Assistant Director for Research Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives (Part-Time)

James Madison University•Harrisonburg, VA

31d

About The Position

As the Madison Center for Civic Engagement advances as a Research Center of Excellence at James Madison University, the Assistant Director of Research Development supports the growth and sustainability of the Center’s research and sponsored project portfolio. This role provides both strategic and operational support for grant development (pre-award), contributes to research design and dissemination, and supports post-award coordination in collaboration with Center leadership and staff. The Assistant Director plays a key role in advancing the Center’s research mission by identifying funding opportunities, supporting the development of competitive grant proposals, and strengthening research capacity across faculty, staff, and students. This position bridges grant development with the Center’s broader research, evaluation, and civic engagement initiatives.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience supporting the development of grant proposals, sponsored projects, research initiatives, or other complex funding applications.
Demonstrated ability to develop, assess, or contribute to research designs, evaluation plans, data-collection strategies, or evidence-based program improvement efforts.
Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to develop clear, persuasive, and well-organized proposals, reports, presentations, publications, or other research-related materials.
Strong project-management and organizational skills, including the ability to coordinate multiple projects, manage deadlines, track deliverables, and maintain accurate documentation.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with diverse partners, such as faculty, staff, students, community organizations, K–12 educators, funders, or administrative offices.
Experience supporting, mentoring, or advising students, faculty, staff, or project teams engaged in research, evaluation, grant development, or related scholarly activities.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of or demonstrated interest in civic engagement, civic education, democratic participation, public deliberation, or a closely related field.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with Center leadership to advance the Madison Center’s research agenda, including identifying priority areas and funding strategies.
Coordinate with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and Corporate & Foundation Relations (CFR) to build and sustain a pipeline of grant and funding opportunities aligned with the Madison Center’s mission.
Support the development of research frameworks, study designs, and evaluation approaches aligned with Center initiatives.
Assist in cultivating and sustaining research partnerships across campus, K–12 partners, and national networks.
Contribute to the development of research outputs, including reports, white papers, presentations, and publications.
Support the development and implementation of post-award tracking systems to monitor progress and ensure alignment with grant deliverables and reporting requirements.
Collaborate with Center staff to track project milestones, evaluation metrics, and reporting timelines.
Provide coordination support for reporting, compliance, and documentation practices in partnership with administrative staff and university offices.
Assist with report writing, continuation proposals, and award modifications as needed.
Support the development and implementation of student-engaged research opportunities, including undergraduate and graduate research experiences aligned with the Center’s mission.
Mentor and advise students involved in Center-sponsored research, including guidance on research design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination.
Collaborate with faculty affiliates to advance research initiatives, including identifying funding opportunities and supporting proposal development.
Assist in building infrastructure to support faculty–student research collaboration, including working groups and related initiatives.
Support the dissemination of student and faculty research through presentations, reports, publications, and community-facing outputs.
Develop tools, templates, and processes to strengthen the Center’s research and grant development infrastructure (e.g., proposal templates, department specific narrative libraries, department specific evaluation frameworks).
Support alignment across projects to ensure integration of research, programming, and funding strategies.
Contribute to building a cohesive environment that promotes evidence-based practice, continuous improvement, and research dissemination.