Director of Innovation

Vanderbilt University•Nashville, TN

21h

About The Position

The Director of Innovation serves as the primary lead of the Institute’s Innovate Pillar and is responsible for the strategic design, growth, and operational execution of the Institute’s sponsored research and technology innovation portfolio. This role operates as a senior member of the Institute’s team, with enterprise-level responsibility for innovation strategy, external partnerships, and revenue generation aligned with national security research priorities. The Director of Innovation owns the development and execution of a multi-year innovation roadmap, including oversight of a defined operating budget and revenue targets tied to government-sponsored research and strategic partnerships. The role functions with independent signature authority for proposals and external representation, serving as the Institute’s innovation representative to federal agencies, national laboratories, and strategic industry partners. This position requires executive-level engagement across academic, government, and defense communities and operates with significant autonomy in originating new initiatives, securing funding, and shaping institutional innovation priorities under the guidance and vision of the Institute’s Executive Leadership. The Vanderbilt University Institute of National Security is an academic proving ground for future national security leaders and a hub for innovation. The Institute offers the national security community access to top student talent and fresh thinking from a university rooted in open debate, radical collaboration, and real-world impact. The Institute also provides a trusted space to convene leaders, experts, and students for conversations about the pressing challenges facing our nation and the world.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, computer engineering, data science, national security or related field is required.
12-14+ years of experience at the intersection of technology, applied research, and national security operations is required.
Relevant education can be substituted for required experience.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree in engineering, computer science, or a national security-related field is strongly preferred.
An active or recently held TS/SCI clearance is strongly preferred.
Prior experience with defense innovation organizations (DARPA, DIU, In-Q-Tel, service labs), national laboratories, or equivalent private-sector Research & Development leadership is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serves as a member of the Institute’s leadership team with a formal role in strategic planning, institutional governance discussions, and long-range resource allocation decisions.
Establishes and leads the strategic direction of the Innovate Pillar, including setting annual and multi-year objectives aligned with national security priorities and Vanderbilt’s institutional strategy.
Exercises independent judgment and decision-making authority in shaping innovation initiatives, partnerships, and research focus areas.
Owns and manages a defined innovation operating budget and sponsored research portfolio.
Establishes annual revenue targets for government and foundation-sponsored research and is accountable for achieving portfolio growth goals.
Leads financial forecasting and pipeline tracking for innovation-related funding opportunities.
Originates and leads large-scale proposal development efforts, including multi-investigator, multi-institution submissions.
Serves as principal strategist in identifying, cultivating, and securing funding from DoD, Intelligence Community, DOE, DHS, and other national security agencies.
Drives the growth of a high-impact research portfolio generating significant grant revenue.
Provides direct supervision and performance management of staff within the Innovate Pillar.
Leads cross-functional teams spanning faculty, researchers, students, and administrative staff.
Builds scalable operational processes to support innovation pipeline development.
Serves as the Institute’s designated innovation representative to senior government, military, laboratory, and industry stakeholders.
Represents the Institute independently in high-level engagements, briefings, and partnership negotiations.
Maintains and expands strategic relationships with national laboratories (Sandia, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, PNNL, etc.) and defense innovation organizations (DARPA, DIU, In- Q-T
Independently identifies emerging national security challenges and formulates new innovation initiatives.
Designs and launches new research programs, applied innovation labs, and translational initiatives.
Shapes the Institute’s innovation identity at the institutional and national level.