Senior Program Manager - Cooperative Research Programs
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 8, 2026. First seen by Alion on Nov 6, 2026. Nationalacademies scores A on the Alion truth index.
Job Description Summary:
** NOTE A COVER LETTER IS REQUIRED FOR CONSIDERATION **The Transportation Research Board (TRB), a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, provides leadership in transportation innovation through objective, evidence-based research and convenes experts from government, industry, and academia to address complex transportation challenges. Within TRB, the Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) are applied research programs-including the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), and others-that develop practical, implementable solutions to current and emerging transportation issues through stakeholder-driven research and collaboration.
The Senior Program Manager provides senior-level program management for a complex and diverse portfolio of cooperative transportation research projects. This role has no direct supervisory responsibilities and combines portfolio-level accountability with hands-on management of complex and high-visibility research projects.
Reporting to the Program Director, the Senior Program Manager exercises substantial independent judgment in managing and overseeing project portfolios, resolving complex issues, and engaging with volunteers, sponsors, research agencies, and stakeholders. The role is accountable for ensuring research quality, operational effectiveness, and timely delivery across multiple topic areas, while aligning project activities with division priorities.
Job Description:
Transportation Disciplines
This role involves leading and facilitating research efforts in collaboration with expert panels across diverse transportation topics.
Responsibilities
Project Panel Meeting Planning & Support
- Review panel nominations and coordinate the formation of project panels.
- Facilitate project panel meetings, support panel chairs, and follow up with notes and action items from panel meetings.
- Prepare materials, schedules, and documentation needed to support effective panel deliberations and project decisions.
- Document panel input, decisions, and recommendations to support timely project implementation and follow-up.
Proposal Development & Research Agency Selection
- Work with prospective proposers to resolve matters related to submission of acceptable proposals.
- Evaluate research proposals for technical merit and participate in the process of selecting research agencies.
- Support fair, objective, and well-documented proposal review and research agency selection processes.
Research Planning & Contract Coordination
- Become thoroughly familiar with selected research plans and work with research agencies and project panels to develop detailed working plans to accomplish project objectives.
- Work with administrative offices to provide information necessary for contract negotiation and execution.
- Clarify project objectives, technical expectations, schedules, deliverables, and performance requirements with research agencies and project panels.
Contract & Project Management
- Assemble and submit the complete contract package, including all required documents, in accordance with CRP processes.
- Manage contracts by establishing clear project objectives and technical approaches for achieving project goals.
- Visit research agencies, as appropriate, to become familiar with their organizations and facilities, monitor work, and assess progress against project schedules.
- Review monthly, quarterly, and other progress reports needed for administration of the program.
- Prepare compliance reports that document project progress and assess research agency performance and accomplishments.
Project Monitoring & Quality Review
- Conduct site visits, as appropriate.
- Make critical reviews of project progress and recommend improvements when needed.
- Review all types of reports that emanate from research for clarity, completeness, adherence to CRP format, and fulfillment of the approved research plan.
- Make recommendations as to the acceptability of research products and deliverables.
Research Interpretation, Publication & Dissemination
- Interpret project findings with respect to applicability for improving transportation practices.
- Prepare research results digests and other derivative products.
- Prepare forewords for use in published reports.
- Make presentations on research findings at technical meetings and other professional forums.
Coordination & Program Support
- Coordinate with appropriate agencies and subject-matter experts within assigned subject areas to ensure projects benefit from available knowledge.
- Provide staff support to NCHRP oversight committee, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in formulating the annual NCHRP research program by reviewing and evaluating problem statements submitted for research.
- Work effectively with sponsors, volunteers, research agencies, administrative offices, and colleagues to support timely and high-quality delivery of NCHRP research.
Confidentiality: Maintains confidentiality. Handles secure, privileged, sensitive, or confidential information with discretion and in accordance with organizational policies and procedures. Maintains strict confidence to prevent disclosure. Accesses such information strictly for work-related purposes, and ensures that it is securely stored, transmitted, and disposed of in compliance with organization guidelines. Ensures procedures are in place to safeguard confidentiality and prevent unauthorized disclosure. Provides ongoing training and guidance to team members to reinforce best practices in handling confidential information
Requirements
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Knowledge of cooperative or committee-driven research programs and familiarity with transportation research sponsors and policy environments.
- Understanding of the National Academies’ mission, structure, and culture.
- Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage complex portfolios and competing priorities.
- Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage stakeholders at all levels.
- Ability to manage funding-related matters and high-risk or complex research initiatives.
- Ability to operate with substantial independence, sound judgment, and discretion in a complex organizational environment.
- Ability to solve complex problems involving significant variety and to serve as a resource to others in resolving issues.
- Ability to work effectively in team-based settings and build and sustain collaborative relationships across departments and stakeholder groups.
- Ability to perform effectively in complex, high-impact environments with multiple priorities and demands.
Minimum Education/Training Requirements:
Master’s degree in a discipline relevant to transportation, highways, public policy, research management, or a closely related field; or a bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline with significant professional experience demonstrating advanced subject matter expertise, management of complex projects or programs, and independent research, analysis, or policy development responsibilities.
Minimum Experience:
- Six years of related professional experience. Demonstrated impact on the advancement of science, transportation practice, or policy through the successful completion of National Academies activities or equivalent outside activities and through effective dissemination of these activities.
- Significant experience managing applied research projects or programs.
Required Licenses, Certification or Registration: None
Any qualification to be considered equivalent, in lieu of stated minimum, requires the prior approval of the Office of Human Resources.
Other Details
Supervisory Responsibilities/Controls
Reports to the Program Director. Independently establishes goals and objectives. This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities.
Mental and Physical Capabilities
- Ability to be visible on camera for meetings when remote.
- Ability to use a computer and applicable hardware/software to perform responsibilities.
- Ability to use multiple technology collaboration platforms, including collaboration tools. Examples: Microsoft Teams, Asana.
- Ability to focus/concentrate on tasks and multi-task, when needed.
- Begin work at the required time, per approved schedule.
- Ability to lift/carry laptop and other mobile devices between work and home.
- Ability to commute to work.
- Ability to travel between National Academies’ facilities and offsite sponsor/partner locations.
- Ability to work in different time zones, when travel is outside of current location, e.g., when traveling internationally.
- Ability to perform work responsibilities onsite, where required.
- Ability to interact in-person with multiple people and large groups.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines.
Work Environment
Hybrid office/telecommute environment; expected onsite percentage 60%. Occasional travel between National Academies’ facilities and to off-site meeting/sponsor locations.
Compensation & Benefits
An estimated compensation range for this position is $105,230 - $164,420. Compensation offered to the selected candidate will be based on the candidate’s relevant knowledge, skills, and work experience, commensurate with compensation of current employees in comparable positions with similar knowledge, skills, and work experience, and subject to budget parameters. Note it is not typical for a candidate to be hired at the higher end of the range. This is a benefits-eligible position. Our Benefits Plan offers competitive and comprehensive benefit options, including medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement and savings benefits, leave benefits such as paid holidays and paid personal leave, transportation subsidies, and education assistance. For more information, please click here.
Equal Opportunity Employer
It is the policy of the National Academies to recruit, hire, transfer, compensate, and promote people in all job categories and to administer all other personnel actions, terms and conditions of employment in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. It is also the institution's policy to recruit, hire, promote, and provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and covered veterans who are otherwise qualified.
Disclaimer
The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Some functions in this description may be specific to a particular unit of the National Academies and not applicable to other units.
Job Family:
PROG