About the role
Job Profile: Research Development Specialist 4
Job Family:
Research Development
Time Type:
Full time
Apply before 11:59 PM Arizona time the day before the posted End Date.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree and seven (7) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
Job Profile Summary:
Provides expert-level support in proposal management, competitive intelligence, and relationship development, playing a crucial role in guiding faculty and research teams toward successful funding outcomes and enhancing the institution's research profile.
Job Description:
Reporting to the Associate Dean of Research and Global Initiatives, the Senior Program Manager will support a pilot initiative to identify, organize, and communicate faculty research capabilities in priority technical areas, including quantum, microelectronics/semiconductors, materials, space, and biotechnology.
The Senior Program Manager will conduct structured faculty outreach, develop a searchable inventory of research strengths and assets, synthesize capabilities into thematic clusters, prepare briefing materials and collaterals for internal planning and future external engagement, identify and develop potential industry partners and function as their liaison and point-of-contact. The position will work closely with faculty, academic unit chairs/directors, research centers, research administration, relevant ASU teams such as Corporate Engagement and Strategic Priorities, J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, SkySong Innovations and other relevant university offices
The role is intended for a highly organized professional with strong project management, writing, synthesis, and relationship-building skills. The successful candidate should be comfortable engaging faculty and technical experts, working with industry partners, learning complex research areas, and translating information into clear summaries for academic leadership and external audiences.
Position Salary Range:
$80,000 - $95,000 per year; DOE
Essential Duties:
Capability Discovery
Design and manage a structured faculty discovery process in collaboration with the ADR.
Conduct interviews with faculty and research groups, focusing first on priority areas.
Document faculty expertise, current research activities, emerging interests, facilities, equipment, testbeds, datasets, software, centers, student talent, and current/prior external collaborations.
Identify faculty who are interested in industry engagement and translational research.
Capability Mapping and Research Portfolio Development
Develop and maintain a searchable inventory or database of research and equipment capabilities in The College.
Identify clusters of strength across departments, centers, and research groups.
Prepare internal summaries that help The College leadership understand where The College has concentrated expertise, emerging capacity, and possible areas of strategic opportunity.
Track gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for cross-faculty collaboration.
Briefing Materials and Communications
Prepare faculty capability summaries, research area briefs, and internal briefing packets for leadership review.
Draft plain-language summaries of technical research strengths for non-specialist audiences.
Support development of external-facing materials.
Create templates for faculty intake, research profiles, capability briefs, and meeting summaries.
Maintain consistent documentation of findings, themes, and follow-up needs.
Program Coordination
Coordinate with ASU’s Corporate Engagement and Strategic Priorities team, the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, Skysong Innovations, Knowledge Enterprise units, and other relevant offices to ensure alignment, avoid duplication, connect faculty with appropriate university resources, and support a coordinated approach to industry engagement.
Coordinate meetings, listening sessions, and small convenings with faculty, research centers, internal stakeholders, and industry partners.
Work with academic units, research centers, relevant Knowledge Enterprise offices to collect needed information.
Track progress, timelines, deliverables, and outstanding follow-up items.
Support the ADR in preparing updates for the Dean and other leadership groups.
Support for Industry Research Partnerships
Inventory existing industry contacts, prior sponsored research relationships, advisory board connections, alumni connections, and relevant federal or consortia relationships.
Help identify which faculty capabilities may be ready for future external conversations and which may need additional development or framing.
Support planning for faculty-industry roundtables, advisory conversations, or targeted listening sessions.
Provide data and materials to inform industry research partnership development.
Act as point of contact for industry partners.
Provide logistical and planning support in advancing identified research partnership opportunities.
Desired Qualifications: Ph.D. in a relevant field.
Experience working in a research-intensive university, research institute, national lab, technical organization, or industry-facing research environment.
Familiarity with one or more of the following areas: quantum, microelectronics, semiconductors, materials, space, engineering, physical sciences, or applied technology fields.
Experience developing research summaries, capability statements, program reports, or briefing materials.
Experience with CRM systems, Airtable, Excel, Smartsheet, Salesforce, or other structured tracking/database tools.
Familiarity with sponsored research, technology transfer, industry partnerships, federal research programs, or research centers.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
Excellent communication skills.
Ability to synthesize complex information into clear summaries.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with faculty, researchers, technical staff, administrators, and external stakeholders.
Comfort learning new technical areas and asking effective discovery questions.
Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records, databases, and reports.
Working Environment:
Most work is performed in an environmentally controlled office setting requiring extended periods of sitting, computer use, data analysis, report preparation, and participation in meetings with internal and external stakeholders.
Travel between university campus, research facilities, and industry partners is required.
May require work, including attending events, outside normal business hours to support industry partnership development.
Department Statement:
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (The College) is the largest college at ASU and is organized in a divisional structure comprised of Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. The atmosphere is collegial, priorities are fluid and demands for assistance come from many directions. This position provides an opportunity to exercise initiative, work with populations and enhance leadership skills.
The College offers the greatest choice and diversity of studies of any school at Arizona State University, the largest public university in the United States. In addition to top academic programs, award-winning faculty, and state-of-the-art lab and research facilities, The College offers unique opportunities to explore a vast spectrum of academic disciplines - from science and math to languages and philosophy - that few other colleges and universities can provide. The College has 90+ undergraduate majors and 140+ graduate degrees housed in 23 interdisciplinary schools and departments. The College is redefining liberal arts and sciences education for the 21st century.
Driving Requirement:
Driving is not required for this position.
Location:
Campus: Tempe
Fundin