Director of Strategic Research Development

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $185,000 to $200,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Vice Dean of Research, the Director of Strategic Research Development will provide leadership, coordination, development, and execution of strategic research development across constituencies in Columbia Engineering and collaboration with university-wide units and partners, with a particular focus on building and sustaining Engineering priorities and facilitating the development of large-scale, multi-disciplinary initiatives and projects. This includes leading center-scale research development initiatives within Columbia Engineering; supporting principal investigators (PIs) with the strategic planning for complex, multi-investigator, and multi-institutional grant proposals; and developing processes to support PIs and trainees on individual grants and fellowships. The Director will oversee the Strategic Research Development team, providing oversight and leadership on strategic direction, operational processes, and portfolio management for the team, including the Assistant Director and Associate Director of Research Development and Director of Center Preaward Services. The Director of Strategic Research Development will provide executive-level thought partnership to the Senior Vice Dean for Research in support of Columbia Engineering's Office of Research in close coordination with the Director of Strategic Collaborations and Center Support. This role will also interact directly with Dean's Office staff, including the Assistant Dean of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (for support with broadening participation efforts), the Outreach Director (for support with K-16 educational objectives), the Finance team (for budget coordination), and Columbia Engineering Managers of Grants and Contracts (for support with pre-award activities), and with university-wide partners in central administration and across schools and units. The Director will work collaboratively with project teams to develop best-in-class center-scale research development practices. This role develops key strategic priorities and initiatives by exploring, identifying, and evaluating comprehensive information, data, and competitive intelligence to provide guidance, advice, and assistance on a range of issues with respect to Columbia Engineering's strategic research enterprise. The Director of Strategic Research Development will ensure that the Senior Vice Dean of Research is well prepared for interactions with internal and external stakeholders and partners regarding research initiatives.

Responsibilities

• (15%) Team Management and Relationship Development. The Director will lead, coordinate, develop, and execute research development goals to build and sustain Columbia Engineering's research enterprise, focusing on developing center-scale, multidisciplinary initiatives and projects. The Director will oversee the Strategic Research Development team, providing oversight and leadership on strategic direction, operational processes, and portfolio management for the team, including managing the Assistant Director and Associate Director of Research Development, and supporting the Director of Center Pre-award Services. The Director will also work with the Research Development team to ensure that operational best practices are developed to preserve institutional knowledge through the development of proposal libraries, templates, and knowledge-sharing and professional development opportunities. The Director of Strategic Research Development will provide executive-level thought partnership to the Senior Vice Dean for Research in support of Columbia Engineering's Office of Research in close coordination with the Director of Strategic Collaborations and Center Support. The Director of Strategic Research Development will ensure that the Senior Vice Dean of Research is well prepared for interactions with internal and external stakeholders and partners regarding research initiatives. The Director will also lead relationship development with university, school, institution, and departmental administrators, sponsored project administrators, finance personnel, the Executive Vice President for Research's Office, Development, Columbia Technology Ventures, Communications and Government Affairs, Office of General Counsel, and analogous parties at other universities, as well as other external points of contact to ensure faculty are fully supported in research development efforts.

• (25%) Strategic Planning: Support faculty in strategic planning for developing center-scale initiatives that align with the mission, vision, and strategic priorities of Columbia Engineering. This includes supporting faculty to develop and clearly communicate a center-scale vision and unique value proposition that is in alignment with funder priorities. Vision development includes strategic planning, white paper development, planning and facilitating internal brainstorming meetings and workshops, and institutional support planning. The Director will also work with faculty leaders on team formation, identifying gaps, strengths, and opportunities to develop strategic partnerships. The Director will also support faculty leaders in strategic planning efforts for non-scientific center components, including broader impacts (DEI, outreach, education, workforce development, community engagement), industry partnerships, and other opportunities for collaboration. In addition, the Director will support faculty in pursuing internal and external seed funding where relevant to support center-scale planning efforts. The Director will work with the Strategic Research Development team to explore, identify, and evaluate competitive intelligence, data, and conduct a landscape analysis to facilitate complex decision making with respect to determining priorities. The Director will also develop strategies for profile raising for faculty teams and initiatives with funding agencies, even before an RFP comes out.

• (20%) Identify Targeted Funding Opportunities. The Director will lead the Research Development team to work with university and school leadership, Engineering faculty, and university and departmental administrators across fields to identify and pursue large-scale funding opportunities that faculty and initiatives are well positioned for. The Director will plan and execute on strategic relationship management strategies with funders and map out key federal-level relationships, attend information sessions, and develop & maintain good working relationships with program officers of funding agencies and other sponsors to stay abreast of changing funding environments and requirements. The Director will support faculty and leadership to assess team/institutional factors and considerations for competitiveness as well as enable better decision-making in pursuing funding opportunities.

• (30%) Large-Scale Proposal Support. The Director will lead strategic management of large-scale proposal development efforts within SEAS and coordinate the support of the Research Development team. The Director will lead thoughtful project- and proposal-team formation efforts, including identifying and recruiting with internal and external personnel whose cooperation is key to successfully respond to the solicitation (e.g., representatives for outreach, broadening participation, innovation, budgeting, pre-award activity). The Director will also work to ensure best in class project management processes, including assigning tasks and managing the process in a well-organized manner, budget support, and proposal support are provided to faculty team. The Director will provide strategic proposal development support as well as support with writing, editing, and reviewing drafts, particularly with respect to the non-scientific components of the proposal. The Director will lead and facilitiate review team processes (e.g., red team review ) to evaluate proposals before submission and site visit presentations.

• (10%) Other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum Educational Requirement:

  • Bachelor's degree, with a minimum of 8-10 years related experience.

  Additional Job-specific Requirements

  • Prior experience in Higher Education Administration.
  • Substantial knowledge of funding programs and proposal policies and procedures.
  • Must be highly organized, enthusiastic, and a personable individual with the ability to interact with diverse internal and external constituents.
  • Excellent communication (both verbal and written) and interpersonal skills with the proven ability to problem-solve and effectively operate in a senior administrative role.
  • Ability to organize, analyze, and interpret complex scientific or technical data.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities with multiple deadlines in a dynamic environment while remaining service-oriented.
  • Must be able to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
  • Strong experience in an administrative and managerial capacity.
  • Ability to interact and influence at the most senior levels of an organization.
  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office applications (i.e., Excel, Word, and Powerpoint); Google tools (i.e., Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Form, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Highly Preferred qualifications

  • Advanced Degree (e.g., Master's, Ph.D., or J.D.).

  • History of NSF, DoD, DoE, DARPA, NIH, ARPA-H, and/or other federal agency proposal development and grant writing experience.

  • Experience with ExLibris Pivot-RP, NSF's FastLane, and InfoReady Review.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.