Director of Program Development for Sponsored Research

Job Description

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:

The 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, ULRI is undergoing dynamic expansion to increase the positive impact on the word through science. As an independent research organization, ULRI is uniquely positioned to partner both with universities, National Laboratories, and industry partners to bring discoveries to the market with a mission of open science and public benefit. You will be joining us at a pivotal moment of scaling that impact.

What you’ll learn and achieve: As the Director of Program Development, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Direct the development and execution of ULRI's proposal development strategy, aligning federal and philanthropic funding opportunities with organizational priorities, research goals, and mission impact.

• Provide strategic direction for the identification, evaluation, and development of strategic funding opportunities across ULRI.

• Develop and maintain a pipeline of high-impact opportunities involving federal agencies, foundations, industry, academic institutions, and nonprofit partners.

• Oversee the development of complex, multidisciplinary proposals that expand ULRI's research, education, workforce development, and public impact portfolios.

• Develop frameworks, tools, and best practices that strengthen program development, proposal competitiveness, and organizational readiness, including a library of non-technical proposal components, such as data management plans, broader impacts and workforce development plans, technology transfer plans and project management plans.

• Edit technical and non-technical research proposal content, ensuring compliance with all RFP requirements in coordination with Institutes, Finance, IT/Research Security, and Grants & Contracts teams.

• Drive the adoption of efficient program development processes, including the use of data-driven and AI-enabled approaches to improve effectiveness and scalability.

• Lead a team of experienced program development professionals, setting strategic direction, ensuring accountability, and putting the necessary resources in place to execute the strategy.

What you’ll experience working at UL Research Institutes: We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for over 130 years, embedding conscientious public stewardship into everything we do.

• People : Our people make us special. You’ll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and develop a highly collaborative network across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today’s emerging global challenges require.

• Impactful work : We care about the impact that science can have on addressing the biggest challenges of the day, and we bridge the research from the lab to the stage of wide adoption through partnerships and leveraging resources worldwide. We are mission-focused to advance the public good.

• Grow and achieve : We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.

• Values . Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.

• Total Rewards : We offer highly competitive salaries with additional eligibility for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What makes you a great fit: While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

• Proven ability to develop and execute multi-year program development strategies, translating organizational priorities into sponsored research.

• Demonstrated expertise in executing successful complex funding proposals across federal and philanthropic sectors.

• Working knowledge of the federal funding landscape, including agency center-level and multi-institutional programs, and of philanthropic funding practice, including letters of inquiry, program officer cultivation, and stewardship and reporting requirements.

• Engaging, approachable leader who builds high-performing teams; sets standards and accountability; and develops organizational capability through collaboration, mentorship, and influence.

• Demonstrates sound judgment and data-informed decision-making, using strategic insights, organizational metrics, and external trends to guide priorities and drive continuous improvement.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and to manage multiple concurrent, multi-partner proposals under compressed timelines.

• Demonstrated interest in applying AI-enabled tools to opportunity identification, landscape analysis, summarization, and drafting support, and in building durable processes around them.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Master's degree required; doctorate or advanced degree highly preferred.

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in program development, strategic initiatives, research development, or related leadership roles, including demonstrated success securing both federal awards and philanthropic grants.

• Experience developing center-scale or multi-institutional proposals ($5M+) for federal agency sponsors and/or multi-year philanthropic initiatives.

• Experience leading and developing a team of experienced professionals.

About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.

Learn more about us and the offered benefits, visit our websites at UL.org and ULSE.org.

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