Associate Director, Partnerships and Research Development

Agency

Department

The System Offices is one of several system members within the Texas A&M University System representing one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a network of 12 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, Texas A&M – Fort Worth and the Texas A&M - RELLIS Campus. The Texas A&M University System mission is to provide education, conduct research, commercialize technology, offer training, and deliver services for the people of Texas and beyond.

The System Offices, within the Texas A&M University System, provides an outstanding benefits package including, but not limited to: competitive health benefits; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; a defined benefit retirement plan to include an employer contribution through Teachers Retirement System of Texas (TRS); if applicable, a defined contribution retirement plan to include an employer contribution through an approved ORP vendor: additional voluntary tax deferred annuity (TDA) options; tuition assistance; and wellness programs to promote work/life balance.

Salary:

Commensurate with experience.

Job Description Summary:

The Associate Director for Partnerships and Research Development Engagement serves as the primary liaison between the TAMUS Research Development Office and member institutions. The position travels regularly across the Texas A&M System to strengthen local research development capacity, cultivate partnerships, and advance proposal development activities.

Responsibilities:

- Develop and manage research development assessment frameworks and performance metrics.

- Analyze proposal pipelines, funding outcomes, and return-on-investment measures.

- Produce strategic reports and dashboards for institutional leadership.

- Conduct portfolio analyses to identify emerging strengths, gaps, and opportunities.

- Support benchmarking against peer institutions and national trends.

- Evaluate effectiveness of research development programs and interventions.

- Manage research intelligence and funding landscape analyses.

- Provide decision-support analytics for strategic planning initiatives.

- Serve as the primary research development representative to assigned TAMUS institutions.

- Conduct regular on-site visits to member campuses to engage faculty, research administrators, and leadership.

- Identify institutional research strengths and strategic growth opportunities.

- Build partnerships among TAMUS institutions.

- Facilitate proposal development efforts and connect faculty to system-wide resources.

- Coordinate workshops, training programs, and faculty engagement activities.

- Gather stakeholder feedback and assess emerging research needs.

- Promote utilization of TAMUS RDO services and resources.

- Collaborate with Team Science, Grant Writing, and Analytics personnel to deliver integrated support.

- Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

- Master's degree in an applicable field or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Eight years of progressively responsible experience in research proposal development, research administration, project management, or a closely related field, including experience fostering collaborations and supporting institutional research initiatives.

Knowledge/Skills/ Abilities: 

- Demonstrated success in facility engagement and proposal development.

- Expertise in research development, proposal design, and project management.

- Strong ability to cultivate partnerships. foster interdisciplinary collaboration and engage effectively with diverse stakeholders across institutions.

- ­Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience delivering presentations, workshops, and training sessions.

- Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.

- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with frequent travel.

- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with research office systems or collaboration platforms.

- Ability and willingness to travel frequently to A&M System member institutions, including routine overnight stays,

- Comfort with delivering in-person programming, workshops, and training sessions at member campuses.

- Demonstrated ability to build, sustain, and strengthen partnerships across diverse institutions and stakeholder groups.

- Commitment to proactive outreach and engagement with both internal and external partners to advance research development goals.

- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to represent the Research Development Office in a professional and collaborative manner.

- Travel up to 50%.

- Ability to multi-task and work collaboratively with others.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Doctorate degree.

Other Requirements:

This is a security-sensitive position and is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents only. Only complete applications will be considered for employment at The Texas A&M System Offices. Incomplete job application data could result in your application being rejected without an option to reapply. A cover letter and resume may be required in addition to a completed employment application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.