Associate Director, Research Development Services

Texas A&M University System · College Station

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Agency

Department

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & lived experiences. Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.

Who We Are

Research Development Services (RDS) is a unit within Texas A&M University's Division of Research dedicated to advancing research capacity and competitiveness across the university. We partner with faculty, researchers, and stakeholders to support strategic research initiatives, secure external funding, and develop high-impact proposals. Through collaborative expertise, professional development, proposal support, and innovative research services, we help transform ideas into successful research programs that advance scholarship, innovation, and discovery.

What We Want

We are seeking an experienced and collaborative professional to serve as Associate Director of Research Development Services (RDS). In this leadership role, you will advance the university’s research mission by developing and delivering faculty training and proposal development programs, providing strategic guidance on research funding opportunities, leading outreach and engagement efforts across campus, and overseeing key RDS programs and staff. The successful candidate will partner with faculty, academic leaders, and research stakeholders to strengthen grant competitiveness, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, support professional development initiatives, and drive strategic research development efforts that enhance institutional research success.

What You Need to Know

Salary: Commensurate with experience.

A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience: 

• Master's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Eight years of related experience in research development, professional development, grant writing, or research administration in a higher education.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) credential or active involvement in NORDP.
• Direct experience establishing faculty development programsand team science facilitation initiatives.
• Experience using research intelligence and analytics tools (e.g., Academic Analytics, Elsevier SciVal, Clarivate Web of Science).
• Demonstrated track record of designing, delivering, and evaluating long-term faculty grant-writing cohort programs (e.g., NSF CAREER, NIH Early-Stage Investigator initiatives).
• Active participation in national research development organizations (e.g., NORDP committee leadership, conference presentations, or formal mentoring programs).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.

Essential Duties/Tasks

Training and Development

• Organizes and hosts professional and proposal development training programs for faculty and other users.
• Provides guidance and support to researchers in proposal development.
• Develops and coordinates documentation provided to customers.
• Participates in training and professional development focusing on leadership.

Leadership and Strategic Development

• Serves as part of departmental leadership team and assists in developing departmental strategies for research development.
• Develops strategic plans and sets goals for assigned programs in collaboration with administration.
• Establishes performance goals and measures to evaluate the success of areas of responsibility.
• Assists in formulating and implementing policies and procedures.
• Provides leadership for the department in specific areas of expertise.
• Monitors national trends and seeks new information for faculty professional development.
• Participates in planning, directing, and coordinating operational matters related to programs.

Program Management and Support

• Develops, implements, and oversees programming for various services.
• Manages and directs HelpDesk and user support with a mission to provide robust support services.
• Collects data and analyzes for reporting and tracking progress.
• Maintains program activity records and provides progress reports to leadership.
• Oversees and manages personnel issues of employees supervised.
• Develops program budgets based on needs and availability of funding.
• Supervises and directs staff and activities of project teams.

Campus Outreach and Engagement

• Develops and executes a proactive, campus-wide outreach strategy, including departmental presentations, digital toolkits, and targeted communications, to maximize awareness of Research Development Services (RDS) across all academic disciplines.
• Cultivates strong partnerships with Deans, department chairs, and faculty leaders to ensure equitable access to proposal development resources.
• Facilitates interdisciplinary networking and ideation sessions to connect faculty across disparate departments for large-scale, multi-investigator funding opportunities.
• Integrates RDS resources into new faculty onboarding programs and establishes continuous feedback mechanisms to adapt service offerings to evolving campus research needs.

Compliance and Standards

• Ensures compliance with unit, department, and government standards, policies, and procedures.
• Enforces ethical, regulatory, and performance standards.

Why Texas A&M University?  

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration.  Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you.  Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes.  

• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums 

• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays  

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month 

• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas

• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time 

• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more  

• Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee 

• Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees

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.

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