Strategic Research Initiatives Manager – GIE

Universities of Wisconsin•Madison, WI

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Grainger Institute for Engineering (GIE), a non-academic unit in the office of the Associate Dean for Corporate Engagement & Entrepreneurship, is seeking a strategic, collaborative program manager to plan and direct the day-to-day operational, outreach, and promotional activities of GIE-supported research programs. GIE drives transformational, cross-disciplinary projects that advance the strategic goals of the College of Engineering. The manager serves as a technical subject matter expert and primary liaison among faculty, College and university partners, and external stakeholders, promoting research accomplishments, core capabilities, and new initiatives. The role develops and implements program plans, milestones, budgets, and reporting to advance program objectives, and supports strategic program development by identifying connections, gaps, emerging opportunities, and pathways to larger interdisciplinary initiatives and external funding. The manager also works directly with project teams to operationalize their initiatives. The position monitors federal research trends and funding priorities, supports research concepts, white papers, and interdisciplinary grant proposals, coordinates program resources, manages contractors and vendors, and oversees program plans, budgets, milestones, risks, issues, and reporting. The position is anticipated to be performed in person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Requirements

Considerable experience managing complex research or technical programs involving multiple investigators or stakeholders.
Proven ability to understand, synthesize, and translate complex engineering and scientific information for technical and non-technical audiences.
Extensive experience building and managing structured program plans, including defining milestones, tracking deliverables, establishing metrics, and managing program budgets.
Excellent organizational, analytical, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Master’s degree in engineering, technology, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with federal funding agencies or funding mechanisms.
Demonstrated success developing, writing, or coordinating large-scale, multi-investigator, or multi-institutional research proposals or white papers.
Experience navigating university research administration, national labs, federal agencies, or industry R&D partnerships.
Proven ability to monitor federal research priorities, identify emerging funding trends, and map core research capabilities to strategic interdisciplinary opportunities.
PhD in engineering, technology, or a related technical discipline.

Responsibilities

Monitor federal research trends and funding priorities to identify connections, gaps, and emerging opportunities; support development of research concepts, white papers, and competitive interdisciplinary grant proposals.
Set priorities, allocate tasks, and collaborate with project staff to meet program targets and milestones; manage change control and serve as a mid-level decision-making authority.
Plan and direct day-to-day operational activities of research programs in alignment with strategic objectives; serve as a liaison and subject matter expert across internal and external stakeholders to promote accomplishments, initiatives, and technical capabilities.
Manage outside contractors and vendors and ensure they are integrated into the program and provide satisfactory service.
Prepare regular program status reports; communicate goals, risks, and status with program executives, sponsors, and stakeholders; develop and use dashboards, measures, and reporting tools.
Lead efforts to determine and coordinate resource sharing among component projects for the overall benefit of the program.
Facilitate estimates of program costs, resources, and time; monitor activities and budgets; direct component project manager activities for consistency and alignment; and work with program leadership to meet targets.
Follow established change control processes when program targets can no longer be met.
Create the program plan and structure, monitor progress and performance against the plan, and identify, resolve, or escalate program risks and issues.
Work directly with project teams to help operationalize their initiatives.