Job Details

Assistant Director of Research Development
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Position Number: 5623508
Location: Stony Brook, NY
Position Type: Laboratory and Research

Assistant Director of Research Development

Required Qualifications (as evidenced by an attached resume):
Bachelor's Degree (foreign equivalent or higher). Four (4) years of full-time directly related experience which may include grants administration, research administration/ management and/or project management experience within higher education or industry. Two (2) years of full-time supervisory experience of professional staff. Demonstrated experience in writing, editing and/or producing written content for publications or grant applications. Highly proficient, professional experience in spreadsheet management, e-mail, internet research, and word processing applications (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Apps). Highly proficient in internet research (e.g., information or data mining). Experience coordinating workshops and special events.

Preferred Qualifications:
Master's degree (foreign equivalent or higher). Additional years (5+) of full-time related grants administration, research administration/management and/or project management experience within higher education or industry. Experience providing administrative support to an executive/administrator. Experience with internal seed grant programs. Experience working in a higher education or academic medical setting.

Brief Description of Duties:

Working within the Office of Proposal Development (OPD) in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), and reporting to the Director of OPD, the Assistant Director of Research Development will provide leadership and strategic support for research development priorities at Stony Brook University. The Assistant Director will also provide oversight and training of the research development staff with the goal of increasing University research expenditures.

We seek a solution-driven professional who has strong project management or research experience and knowledge of externally sponsored awards. The successful incumbent will be proactive and creative, with a strong customer service ethic and excellent oral/written communication skills. Essential for this role is the adeptness to work independently as well as part of a team with a collaborative approach to problem-solving. The successful candidate will have team building and supervisory experience.

The Office of Proposal Development's primary focus is on large-scale and/or complex proposals involving multiple departments and external collaborators. OPD also supports early career investigators in launching or bolstering funding for their research program(s). OPD provides strategic, comprehensive assistance to Stony Brook researchers and their staff in finding funding opportunities, developing collaborations, supporting the proposal development process, and serving as a conduit for processes and communications during the development of their grant applications. The Assistant Director of Research Development will work closely with the Office of Sponsored Programs and will collaborate with campus constituencies involved in grant-funding activities. Therefore, having experience effectively multi-tasking in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with a high degree of accuracy and organization is imperative for success in this role. Computer fluency is essential for the Assistant Director of Research Development as expertise with Microsoft Office/Google Apps will be necessary to create spreadsheets, presentations, data visualizations and as a form of effective communication. Duties include:

Oversee the pre- and post-award management of the OVPR Seed Grant Program and all related special initiative seed grant programs and seed grant programs in which OPD is providing administrative support for another unit. Lead the internal evaluation of the impact of the OVPR Seed Grant Program and make regular recommendations for program improvements that will increase the ROI. For programs in which OPD is providing administrative support for another unit, ensure that there is a mutual understanding between parties about the roles and responsibilities of each party.

Oversee the planning and execution of special events, with a focus on workshops designed to increase proposal submissions and/or the success rate of submissions. Seek out and determine areas of improvement among Stony Brook researchers and conceptualize training opportunities, workshop series, and other events to address common needs and university strengths. Identify internal and external speakers for events and manage the coordination of all logistics and administrative components. Create opportunities for Stony Brook investigators to share their research in settings designed to facilitate short- and long-term goals for research projects. Identify opportunities to expand OPD support services across campus, and lead the research development team in implementing new programs/events/services to meet the needs of additional faculty/departments. Have an awareness of research development activities happening at other research-intensive universities and make recommendations for implementing new programs/services at SBU when appropriate to the AVPR; direct Research Development Coordinators in related information gathering and program development work.

Oversee OPD's work in supporting SBU investigators by identifying and disseminating relevant funding opportunities. Ensure Research Development Team is identifying funding opportunities in line with Stony Brook, SUNY-wide, and national research priorities. Keep Director of OPD up-to-date on new solicitations and potential sponsors for larger initiatives led by OPD, including limited competitions. Oversee Research Development Coordinators' administration of internal competitions for restricted submission and make final decisions regarding announcements, review processes, communications with all stakeholders (i.e., SBU faculty, sponsors), and strategies for effective project/program operations. Lead the research development team's efforts in promoting the use of Pivot and expanding training opportunities for Stony Brook investigators and research administrative staff.

