Assistant Director of Energy Innovation Operations & Engagement

Louisiana State University

13d

About The Position

The Assistant Director is responsible for the end-to-end management, execution, and reporting of the Energy Institute’s Innovation Fund portfolio and related strategic deliverables. This role brings discipline and delivery to a fast-moving calendar, ensuring the Institute can reliably deploy funds, track outcomes, and communicate value to stakeholders. The Assistant Director also serves as a central point of coordination amongst the University’s administration, the LSU Foundation, and other external partners, including industry, nonprofits, and agencies, legislative staff, and elected officials as needed. The role is designed to improve timing, structure, follow-through, and transparency of research projects and communicate the value of energy research at LSU to internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree and 3 years of work experience with some related, specific experience. Specifically: Program administration, government operations, or complex multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent workstreams with firm deadlines and high accountability.
• Strong writing skills (briefings, summaries, reports) and the ability to convert complex activity into clear, decision-ready updates.
• High discretion & professionalism with demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information & stakeholder relationships.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelors Degree and 7 years of experience with state appropriations / legislative processes or working with state agencies and legislative staff
• experience managing funding programs (grant cycles, RFPs, awards, compliance, reporting)
• familiarity with university research environments (PIs, sponsored programs, foundations, procurement, and reporting norms)
• knowledge of Louisiana energy, natural resources, infrastructure, or innovation ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Research Program Management and Delivery - Establish operating cadence for research projects with the Director: annual plan, program calendar, cycles, deadlines, decision points, and deliverable timelines. Maintain internal operating notes and timelines. Develop and maintain project management tools and documentation, including an Innovation Fund “portfolio view” (projects, budgets, milestones, risks, dependencies, and outcomes). Implement repeatable workflows for idea intake and screening, project selection readiness, award setup and launch, milestone tracking, closeout, and outcomes capture. Establish clear “success metrics” for funded projects (deliverables, decision-useful outputs, & measurable results). Coordinate with the director in drafting, coordinating, and managing the Innovation Fund competitive processes, including: Request for Proposals (RFP) development; Eligibility requirements & scoring frameworks; Review logistics & documentation; Award recommendations & approval packets; and coordinating proposal reviewers. Ensure timely onboarding and award kickoff with funded teams (PIs, labs, collaborators). Provide high-trust administrative coordination for the Director with LSU PIs and internal/external stakeholders as needed (scheduling, agenda-building, meeting prep), with a focus on execution and follow-through.
• Reporting, Transparency, and “Proof of Value” - Coordinate with ORED finance and research administration to ensure awards and expenditures are: Correctly established and coded; Tracked against budgets and restrictions; Reconciled and reported on schedule; Maintain a monthly internal dashboard showing funds committed vs. expended, burn rate, forecasts, and cash flow timing, Obligations and upcoming decisions. Support alignment with LSU Foundation and any donor- or gift-related restrictions (when applicable). Lead creation of consistent reporting outputs that demonstrate value delivered, including: One-page project summaries (purpose, deliverables, status, and outcomes), Portfolio-level dashboards and quarterly updates, Annual and/or semi-annual reports (as required). Build an outcomes capture process (publications, prototypes, tools, policy memos, datasets, workforce outcomes, follow-on grants, partnerships, etc.). • Ensure reporting is accurate, timely, and defensible to reduce stakeholder burden while increasing confidence.
• Stakeholder and Strategic Initiative Management - Serve as a day-to-day liaison for key stakeholders connected to the Innovation Fund, including LSU internal leadership and administrative partners, Agency partners, Industry, and external collaborators (as applicable). Prepare briefings, meeting materials, and decision memos for leadership and advisory bodies. Manage and execute stakeholder and advisory board action items: track commitments, follow-ups, deliverables, and approvals. Work with the Director to help embed the Future Use of Energy In Louisiana (FUEL) project into the long-term operations of the Energy Innovation Fund and the Energy Institute to ensure continuity of its mission beyond the expiration of its 10-year NSF funding period.
• Institute Government Relations Liaison - Serve as Energy Institute liaison with LSU External Affairs. Support Institute and LSU leadership with session readiness by: Tracking key dates, deadlines, and hearing cycles relevant to Institute priorities; Developing and maintaining a simple tracker of legislation or instruments relevant to the Institute’s work; and by coordinating briefing materials and timely updates to leadership. Ensure the Institute’s reporting and deliverables are aligned with stakeholder expectations & public accountability.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• LSU offers outstanding benefits to eligible employees and their dependents including health, life, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement options; various leave options; paid holidays; wellness benefits; tuition exemption for qualified positions; training and development opportunities; employee discounts; and more!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director