Associate Vice President, Research Strategy

The Ohio State University • Columbus, OH

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Vice President for Research Strategy, reporting to the Vice President for Research (VPR), plays a pivotal role in strengthening the university's research enterprise. This role, which leads the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge’s Research and Proposal Development Office, integrates executive management, research strategy, and strategic collaboration to ensure that Ohio State is positioned for research growth aligned with institutional goals and emerging opportunities at the state, national, and global levels. A successful candidates will possess the proven ability to build, lead, and mentor high-performing teams; experience utilizing research data and analytics to produce data-informed growth strategies and competitive intelligence reports; knowledge of academic research enterprises; and a deep understanding of federal funding mechanisms across multiple agencies. In addition, successful candidates will demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with faculty researchers across disciplines; familiarity with academic research administration and university research operations; and understanding of interdisciplinary, translational, and team science research approaches.

Requirements

• Master's degree.
• 12 years of work experience successfully managing research-related initiatives, cross-campus collaborations, or strategic engagement efforts within a university, government, or research-intensive environment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
• Possesses a high degree of independent drive.
• Understanding of research data/analytics and competitive analysis.
• Ability to inspire and energize teams to achieve high performance.
• Skilled in building productive relationships with faculty and staff.
• Demonstrates excellent judgment and decision-making skills.
• Competence with the Microsoft Office suite of software tools.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in any field.
• 15 years of work experience successfully managing research-related initiatives, cross-campus collaborations, or strategic engagement efforts within a university, government, or research-intensive environment.
• Tableau/data visualization tools and subscription research analytics tools.

Responsibilities

• Serves as chief research strategy advisor to the VPR and drives initiatives that position Ohio State for research growth and leadership in areas of known strength and emerging opportunity.
• Implements initiatives that foster interdisciplinary and team science collaborations and position interdisciplinary teams for major federal research initiatives.
• Provides executive leadership and direction to the university’s Research Development team and leads efforts to curate research analytics tools for use with research portfolio and sponsor analyses, competitive analyses, and strategic research planning.
• Works with the Office of Government Affairs to foster research connections with federal and state sponsors.
• Interfaces and coordinates with unit academic, Wexner Medical Center, and ERIK leadership to help align research development strategy with identified growth opportunities.
• Manages the President’s Research Excellence seed fund and central university cost-share support programs and identifies and recommends opportunities for collaborative infrastructure investments across disciplinary boundaries that will position Ohio State for research growth.
• Implements ERIK’s strategic vision by developing, initiating, and/or creating new programs and initiatives in coordination with other ERIK core functions.
• Manages financial/budget for the Research and Proposal Development Office and program record-keeping systems for the unit.
• Oversees a strategy research team to develop and implement strategy.
• Represents the program to internal and external stakeholders, collaborators, and partners.
• Troubleshoots and resolves complex issues.
• Accountable for consistent administration of university policies and procedures.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
• Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
• State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.

What This Job Offers

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