• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $210,000 - $250,000

Position Summary

Data Science Institute (DSI) at Columbia University is a world-leading institute in research and education in the theory and practice of the emerging field of data science. The Data Science Institute's mission involves advancing the state of the art in data science; transforming all fields, professions, and sectors through the application of data science, while ensuring the responsible use of data for the benefit of society.

Reporting to the Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute, the Executive Director of Research will lead, coordinate, and execute strategic research development and initiatives on behalf of the Institute, communicating and consulting with faculty across Columbia University’s 17 schools. This role requires deep knowledge of the research grant lifecycle, including an understanding of the acquisition and management of interdisciplinary initiatives and center-scale opportunities. The incumbent will initiate collaborations to support larger data science-related research objectives across the University.  

The Executive Director will oversee the pre-award proposal development team, and the post-award sponsored projects management team to ensure excellent service provision for the Institute’s faculty members in securing awards, and managing them effectively once they are received.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing the Institute’s pre-award proposal development team and the post-award finance team fostering seamless coordination between the two entities.
• Ensuring high-quality support through the entire project lifecycle to all faculty researchers submitting proposals and receiving awards.
• Supporting faculty in strategic planning for initiatives aligned with the mission, vision, and strategic priorities of the Institute.
• Assisting faculty in developing clear, funder-aligned research agendas and unique value propositions.
• Collaborating with faculty leaders to form teams, and identify gaps, strengths, weaknesses, threats, and partnership opportunities.
• Supporting faculty in pursuing internal and external seed funding for large-scale project planning.
• Developing strategies to raise the profiles of faculty teams and initiatives with funding agencies, including pre-solicitation engagement.
• Collaborating with university leadership, faculty from across Columbia’s schools, and cross-institutional administrators to identify and pursue large-scale funding opportunities aligned with faculty expertise and initiatives.
• Leading institutional support grant requirements across the University, including letters of institutional support or cost share that require commitment from Schools/Institutes/Entities across Columbia University.
• Supporting proposal development that needs input from across the University. 
• Coordinating University partners on grants, including IP plans, commercialization plans, and data management plans. 
• Guiding faculty and leadership in evaluating team and institutional factors to enhance competitiveness for funding opportunities.
• Supporting effective decision-making for funding pursuits by providing insights into strategic considerations and competitiveness analysis.
• Identifying, supporting, and assisting in the planning of events that are of strategic value to the Institute, particularly for the development of research-related content.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, with a minimum of 8-10  years related experience.
• Prior experience in Higher Education Research Administration.
• Substantial knowledge of funding programs and proposal policies and procedures.
• Must be highly organized, enthusiastic,  personable, and able 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

• 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 research.gov site, and InfoReady Review.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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