Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for University Research Director

🎯 Role Definition

The University Research Director (also referred to as Director of Research, Director of Research & Sponsored Programs, or Research Enterprise Director) provides senior operational and strategic leadership for the institution’s research enterprise. This role develops and executes a comprehensive research strategy aligned to the university’s academic priorities, increases external funding and industry partnerships, ensures compliance with federal and state regulations, oversees research infrastructure and core facilities, mentors faculty and research staff, and reports to senior academic leadership (Provost, Vice President for Research, or President). The University Research Director acts as a visible, external-facing leader who advances the university’s research reputation locally, nationally, and internationally.

Optimized keywords: university research director, research leadership, grant strategy, sponsored programs, research administration, research compliance, faculty development, technology transfer, industry partnerships, interdisciplinary research.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Associate Director of Research or Director of Sponsored Programs
Senior Faculty member with administrative experience (e.g., Department Chair, Center Director)
Senior research administrator at another institution or large research center

Advancement To:

Vice President / Vice Provost for Research
Chief Research Officer
Dean of a School or College
Executive Director of a major research institute or national laboratory

Lateral Moves:

Director of Sponsored Research / Contracts & Grants
Director of Technology Transfer / Innovation & Commercialization
Director of Research Integrity & Compliance

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and implement a multi-year university research strategy that increases sponsored research revenue, aligns with institutional priorities, and positions the university for competitive federal and philanthropic awards.
Lead the identification, pursuit, and stewardship of major external funding opportunities (federal agencies such as NSF, NIH, DOE; foundation and industry sponsors), including coordinating multi-investigator, multi-institution proposals and large center grants.
Oversee the pre-award and post-award research administration operations—ensuring accurate budgets, timely proposal submissions, compliant subawards, invoicing, and financial reporting.
Provide direct leadership and management for research centers, core facilities, and shared instrumentation, including budgeting, staff performance management, capital planning, and facility optimization.
Build, manage, and expand strategic industry partnerships, corporate sponsorships, and translational research pathways to accelerate commercialization, licensing, and economic development.
Serve as the primary campus liaison for sponsored programs audits, sponsor site visits, and compliance reviews; prepare responses and corrective action plans when necessary.
Implement and oversee research compliance programs (IRB, IACUC, biosafety, human subjects protection, export controls, conflict of interest, data privacy) ensuring training, policy enforcement and timely approvals.
Lead university-level efforts to improve research integrity, reproducibility, and research misconduct investigations, in partnership with legal counsel and research integrity officers.
Coach and mentor faculty, research staff, and center directors to strengthen grantsmanship, project management, and research leadership skills; develop faculty development workshops and seed-funding programs.
Create and track key research performance metrics (award dollars, publications, citations, industry partnerships, technology disclosures, commercialization outcomes) and produce executive-level reporting for the Provost and Board.
Manage a research operations budget, allocate internal discretionary research funds, and design incentive programs to catalyze interdisciplinary research and early-stage proposal development.
Negotiate complex research agreements including sponsored research agreements (SRAs), master collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements (NDAs), material transfer agreements (MTAs), and subaward agreements.
Lead strategic workforce planning for research staff, core facility personnel, and administrative teams, including recruitment, retention, performance evaluation, and professional development.
Foster interdisciplinary research initiatives and cross-campus collaborations by convening faculty, establishing thematic institutes, and aligning resources to multidisciplinary priorities.
Represent the university externally to funding agencies, consortia, government agencies, philanthropic organizations, and industry partners to advocate for institutional research interests.
Oversee grant accounting practices and reconciliations in partnership with finance to ensure fiscal stewardship, effort reporting compliance, and sponsor-cost share tracking.
Design and manage internal grant programs, seed grants, and pilot funding mechanisms to incubate new projects and support early-stage investigators.
Ensure robust research data management policies and infrastructure, including reproducible research practices, data sharing, long-term storage, and compliance with sponsor data requirements.
Partner with technology transfer and legal teams to advance invention disclosure, IP protection, licensing, and spinoff formation; set commercialization and revenue-sharing policies.
Coordinate capital planning and laboratory space allocation for research growth, including renovation projects, shared workspace policies, and sustainability initiatives.
Develop and execute diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies for research hiring, mentoring programs, and equitable access to research resources and funding.
Lead crisis response for research continuity (e.g., laboratory shutdowns, critical incidents, grant disruptions), ensuring plans for continuity, staff safety, and sponsor communications.
Advise senior leadership on national and global research trends, policy changes, and regulatory developments affecting sponsored research and higher education funding.
Manage donor relationships and cultivate philanthropic support for named centers, endowed chairs, and strategic research initiatives.
Oversee the development and maintenance of research-related systems (e.g., proposal development tools, CRMs for sponsors, IRB and IACUC systems) and drive process automation improvements.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Provide oversight for user training and knowledge transfer related to sponsored research systems and reporting tools.
Facilitate cross-unit committees (e.g., research council, conflict-of-interest committee) and steward policy updates for broader campus adoption.
Conduct regular environmental scans to recommend new transdisciplinary research opportunities and targeted faculty hiring priorities.
Support strategic marketing and communications for research successes, major awards, and faculty achievements to enhance the institution’s research brand.
Pilot and scale promising research administration best practices sourced from national university associations (e.g., NCURA, SRA, APLU).
Offer mentorship to postdoctoral and early-career researchers on career development, grant strategies, and professional networking.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic research program development and execution — demonstrated ability to create and implement multi-year research growth plans.
Expertise in sponsored projects administration (pre-award and post-award management), including federal proposal mechanisms, subawards, and cost accounting.
Strong grantsmanship skills — proven track record of leading or substantially contributing to successful large-scale federal center and program proposals.
Budget development and financial stewardship — ability to construct complex multi-year budgets and manage research fund allocations.
Research compliance and regulatory knowledge — IRB, IACUC, biosafety, export controls, conflict of interest, data protection and privacy regulations.
Contracts and negotiations — experience negotiating SRAs, MTAs, NDAs, industry collaboration agreements, and licensing arrangements.
Technology transfer and commercialization awareness — familiarity with invention disclosures, patenting, licensing, and startup formation processes.
Data management and analytics — experience with research metrics, dashboards, and data-driven decision-making (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
Academic and grant-related systems proficiency — eRA Commons, Grants.gov, Cayuse, InfoEd, Kuali, or equivalent enterprise sponsored research systems.
Knowledge of federal and foundation funding landscapes (NIH, NSF, DOE, DOD, USDA, private foundations) and competitive funding strategies.

