Rice360 Director of Technology Development

Position Summary:

The Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies (Rice360), a multi-disciplinary institute at Rice University, is a leader in global health technology education, research, and implementation, with a distinctive focus on experiential and problem-based learning. Rice360 develops highly effective, low-cost healthcare solutions addressing critical healthcare needs in underserved communities and educates a cadre of future leaders to continue to innovate and implement solutions. Rice360 works closely with partners in underserved communities throughout the world, including low- and middle-income countries and the United States. The Rice360 Global Health Fellows (GHF) program is a post-baccalaureate fellowship for exceptional early-career engineers with an interest in medical technology for low-resource settings. Through the GHF program, fellows develop, refine and evaluate affordable, high performance clinical technologies for sustainable use in low-resource settings. Rice360 is a lead member of the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) alliance. The NEST360 alliance is working with African governments to transform hospital newborn care by installing a bundle of rugged devices, educating clinicians to use devices and biomedical engineers to maintain them, and implementing locally-owned data dashboards to drive uptake and quality.

The Rice360 director of technology development, in partnership with Rice360 faculty co-directors Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum and Dr. Maria Oden, will develop and execute the Rice360 technology portfolio strategy and manage the Rice360 technology development team, including the GHF cohort. The director of technology development will provide strategic R&D leadership to Rice360 technology development efforts, including needs finding, design, prototyping, benchtop testing, clinical evaluation, transition to manufacture, regulatory approval, commercial launch and reporting, including those for the NEST360 project. S/he will provide research administration oversight, including managing research budgets, resource utilization, and regulatory and ethical standards compliance. S/he will manage the day-to-day activities of the Rice360 GHF cohort, including recruitment and training, design project guidance and mentorship, and facilitate engagement and communication with Rice360 leadership and external collaborators/clinicians.

The ideal candidate has at least eight years’ experience in project management related to medical technology research & development, including design, prototyping, clinical evaluation, and translation to production. S/he has significant experience with bioengineering/biomedical innovation for low-resource settings. S/he has strong quantitative and analytical abilities, as well as excellent written and oral communication and demonstrated strong coordination, team leadership, and mentorship skills. S/he has experience working on grant-funded programs/projects within a research university environment. They also have experience working in a multi-cultural environment, a demonstrated sensitivity to low resource settings, and are willing and able to travel periodically to sub-Saharan Africa.

This position is M-F 8am–5pm, with occasional early morning, evening, or weekend work required to accommodate time zone differences for important meetings with teams in the US, UK, and across sub-Saharan Africa).

Hiring Range: $110,400 - $140,800/year, contingent upon qualifications and experience

This position is partially funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding.

Minimum Requirements

• PhD or other Doctoral Degree in engineering
• Four (4) years of postdoctoral related experience in project management, technology development and / or other closely related experience.
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted
• Skills:
  • Extensive scientific knowledge complemented by practical involvement in a relevant research field and its corresponding equipment
  • Exceptional critical thinking, research acumen, and technical expertise
  • Outstanding editing, presentation, and communication skills, capable of engaging various audiences including researchers, faculty, staff, and students from diverse technical backgrounds
  • Readiness to work independently or collaboratively with other staff and faculty members
  • Exceptional time management abilities
  • Advocates for the implementation of optimal research laboratory practices
  • Demonstrates adeptness with instrumentation, displaying a rapid grasp of new experimental techniques and instruments to become proficient swiftly
  • Must demonstrate support for Rice360 Core Values: Innovation, Equity, Community, Integrity, Accountability, Empowerment and Transformation

Preferences

• Eight (8) years or more of related experience in project management, technology development and / or other closely related experience.
• Experience with engineering project management and research & development team leadership
• Experience with design of medical technology, particularly in the areas of maternal and neonatal health and/or cancer, for low-resource settings.
• Experience transitioning technologies from research & development through clinical evaluation to production.
• Experience with medical technology development and regulatory approval processes
• Experience working in an institution of higher education, and engaging with faculty, staff and students
• Healthcare related experience
• Experience with multi-sector international development programs/projects
• Experience working on grant-funded programs/projects
• Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, preferably in Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania and/or Nigeria
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally
• Skills:
  • Ability to oversee and direct staff
  • Ability to manage projects in transition from research & development to production
  • Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
  • Ability to work well under pressure, with flexibility, tact, and good judgment
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
  • Outstanding ability to facilitate collaboration and communication between teams, with proven ability to motivate and coordinate effectively with diverse individuals and stakeholders to achieve results
  • Ability to develop and initiate new strategies
  • Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
  • Strong data analysis skills, with knowledge of software statistical packages such as Stata, SAS, R, or HLM
  • Fluency in English
  • Excellent cross-cultural skills, with demonstrated sensitivity to low resource settings

Essential Functions

• Lead and supervise research projects, providing expertise and guidance in experimental design and methodology.
• Conduct complex experiments, analyze data using advanced techniques, and interpret results to derive meaningful conclusions.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to contribute scientific insights and develop innovative research strategies.
• Publish research findings in reputable journals, prepare technical reports, and present results at conferences or seminars.
• Mentor and support junior researchers, providing guidance and fostering a collaborative research environment.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements, technologies, and methodologies relevant to the field of expertise.
• Ensure compliance with safety regulations and ethical standards in all research activities.
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Other Functions

• Leads, in partnership with the Rice360 co-directors, the strategic planning and development of GHF program technology portfolio, including:
  • Identifies new project opportunities
  • Coordinates setting of technology development goals and deadlines
  • Sets the technical direction, approach and decision-making of projects
  • Synchronizes plans for clinical evaluation of projects
• Provides oversight and leadership to the Rice360 global health post-baccalaureate fellows (GHF) cohort, including:
  • Manages the day-to-day activities of the GHF cohort
  • Leads the weekly GHF project meetings
  • Provides fellows guidance on technology development, in coordination with the Rice360 chief designer and chief electronics designer
  • Assists fellows with finding outside expertise, if needed
  • Supports fellows scheduling of and preparation for clinical trials and partner site visits, including coordination with the Rice360 IRB administrator, to assess technology prototypes under development
  • Facilitates fellows’ use of best practices in the collection and management of project data
  • Provides fellows guidance on data analysis and the documentation and synthesis of results
  • Provides fellows guidance on planning, editing, and refining of presentations, documentation, papers, etc.
  • Tracks fellows progress against technology development milestones, making contingency plan recommendations, helping to prioritize decisions that need to be made and work that needs to be done, and trouble-shooting issues that arise
  • Oversees fellows’ communication with external partners to advance technologies towards commercialization.
• Administers the Rice360 global health post-baccalaureate fellows (GHF) program, including:
  • Regularly reviews and, as needed, revises GHF program policy and guideline resources, including onboarding and training materials
  • Coordinates the recruitment, application review, interviews, selection and hiring of new fellows
  • Conducts, in coordination with the Rice360 director of finance and operations, the onboarding of new fellows
  • Assists with featuring of technologies during Rice360 visitor tours, including fellows’ preparation
  • Assists Rice360 with GHF program undergraduate engagement, including mentoring and arranging for interns, as needed
• Contributes to periodic technical reporting to granting agencies and sponsors, including ensuring submissions are prepared well in advance and executed by required deadlines.

• May teach a course, seminar, or workshop

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