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Posted Job Title
Senior Operations Manager - Computational Social Science (CSS) Lab and the Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy
Job Profile Title
Manager Research Project A
Job Description Summary
The Senior Operations Manager will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Computational Social Science (CSS) Lab and the Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy (MEDIATED), including their research platform infrastructure, contracts and data governance, financial administration, and internal events. The position will also: Administer user access, usage and budget tracking, and subscriptions for the CSS Lab's and Penn MEDIATED’s computational and research platforms. Manage relationships with external data providers and research partners and create and revise data sharing agreements, data use agreements, and research collaborations. Liaise with data providers and research partners to ensure terms of agreements are met as well as identify new opportunities for collaboration. Manage the day-to-day operations of the International Society for Computational Social Science (ISCSS), support organizers of IC2S2 conferences. Finally, the position will oversee purchasing, procurement, expense reconciliation, and budget monitoring for the CSS Lab and Penn MEDIATED.
Job Description
Job Responsibilities
Direct the strategy and operations of the CSS Lab's computational and research platform infrastructure, including access governance, usage and API spend tracking, cost forecasting, tax-exempt status, and subscription renewals and billing for core Lab software. Establish and enforce policies and procedures for platform access and cost management, evaluate and negotiate with vendors, and advise Lab leadership on long-term infrastructure needs and investment decisions. Serve as primary liaison with the Penn Engineering Computer and Educational Technology department to align Lab computing access with University IT policies and compliance requirements.
Build, lead, and set the strategic direction for the researcher network in coordination with PCI, data providers, and CSS Lab staff, and manage ongoing relationships with researchers, serving as the point of escalation for data access and compliance issues. Establish governance for and oversee access to datasets and restricted platforms (e.g., National Internet Observatory, Meta Content Library, TikTok API), including intake, onboarding, and security protocols such as deployment of hardware security keys. Lead the design and implementation of the researcher application workflow for the Penn…