Soft Skills

Executive leadership and vision — ability to set strategic direction and inspire faculty, staff, and external partners.
Exceptional written and verbal communication — proven ability to present to governing boards, funders, and senior administrators.
Relationship building and stakeholder engagement — skilled at forging partnerships across campus, industry, government, and philanthropy.
Team leadership and talent development — track record of hiring, mentoring, and retaining high-performing administrative and scientific teams.
Conflict resolution and diplomacy — experience managing complex stakeholder interests and sensitive compliance matters.
Project and program management — strong organizational skills to manage concurrent complex initiatives and deadlines.
Change management — capacity to lead process improvements and cultural shifts across decentralized units.
Strategic networking and advocacy — adept at representing institutional interests to external funders and policy makers.
Problem solving and critical thinking — ability to analyze complex issues and lead evidence-based decisions.
Cultural competence and inclusive leadership — commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in research programs and hiring.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., STEM, social sciences, public policy, business, research administration) with extensive experience in research leadership.

Preferred Education:

Doctoral degree (PhD, MD, or equivalent) preferred for research-intensive institutions and roles with significant faculty engagement and scientific oversight.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Biomedical, Life Sciences, Engineering, Physical Sciences
Social Sciences, Public Policy, Environmental Science
Business Administration, Research Administration, Public Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 8–15+ years of progressively responsible experience in research administration, academic leadership, or senior research program management.

Preferred: 10+ years of direct experience managing sponsored research offices, research centers, or major research programs, with a demonstrable record of securing external funding, leading grant proposals, and administering complex research portfolios.

Demonstrated success supervising multidisciplinary teams and managing multi-million dollar research budgets.
Prior experience interacting with federal sponsors (NIH, NSF, DOE, etc.), industry partners, and philanthropic donors.
Proven leadership in research compliance, intellectual property management, or technology transfer is strongly preferred.

If you would like, I can tailor this document to a specific university type (R1 research university, liberal arts college, medical school-affiliated institution) or generate a condensed one-page job posting and LinkedIn-ready summary.