Senior Manager of Federal Laboratory Partnership Development

The Applied Research Institute (ARI) seeks applicants for a Senior Manager of Federal Laboratory Partnership Development position. The Senior Manager of Federal Laboratory Partnership Development will be located onsite at Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will lead partnership development with Sandia in collaboration with the ARI, Illinois colleges, Institutes and Vice Chancellor for Research. The Senior Manager will be responsible for defining and building an Illinois presence at Sandia involving Illinois faculty, researchers, interns and students. The candidate will be a full-time, benefits-eligible academic professional appointed on a 12-month service basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible following the closing date. Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Sandia is developing a new strategic model called the Academic Alliance Program (AAP) for institutional partnering with a select set of leading universities, including Illinois. Consistent with the objectives of the AAP, Sandia and Illinois have committed to deepen their institutional relationship and agreed to three high-level partnership goals: solving the nation’s big problems, sustaining and engaging human capital, and accelerating the adoption of new technologies. In this critical pathfinding role, the Manager will spearhead partnership development, new research directions and technology transfer.

The ARI is a rapidly growing research, development and engineering (RD&E) venture on the Urbana-Champaign campus. The ARI responds to a set of long-standing regional and national needs to compete for and execute applied research and development projects normally considered beyond traditional boundaries of the University of Illinois enterprise; to provide rapid response to technical opportunities and requirements; and to enhance commercial and employment opportunities. These combined requirements drive the structure of the Institute. More information about this position and the ARI can be found at http://appliedresearch.illinois.edu/. 

Duties and Responsibilities

  Develop and maintain research partnerships between Sandia and Illinois campus administrators, unit heads, faculty,

staff and students

  Serve as the Illinois onsite liaison with Sandia National Laboratories

  Represent Illinois to the Sandia CTO and leadership team and serve as Illinois’ onsite interface to Sandia researchers and administration

  Facilitate Illinois faculty presence at Sandia and forge connections between researchers at Sandia with researchers at Illinois

  Lead joint research and development (R&D) program development efforts between Sandia and ARI/Illinois in coordination with the appropriate program leads at Illinois and Sandia

  Serve as a member of the Illinois Campus Executive team, which coordinates the relationship between Illinois and Sandia, and partner with Sandia staff to increase the number and quality of students, postdocs, and regular hires sourced from Illinois

  Develop an organization composed of students, regular R&D and joint-appointment staff based at Sandia to support jointly executed research projects between Illinois and Sandia, and respond to new collaborative funding opportunities from federal agencies and other sources

  Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

  Bachelor’s degree in a technical field such as applied science, engineering, or computer technology

  A proven track record in program development, external partnerships and recruiting

  Five or more years of related research and/or management experience in a technical field such as applied science, engineering, or computer technology

  Knowledge of and ability to coordinate and execute University strategies for national engagement with the public and private sectors

  Two or more years of management experience

  Possess strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies

  Possess excellent oral and written communication skills

  Hold a valid driver’s license

  Eligibility to obtain a security clearance (requires U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident status)

  Ability to relocate to Albuquerque, New Mexico and travel occasionally (open to flexible work arrangements)

Preferred Qualifications

  Master’s or PhD in a technical field such as applied science, engineering, or computer technology

  Two or more years of experience in areas of mutual interest to Sandia and Illinois (Trusted Systems and Communications, Cyber Resiliency, Science and Engineering of Quantum Information Systems, Biological Systems Analysis and Engineering, and Human Dimension

This is a security–sensitive position. Comprehensive background checks, which may include but not be limited to a criminal conviction information check, will be conducted.

To apply for this position, please create your candidate profile at http://jobs.illinois.edu and upload your cover letter, resume, and names/contact information for three references as a single PDF file by August 14, 2015. For further information regarding application procedures, contact Summer Redman at sredman@illinois.edu or 217-300-5400.