Senior Director, Government Funding & Partnerships

University City Science Center•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

The Senior Director, Government Funding & Partnerships is responsible for building and executing the University City Science Center's federal funding and contract capture strategy. This role owns the end-to-end pipeline for identifying, qualifying, pursuing, and winning federal grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts (prime and subaward) that advance the Science Center's mission and programs across innovation, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, workforce development, and inclusive economic growth. The Senior Director serves as the organization's primary driver of federal proposal development and "contract hunting," with particular emphasis on agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a strong preference for recent experience pursuing Department of Defense (DoD) and defense innovation opportunities (e.g., BAAs, SBIR/STTR, Other Transaction (OT) pathways, and related innovation programs). They cultivate relationships with program officers, contracting officials, prime contractors, and strategic partners to position the Science Center for awards aligned with current federal priorities. In addition to managing the Science Center's institutional federal funding pipeline, the Senior Director builds and manages an outward-facing federal funding support function for Science Center portfolio companies and ecosystem participants — helping founders navigate SBIR/STTR, NIH, NSF, DoD, and other federal funding pathways as a core line of business. This function operates in direct coordination with the SVP New Ventures and Innovation and is central to the Science Center's value proposition as a federal funding connector within the regional innovation ecosystem. In addition to federal funding, the Senior Director supports a diversified funding mix by partnering with Advancement to secure competitive foundation support (national and regional) that complements public funding and accelerates program impact. Government relations and limited lobbying support are a part of the role, with a focus on directly enabling Science Center funding priorities (e.g., appropriations, agency engagement, and removal of barriers to award execution). This position reports to the SVP New Ventures and Innovation and manages the Science Center's internal pre-award and post-award functions, including a Pre-Award/Proposal Operations Manager and a Post-Award Grants & Contracts/Compliance Manager. The Senior Director is accountable for creating repeatable processes, driving on-time/high-quality submissions, strengthening post-award compliance and reporting, and improving the Science Center's overall win rate and return on investment for pursuits. They may also manage external consultants (e.g., proposal writers, budget specialists, compliance experts, and lobbying support) as needed. This position has access to sensitive Science Center employee and financial information and is expected to handle such information with integrity and professionalism. They are expected to represent the Science Center in a professional manner at all times.

Requirements

Demonstrated success identifying, pursuing, and winning federal funding (grants, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts), including work with NSF and NIH.
Working knowledge of federal proposal development, budgeting, and compliance requirements, including 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance).
Ability to navigate federal contracting and acquisition concepts (e.g., RFPs, BAAs, SBIR/STTR, OTAs) and translate them into actionable pursuit plans for both the institution and portfolio companies.
Strong capture and proposal management skills: positioning, partner strategy, storyboarding, schedules, reviews, and submission quality control.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally about scientific, technical, and business issues to a wide range of stakeholders; including founders, investors, and federal program officers.
Strong organizational skills with attention to detail, comfort managing multiple pursuits with competing deadlines.
Ability to lead and develop teams and to work collaboratively across departments in a matrixed environment.
Ability to engage government stakeholders and support appropriations/policy strategies, including coordinating external lobbying support when needed, in service of funding objectives
10+ years of progressive experience in federal funding development, capture/proposal management, and/or grants and contracts in a nonprofit, higher education, research, innovation, or economic development context.
Documented track record of securing competitive awards as a lead applicant and/or key partner, with direct experience in NSF and/or NIH portfolios.
Experience managing staff and/or leading cross-functional proposal teams.
Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree desired (public policy, business, science/engineering, urban studies, law, or related field)

Nice To Haves

Direct experience supporting early-stage companies or startups in navigating SBIR/STTR, federal grant applications, or innovation funding programs strongly preferred.
Recent (past 3–5 years) experience pursuing and/or winning DoD and defense innovation opportunities (prime or sub), including experience with BAAs and/or OT pathways.
Direct experience supporting startup or portfolio company federal funding pursuits, particularly SBIR/STTR navigation, program officer engagement, or phase progression strategy.
Experience securing grants from private and/or family foundations and coordinating blended public-private funding strategies.
Familiarity with FAR/DFARS concepts and federal contract administration best practices.
Experience supporting appropriations and government relations strategies (including working with external lobbyists) in service of organizational funding priorities.

Responsibilities

Federal Funding Strategy and Pipeline Management
Emergent Federal Funding Support for Portfolio Companies
Proposal Development and Capture Execution
DoD and Defense Innovation Portfolio
Foundation and Blended Funding Development
Post-Award Coordination, Compliance, and Performance
Team Leadership and Operational Management
Government Relations and Advocacy
Effectively and efficiently manage the cost and performance of outside consultants and internal expenses.
Monitor and directly promote business growth and development across all Science Center departments, through government relations and grant activity.
Contribute to internal and external communications, messaging, marketing, and promotion, as appropriate.
Maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive employee, partner, and financial information with integrity and professionalism.
Represent the Science Center professionally with funders, partners, and external stakeholders.
Contribute to internal and external communications as appropriate to support positioning for funding opportunities.
Other duties as assigned within the scope of the position, consistent with the organization's mission and priorities.