Administrative Leadership: Supervise OPD Research Development team members. Directly supervise Research Development Specialists, providing day-to-day guidance and mentoring Specialists in their supervisory roles.

Support Director of OPD and Sr. Associate Vice President for Research (SAVPR) with problem-solving of issues, strategic planning and implementing of new projects that arise and follow-up as appropriate while maintaining strict confidentiality. Optimize research opportunities for faculty by working closely with the AVPR to prioritize the calendar, meeting schedules, conference attendance and special events to align with University strengths. Provide support on SUNY activities, including the coordination of SBU submissions to all SUNY seed grant programs as well as SBU's participation in ongoing SUNY-wide initiatives.

Oversee OPD's external support services, including proposal editors, workshop presenters, and graphic designers. Work with the Research Development team to serve as a liaison between faculty and external consultants and to connect faculty with external consultants by matching the research team with the appropriate consultant (based on area of expertise and workstyle), making introductions, and maintaining communication throughout the life of the project to ensure that OPD is fostering positive relationships with both internal and external contacts. Identify new external consultancy services as necessary to meet the increased demand and complexity of faculty requests. Facilitate onboarding of all external consultants and ensure that non-disclosure agreements are executed before work begins. Manage Research Development team's work on projects involving external consultants, and handle higher-level issues as they come up. Work closely with the Director of OPD and proposal team staff to ensure that proposals supported by OPD and external consultants receive the highest quality support.

Provide oversight to the Research Development team to create and maintain internal resources, such as data trackers and template language, for the OPD team. Oversee and take an active role in the upkeep of information in OPD's log of proposals as well as new databases as they are developed. Oversee the work of Research Development Coordinators on data collection and analysis projects. Assist in data analysis and strategize ways to effectively communicate the data through various media methods, including presentations, written reports, etc. to various groups on campus.

Oversee all of OPD's external communications, including campus-wide emails, presentations, press releases, special reports, and video projects as well as maintenance of OPD's website and management of OVPR social media accounts.

Oversee additional office operations for OPD including: ensuring the website is accurate and up-to-date; process procurement transactions in a timely manner; lead Research Development Coordinators in maintaining office organization and staff schedules.

Responsible for developing inroads and relationships with key departments, units, and local partners as identified by OPD leadership.

Learn about the priorities of these departments/units/partners

Develop expertise in the funding opportunities available to meet these priorities.

Network between the departments/units/partner and OPD to communicate priorities and needs to ensure all parties are kept informed with the goal of generating new business for OPD and building a sense of trust and confidence with the departments/units/partner.

Responsible for coming up with creative and innovative ways to expand SBU's portfolio of external funding for research.

Other duties as assigned.

Special Notes:
The Research Foundation of SUNY is a private educational corporation. Employment is subject to the Research Foundation policies and procedures, sponsor guidelines and the availability of funding. FLSA Exempt position, not eligible for the overtime provisions of the FLSA. Minimum salary threshold must be met to maintain FLSA exemption.

Due to U.S. Export Control laws and regulations, the candidate hired will need to be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or other "protected individual" (as defined by 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1324b(a)(3).

This position may be eligible for alternative workplace arrangements/telework (remote or virtual) or hybrid.

Resume/CV and cover letter should be included with the online application.

Stony Brook University is committed to excellence in diversity and the creation of an inclusive learning and working environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status and all other protected classes under federal or state laws.

If you need a disability-related accommodation, please call the university Office of Equity and Access (OEA) at or visit OEA.

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SUNY Research Foundation: A Great Place to Work.

The starting salary range (or hiring range) to be offered for this position is noted below, it represents SBU's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Salary: 110,000 - 135,000

To apply, visit https://stonybrooku.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=2403104&tz=GMT%2B00%3A00&tzname=UTC