Associate Director of Research Development
Meharry Medical College

Job Info

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As a key member of the Office for Research and Innovation's leadership team, the Associate Director of Research Development will be responsible for driving strategic research and sponsored programs development initiatives, identifying new opportunities for growth and innovation, and fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and excellence in helping grow the research enterprise portfolio. This person will work closely with senior leadership, stakeholders, and external partners to develop and execute strategic plans that align with research priorities, and ensure that research development efforts are impactful, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of our research ecosystem and Meharry's service community. Our research development services include providing competitive intelligence, research on funding agency priorities, outreach to program officers, project management support, professional writing of key proposal elements, and expert guidance throughout the entire proposal development process.

Responsibilities include cultivating relationships with faculty and institutional leaders to be an effective thought partner in organizing diverse and inclusive research and sponsored programs teams, engaging external partners, and developing management and outreach plans to capitalize on funding opportunities and advance Meharry's research enterprise. The ideal candidate for this position will have a strong background in research development and/or research administration, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and a keen eye for detail. The person should also be highly motivated and able to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Daily Operations

• Facilitate the development of large-scale and institutional-wide grant and contract proposals: Strategize with faculty on research initiatives, staff on sponsored programs, and multi-investigator institutional research centers with a goal of enhancing the competitiveness and potential for securing large-scale federal funding, including new programs arising from federal statutes and mandates aimed at strengthening the American healthcare workforce and boosting research and innovation across the nation's healthcare, scientific, and technology public sector ecosystem. Gather and analyze information on proposal mechanisms, previous federal agency awardees, and the potential for success (competitive intelligence). Work closely with faculty and administrative staff to organize strong teams and effective proposal processes to capitalize on funding opportunities. Provide comprehensive editorial review and analyze proposal drafts to produce a compelling final product that is responsive to the solicitation and the funding agency. Provide project-management expertise and proposal content for non-technical sections, and help prepare proposal submission packages in collaboration with other OfRI units.
• Identify, implement, and manage capacity building initiatives for researchers and research enterprise: Partner with faculty, staff, and research centers/institutes on planning grants, building interdisciplinary teams, and other strategically valuable activities that serve as stepping stones to future large-scale proposals in priority areas. Connect investigators and program directors with other relevant resources on and off-campus to support the development of mission critical activities in their proposals. Create and deliver workshops, panels, seminars, and information sessions that build Principal Investigator (PI) and Program/Project Director (PD) grant seeking abilities, proposal writing capabilities, and collaboration identification skills. Identify needs and develop/secure resources for researchers from different disciplines and for different funding agencies, such as toolkits, templates, or guides.
• Prepare and promote communications relative research development services, researchers, and the college's research enterprise capabilities: Develop a communications strategy for research development services to stimulate more engagement by researchers, campus partners, and University leaders. Create communications about research and sponsored program development services, activities, and successes, such as web content, email campaigns, brochures, and periodic reports, for dissemination through a variety of channels. Prepare qualitative and metric-based analyses on the impacts of research development services and successes.
• Identify, build, coordinate and nurture Research and Sponsored Program strategic partnerships and funding opportunities: Identify, establish, and manage strategic partnerships and collaborations with federal agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, professional associations, and universities integral to growing Meharry's research enterprise. Manage external partners, funders, and sponsors events, special days, and site visits to the campus. Deliver presentations about Meharry's research enterprise and represent OfRI at conferences, meetings, and potential funding opportunities. Coordinate other research enterprise advancement, partnership building activities, and special projects as needed.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills

• Strong knowledge of research and sponsored programs funding processes, including grants and contracts ideation, proposal writing, and funding management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to generate presentations, media, and content that promotes and advances research professional development and Meharry's research enterprise.
• Familiarity with federal, state, and corporate policies governing research and sponsored programs funding and compliance (e.g. Uniform Guidance 2 cfr 200, subrecipient monitoring, etc..).
• Ability to establish working relationships and collaborative partnerships with stakeholders at all levels of government, non-profit sector, industry, and academia.
• Knowledgeable of standards and generally accepted best practices in institutional capacity building, transdisciplinary team development, research planning, business development, researcher mentorship, strategic partnership development, and managing a thriving research ecosystem.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative and diverse environment required.
• Ability to partner effectively with investigators who have different interpersonal styles and work in a wide variety of disciplines.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage competing priorities while consistently delivering results in a timely manner.
• Strong personal initiative, service-orientation, and willingness to perform tasks that range from strategic to detail-oriented.
• Demonstrated skills using Microsoft Office software and general business applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, Office365, etc..) and Adobe Creative Suite
• Ability to adhere to all federal, state, and Meharry regulations and technical guidelines on research and sponsored programs, confidentiality, ethics, and professionalism.

PREFERRED

• Public speaking, workshop development, coaching and business development skills are highly desirable.
• Familiarity and/or experience using Workday, BANNER, REDCap, iLabs, OpenScholar, Docusign, and AI applications.
• Knowledge of research industry grants management tracking systems and databases (i.e. Kuali, InfoEd, Cayuse, etc....), familiarity with grant submission portals used by various federal funding agencies (Grants.gov, eRACommons ASSIST, etc...)

Required Education and Experience

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, research administration, education, public policy, or related field. Master's degree preferred.
• At least 7-10 (seven to ten) years of writing, developing, managing, and/or administering research projects, grant proposals, sponsored programs, and research related contracts. Including, experience with developing multidisciplinary proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes for Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies.
• At least 7-10 (seven to ten) years of experience working in high to very high research activity academic, healthcare, or governmental setting.
• At least 7-10 years of experience providing technical assistance, training, and/or professional development activities to internal staff, faculty, and external stakeholders.
• At least 5 (five) years of experience conducting preparing reports and communications for audiences at various levels of government, private sector, non-profit community, and/or academia.
• At least 5 (five) years of supervisory experience, including setting departmental or unit objectives, developing and managing budgets, conducting performance appraisals, and hiring, coaching/mentoring staff.

Preferred

Certified Research Administrator (C.R.A.) designation or equivalent certification. Active membership with one or more professional research development organizations and/or association.

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