanctioned positions, working closely with the Pre-Award and Finance teams within RDO.
• Serve as the first point of contact for research personnel on queries relating to leave, benefits, insurance claims, and contract renewals, escalating as required.
• Generate periodic MIS reports and dashboards on personnel strength, attrition, and grant-wise deployment for RDO leadership and funding-agency reporting.
• Support other RDO functions as needed – including grants management, research scholar administration, and research communication activities – to enable the offices broader mandate of end-to-end research support.

Qualifications & Experience

Mandatory:

• Bachelors/Masters degree in any discipline (Science, Commerce, Humanities, or Management).
• 2–5 years of experience in research administration, HR coordination, grants management, or university operations.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word) and Google Sheets; familiarity with ERP/HRMS systems is an advantage.

Preferred:

• Masters degree (any stream)
• Prior experience in a university research office, grant-funded environment, or working with government funding bodies (ICMR, DBT, DST, ANRF, CSIR)
• Knowledge of project staff guidelines as per various Indian Government schemes

Note: Research Personnel Management function is administrative and process-coordination in nature. Requires core competencies — contract management, payroll processing, record-keeping, stakeholder coordination, and grant compliance.

Who You Are

• Experience in research, process development, technical problem-solving, and project coordination.
• Data analysis and interpretation
• Knowledge about the technical documentation
• Process automation, Knowledge of AI tools
• Engage effectively with varied stakeholders including faculty members and administrators

Check out the Ashoka Website to know more :https://www.ashoka.edu.in/