Director of Program Development for Sponsored Research
About the role
We have an exciting opportunity for a Director of Program Development for Sponsored Research at UL Research Institutes, based in our Evanston, Illinois, office. The Director of Program Development provides strategic leadership for the development, growth, and advancement of ULRI’s sponsored research portfolio. The Director identifies, shapes, and advances high-impact medium- and large-scale funding opportunities that align with ULRI's strategic priorities and expands opportunities for scientific innovation, partnerships, and external funding across federal and philanthropic funding. The Director develops strategies and processes for complex, cross-disciplinary projects to identify and secure strategic funding opportunities between ULRI and academic partners with the promise for broad, societal impact. The examples of federal opportunities range from mid-level proposals like R01s to large center grants, such as NSF Engineering Research Centers, X-Labs, MRSEC, DOE Energy Frontier Research Centers and the Genesis Mission, DOD center-scale competitions, and federal appropriations requests. Securing funding from philanthropic organizations is another direction of program development, including foundations such as Schmidt Sciences, Moore Foundation, Alfred P Sloan Foundation, and other science-focused philanthropies, including international organizations. Working closely with Chief Program Development Officer, Institute leaders, researchers, and external stakeholders, the Director develops and implements a comprehensive proposal development process that strengthens ULRI's ability to secure and execute complex, multidisciplinary awards across UL Research Institutes. The Director serves as a catalyst for organizational growth by aligning emerging opportunities with institutional capabilities and creating scalable processes that improve proposal development effectiveness across the enterprise.
UL Research Institutes span diverse fields addressing complex societal challenges, from chemical pollution, wildfire threats, and energy storage challenges to novel material design and AI safety. After a 134-year history as a non-profit safety science organization