Associate Director, Science and Technology Development

The Science and Technology Development (SciTech) team at NCBiotech is seeking an energetic, detail-oriented, and creative Associate Director to complement and expand the existing team. NCBiotech’s SciTech team manages and administers a suite of highly competitive grant funding programs to enable innovation and fund cutting edge life sciences research across North Carolina. If you are interested in university grant programs management and processes, research administration, shaping funding opportunities, pre-commercialization life sciences research across North Carolina, and impacting the North Carolina life sciences ecosystem, apply today.

Purpose

The Associate Director is a member of the Science and Technology Development (SciTech) team. This position will work along and across all aspects of the NCBiotech grants administration pipeline from pre-award to post-award activities. The Associate Director will also be responsible for, along with all other SciTech team members, the planning, coordination, and presentation of grants information sessions across North Carolina. The Associate Director will directly engage with NCBiotech’s Intellectual Exchange Groups. The Associate Director is expected to foster effective relationships between key stakeholders along the technology development pre-commercialization continuum, including internal stakeholders, university investigators and administrators, life sciences companies, and the North Carolina life sciences workforce.

Essential Duties

Grant Program Management and Administration

Contributes to all SciTech grant programs and processes and provides support for all SciTech research grant programs, including the Translational Research Grant, the Innovation Impact Grant, the Flash Grant, and the Scaling to Solutions Grant through a variety of activities, which include:

• Conducts and co-conducts pre-submission consultations.
• Assesses grant proposals for eligibility, degree-of-fit with program requirements, and technical merit.
• Conducts supporting due diligence on grant proposals, as needed, to assess feasibility, identify potential risks, and inform funding recommendations.
• Identifies technical and subject matter experts with relevant domain experience as grant reviewers.
• Authors and co-authors a variety of written reports and presentations, including funding recommendations and grants information sessions.
• Co-organizes with SciTech team and other internal NCBiotech employees grant and funding opportunities information sessions, grants pitch sessions, competitions, grants awardee symposia, and other SciTech events.

Intellectual Exchange Group Program Support

As directed by the Academic-Industry Partnerships and Operations Manager of the Intellectual Exchange Group program, completes tasks related to administrative and financial oversight of the IEGs. Also, acts as a liaison between the IEG Manager and the NCBiotech conference center as needed.

Supervisory Responsibility*

This position may supervise interns engaged on specific SciTech projects.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of and a general understanding of the principles, practices and methods of scientific research, including the principles of sound experimental study design across broad segments of the biological, chemical, and/or biotechnology sciences, including technical training and scientific curiosity.
• Actionable knowledge of scientific academic grants review protocols, processes, and procedures.
• Advanced proficiency in data and analytical skills and an aptitude for assimilating and summarizing life sciences-related information.
• Conversant with university-derived intellectual property protection, technology transfer and licensing, and technology development planning, as they relate to the commercialization of university innovations.
• Familiarity with the general processes involved with evaluating early-stage life sciences technologies for technical merit and commercial potential, with advanced business acumen.
• Ability to summarize and transform complex scientific and technical information into concise and actionable deliverables, including for reports, presentations, and briefings.
• Highly effective written and oral communication skills, encompassing diverse methods and styles, addressing a variety of technical and lay audiences, including Senior Management, Directors, Managers, other internal NCBiotech stakeholders, Executives in Residence, and external partners.
• Strong time and project management skills with extraordinary attention to detail to coordinate and manage schedules with multiple stakeholders.
• A foundational understanding of North Carolina’s life sciences community.
• Ability to forge, facilitate, and maintain productive relationships with internal NCBiotech stakeholders and an array of academic, industry, and life sciences community stakeholders.

Education and Experience

Minimum - Bachelor’s degree in a life sciences-related field and 5 years of professional experience, including project management.

Preferred - Graduate degree in the life sciences or 7-8 years’ experience in a life sciences commercialization role with increasing levels of responsibility. Exposure to technology development, pre-commercialization pathways, and academic research grants administration is highly desired.

• Work is performed under general supervision and is evaluated through conferences, observation, completed work results, and formal performance evaluations.

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time.