NSF ART Program Manager

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Position Title:

NSF ART Program Manager

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Terminal (Fixed Term)

Job Profile:

Project Program Manager

Job Duties:

The National Science Foundation ( NSF ) Accelerating Research Translation ( ART ) Program Manager will coordinate and manage the integrated portfolio of projects, programs, partnerships, and operations that comprise UWM TRANSLATE , UWM’s NSF-funded Accelerating Research Translation initiative. The position will ensure that activities across the initiative’s Industry Pull, System-Level/Culture, and Seed Translational Research Project (STRP) thrusts advance toward common institutional research-translation objectives , milestones, and outcomes.

Working with the Principal Investigator, Co-PIs, UWM Research Foundation, Office of Research, University of Michigan mentoring team, faculty and staff leads, consultants, and industry partners, the Program Manager will develop and maintain the overall program plan; coordinate component activities and resources; monitor schedules, budgets, milestones, risks, and performance; and facilitate communication and decision-making across the initiative. The position will serve as the primary operational point of coordination for UWM TRANSLATE.

Expected Role and Impact

The Program Manager will function as the i ntegrating operational leader of UWM TRANSLATE, rather than as the individual owner of each component program. Faculty, staff, and partner leads will retain responsibility for specialized content and program delivery, while the Program Manager will ensure that these activities operate as a coordinated portfolio, remain aligned with NSF commitments, achieve milestones, and collectively contribute to increasing UWM’s institutional capacity for research translation.

Key Job Responsibilities:

Program Planning, Integration, and Execution

Develop and maintain the integrated UWM TRANSLATE program plan, including timelines, milestones, responsibilities, dependencies, and deliverables.

Coordinate implementation across the three project thrusts and associated skill-building programs.

Establish priorities and coordinate resources across component projects to maintain alignment with overall program objectives.

Identify implementation risks, resolve operational issues, and escalate strategic issues to project leadership when appropriate.

Coordinate annual convenings, Executive Team meetings, partner meetings, and other project-wide activities.

Creates a program plan and structure, monitors progress and performance against the program plan, and identifies, resolves, or escalates program risks and issues

Leads and manages efforts to determine and coordinate the sharing of resources among component projects to the overall benefit of the program

Manages the activities of outside contractors and vendors to ensure they are integrated into the program and that the organization receives satisfactory standards of service

Facilitates the estimation of program costs, resources, and time required to complete the overall program, monitors activities and budgets, directs and leads component project manager activities for consistency and alignment, and works with program leadership to ensure these targets are met. Follows established change control processes if targets can no longer be met

Prepares regular reports to communicate the status of the program within and beyond the program team, communicates program goals, risks, and status with program executive level, program sponsors, and stakeholders, and develops and uses appropriate dashboards, measures, and reporting tools

Sets priorities, allocates tasks, and collaborates with project staff to meet program targets and milestones. Manages the change control process and acts as the mid-level decision making authority

Performance, Budget, and Resource Management

Monitor progress against project milestones, schedules, budgets, and NSF commitments.

Develop dashboards and reporting tools for tracking key performance indicators, participation, STRP progression, and institutional outcomes.

Coordinate resource allocation across activities and work with project leadership to address schedule, scope, or resource changes.

Coordinate the activities of consultants and external partners and ensure their work is integrated with overall program objectives.

Support preparation of NSF annual reports and other sponsor and institutional reporting.

Cross-Unit and Partner Coordination

Serve as the primary operational liaison among the Office of Strategic Partnerships, Office of Research, UWM Research Foundation, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, University of Michigan, participating colleges and departments, and external partners.

Coordinate responsibilities and information flow among faculty leads, program staff, consultants, ART Ambassadors, STRP teams, mentors, and industry participants.

Facilitate collaboration across organizational boundaries and identify opportunities to integrate existing UWM resources with UWM TRANSLATE activities.

Seed Translation Research Projects (STR) and Research Translation Program Management

Coordinate technology scouting, STRP recruitment, selection, onboarding, stage-gate reviews, and milestone tracking.

Connect project teams with appropriate commercialization, industry, mentoring, I-Corps, intellectual property, and translational resources.

Coordinate implementation of research-translation training and professional development activities.

Document effective practices, implementation lessons, and program improvements to support institutionalization and sustainability beyond NSF funding.

Unit: Office of Strategic Partnerships /Lubar Entrepreneurship Center

Position Type: Fixed Term-Terminal, renewal up to 4 years , based on NSF Grant Funding

Supervisor: Ilya Avdeev

FTE: 1.0

Salary Grade: 27

Salary Range: $68,000 - $75,000

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in any field

Evidence of demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-component programs or projects.

Evidence of strong project management

Evidence of ability to work with a variety of institutional stakeholders

Evidence of demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple workstreams, deadlines, resources, and partners.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s or doctoral degree; in any field

Evidence of experience in higher education

Evidence of experience in research administration

Evidence of experience in entrepreneurship, economic development, or technology commercialization.

Evidence of experience with National Science Foundation (NSF) or other federally funded initiatives.

Evidence of familiarity with research translation, industry engagement, NSF I-Corps, technology transfer, or startup development.

Evidence of experience with program budgets, performance metrics, and sponsor reporting.

Competencies:

Strong organizational skills

Strong communication skills

Ability to manage multiple stakeholder’s expectations

How to Apply:

Interested applicants are required to apply online and submit the following:

Cover Letter

Resume

PLEASE NOTE: Cover letters and resumes will need to be uploaded to the same area in the application.

In instances where the Search and Screen is unable to ascertain from the candidates' application materials whether they meet any of the qualifications, they may be evaluated as not meeting such qualifications.

Finalist candidate(s) being considered for hire will be required to provide three professional/supervisor references through an external reference checking tool. References will not be contacted prior to candidates being notified.

The last day to submit your application is Sunday, September 27.

Contact Information:

Adam Garcia - HR Coordinat