Director of Program Development for Sponsored Research

UL Research Institutes • Evanston, IL

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Program Development provides strategic leadership for the development, growth, and advancement of ULRI’s sponsored research portfolio. The Director identifies, shapes, and advances high-impact medium- and large-scale funding opportunities that align with ULRI's strategic priorities and expands opportunities for scientific innovation, partnerships, and external funding across federal and philanthropic funding. The Director develops strategies and processes for complex, cross-disciplinary projects to identify and secure strategic funding opportunities between ULRI and academic partners with the promise for broad, societal impact. The examples of federal opportunities range from mid-level proposals like R01s to large center grants, such as NSF Engineering Research Centers, X-Labs, MRSEC, DOE Energy Frontier Research Centers and the Genesis Mission, DOD center-scale competitions, and federal appropriations requests. Securing funding from philanthropic organizations is another direction of program development, including foundations such as Schmidt Sciences, Moore Foundation, Alfred P Sloan Foundation, and other science-focused philanthropies, including international organizations. Working closely with Chief Program Development Officer, Institute leaders, researchers, and external stakeholders, the Director develops and implements a comprehensive proposal development process that strengthens ULRI's ability to secure and execute complex, multidisciplinary awards across UL Research Institutes. The Director serves as a catalyst for organizational growth by aligning emerging opportunities with institutional capabilities and creating scalable processes that improve proposal development effectiveness across the enterprise.

Requirements

• Master's degree required; doctorate or advanced degree highly preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in program development, strategic initiatives, research development, or related leadership roles, including demonstrated success securing both federal awards and philanthropic grants.
• Experience developing center-scale or multi-institutional proposals ($5M+) for federal agency sponsors and/or multi-year philanthropic initiatives.
• Experience leading and developing a team of experienced professionals.

Nice To Haves

• Proven ability to develop and execute multi-year program development strategies, translating organizational priorities into sponsored research.
• Demonstrated expertise in executing successful complex funding proposals across federal and philanthropic sectors.
• Working knowledge of the federal funding landscape, including agency center-level and multi-institutional programs, and of philanthropic funding practice, including letters of inquiry, program officer cultivation, and stewardship and reporting requirements.
• Engaging, approachable leader who builds high-performing teams; sets standards and accountability; and develops organizational capability through collaboration, mentorship, and influence.
• Demonstrates sound judgment and data-informed decision-making, using strategic insights, organizational metrics, and external trends to guide priorities and drive continuous improvement.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and to manage multiple concurrent, multi-partner proposals under compressed timelines.
• Demonstrated interest in applying AI-enabled tools to opportunity identification, landscape analysis, summarization, and drafting support, and in building durable processes around them.

Responsibilities

• Direct the development and execution of ULRI's proposal development strategy, aligning federal and philanthropic funding opportunities with organizational priorities, research goals, and mission impact.
• Provide strategic direction for the identification, evaluation, and development of strategic funding opportunities across ULRI.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of high-impact opportunities involving federal agencies, foundations, industry, academic institutions, and nonprofit partners.
• Oversee the development of complex, multidisciplinary proposals that expand ULRI's research, education, workforce development, and public impact portfolios.
• Develop frameworks, tools, and best practices that strengthen program development, proposal competitiveness, and organizational readiness, including a library of non-technical proposal components, such as data management plans, broader impacts and workforce development plans, technology transfer plans and project management plans.
• Edit technical and non-technical research proposal content, ensuring compliance with all RFP requirements in coordination with Institutes, Finance, IT/Research Security, and Grants & Contracts teams.
• Drive the adoption of efficient program development processes, including the use of data-driven and AI-enabled approaches to improve effectiveness and scalability.
• Lead a team of experienced program development professionals, setting strategic direction, ensuring accountability, and putting the necessary resources in place to execute the strategy.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans
• Generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay
• Additional 4% investment into retirement saving fund after first year of continuous employment
• Paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days

What This Job Offers

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