Director, Grant Development Services

Follow us on Job Type:EmployeeDuration in Months(for fixed-term jobs):36Job Family:Research and Program Support# of Open Positions:1Faculty/Service - Department:Research Management ServicesCampus:Main CampusUnion Affiliation:N/ADate Posted:April 08, 2024Closing Date:May 08, 2024Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date aboveHours per week:35Salary Grade:Non-Union Grade NM3Salary Range:$118,010.00 - $143,659.00The University of OttawaA crossroads of cultures and ideas The University of Ottawa is home to a dynamic community of over 50,000 students, faculty, and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroad of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We believe in the power of representation, and that increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff supports this objective. Our goal is to provide students with the best possible learning experience, in an environment that reflects the diversity of its people, their ideas, and their identities. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. Our employees come together for the shared purpose of constant improvement, personal development, service excellence, teamwork, and a passion for learning with a desire to make uOttawa and the world a better place. Everyone's contributions are valued, we all play a part in making uOttawa a world-class institution. Most importantly, we make it possible for you to achieve your full potential. Because at uOttawa, you belong! *Please submit a cover letter along with your resume.*The position will be posted until the role is filled.Position Purpose:Reporting to the Assistant Vice-President, Research Services, the Director, Grant Development Services is a critical leader within the OVPRI portfolio for the development, delivery and ongoing review of strategies and frameworks to enable increased research funding success across Tri-Agency and other grant funding agencies. S/he has responsibility for responding to and developing compelling large-scale multi-million-dollar strategic and/or institutional research grant applications in collaboration with cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives. The Director brings scientific and scholarly knowledge and expert knowledge of Canada’s research funding landscape, stakeholders, researchers, networks and current and future trends in research funding strategy and compliance. S/he has a critical leadership role in ensuring that the University of Ottawa achieves its strategic priorities in research excellence and increases its global rankings and impact. In this role, your responsibilities will include:Research Strategy: Collaborate with senior leadership to develop a comprehensive strategy and implement programs to increase success in multi-million-dollar research grant opportunities that leverage the University’s priorities and unique research strengths. Includes environmental scanning and performance measurement. Direct new approaches to research collaboration, create a state of readiness, establish priorities for response and create cross-linkages and collaboration with the research community, faculties and OVPRI units.Research Development: Direct the university's strategic response to large-scale multidisciplinary strategic funding opportunities from Tri-Agency and other agencies. Leverage expert scientific and scholarly knowledge and experience with research environments, trends, networks, impact and policy to develop successful multi-million-dollar proposals. This includes assembling bespoke, complex and multi-faceted research teams and enabling multi-sector partner support, cash and in-kind resources to ensure the success of the funded program. Direct the coordination of highly complex pre-submission scientific grant development and review processes, including ensuring at the outset that all components in place for effective responding to the funding opportunity objectives, priorities, eligibility and selection criteria. Oversight of grant development team including outlining program of research, internal review, external expert review processes, diverse partnership development, preparation of institutional application sections, editing of complex scientific proposal, budget development, generation of schematics and expert advice and communication with the research team. Communication and Outreach: Directs strategies for effectively communicating strategic research funding opportunities, developmental support available and administrative processes. Assess and prioritize grant opportunities based on criteria such as state of readiness, alignment with organizational goals, and potential impact. Establishes processes for internal support and early targeting of researchers and outreach to advise on eligibility criteria, deadlines and other important details. Develops training strategies and oversees the creation of outreach activities, workshops, test-your concept-sessions and training sessions to better prepare researchers and teams to compete for large-scale, strategic, interdisciplinary peer-reviewed grants and contract research. Directs effective communication to researchers on support from Grant Development Services including effective communication through webpages, and newsletters. Initiates interactions and communication exchange to enhance multidisciplinary research excellence and deliver on the OVPRI research strategy. Human Resources and standardization of Customer Service: Directs a team in a complex and fast-paced environment to achieve unit objectives. Ensures appropriate staff hiring, onboarding, performance evaluation, sustainability and succession planning. Fosters an environment of cross-training, continuous learning and team collaboration ensuring staff empowerment and flexibility in an ever-changing environment. Directs effective framework of strategic grant support including creating templates and a library of resources for researchers. Regularly updates processes, procedures and templates with the evolution of policies, practices and systems at university and funding agencies. Ensures staff have necessary procedures, resources and training to effectively perform.Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate relationships with external partners, funding agencies, and industry collaborators for large multi-million-dollar research grants and programs. Represents uOttawa views and researcher needs in interactions with other organizations, including funders. Contributes to local, national, and international networks to advance research. Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders, including faculties, researchers, program managers, and finance teams, to gather necessary information and ensure a comprehensive approach to proposal development. This includes data generation and analytics, equity, diversity and inclusion, knowledge mobilization, data management, and research security. Establishes linkages between pre-award developmental support and post-award administration, including close coordination with the Director of Sponsored Research Services, faculties and OVPRI units. Builds and maintains relationships with research leaders at faculties and affiliated institutes, including Vice-Deans, Research, faculty, and affiliated institute research offices. Leads and promotes effective working relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders and the OVPRI units through leading working groups, and chairing meetings. Consults and provides expert guidance to faculty, staff, and university-wide administrators on complex grant developmental issues. What you will bring: Doctorate degree in a relevant field or a combination of equivalent training and experience, involving extensive research training in a health research, science and engineering or social sciences and humanities field. Post-doctoral research experience is an asset.A minimum of 10 years of progressively senior positions within a research-intensive university or similar complex research environment, including significant experience in leading teams and staff supervision.Expert technical scientific and scholarly knowledge and experience in health research, science and engineering or social sciences and humanities field. Extensive experience with all aspects of the undertaking of research including publications, presentations, grant writing and training programs.Extensive knowledge of Canada’s research funding landscape and of current and future trends in research funding strategy and compliance. Expert knowledge of research environments in Ottawa and Canada, including knowledge of and partnership building with key stakeholders, researchers, networks and multi-sector partners.Significant experience and knowledge of ensuring and demonstrating research impact including knowledge transfer, science policy, economic benefits of research, social innovation, private sector innovation and commercialization.Extensive knowledge of university research administration processes, the life-cycle of research grants and awards, and working in a complex de-centralized university environment.Substantial knowledge and experience in the development of business plans, planning documents and advising senior leadership.Substantial experience in liaising and maintaining relationships with external funding sponsors.Ability to take a broad, long-range approach to problem-solving and decision-making that involves objective analysis, thinking ahead, and planning.Outstanding interpersonal skills, with the ability to work with researchers, administrators, faculties, staff, students, and administrators from other institutions and sponsors.Excellent communication skills including writing, reviewing and editing in both official languages.Demonstrated leadership skills, tact, diplomacy and judgment.Strong project and time management, attention to detail, problem-solving, risk assessing, and conflict resolution skills.Demonstrated experience in using computer systems and software such as, Windows, PowerPoint, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, financial systems, e-mail and internet. Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.