Senior Advisor, Research Strategy & Partnerships

Job Title

Senior Advisor, Research Strategy & Partnerships

Agency

Texas A&M Engineering

Department

Chemical Engineering

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Why work for Texas A&M Engineering?

Engineering has been part of Texas A&M University since its opening in 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Today, the College of Engineering is the largest college on the College Station campus with more than 25,000 engineering students enrolled in 15 departments. Its mission is to serve Texas, the nation and the global community by providing engineering graduates who are well-founded in engineering fundamentals, instilled with the highest standards of professional and ethical behavior, and prepared to meet the complex technical challenges of society. As the research arm of Engineering, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) is a state agency within the Texas A&M University System with a mission to improve lives through basic and applied engineering research, workforce development and technology transition. Our collaborations with industry, academia and government provide cutting-edge solutions to global technical challenges. We are deeply committed to recruiting and retaining a talented workforce that embraces our core values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Service, by offering competitive salaries, an array of benefits, an extensive support network, and above all, an enriching and highly collaborative working community that is deeply passionate about our vision for higher education, research, and public service.

Job Description

Purpose:

The Senior Research Engineer I advances the Center’s research development, external funding, strategic partnership, fundraising, and commercialization objectives. The position develops major funding opportunities; coordinates center-level and industry-engaged proposals; builds relationships with public, industry, philanthropic, and private-capital stakeholders; and helps translate research capabilities into partnerships, commercialization pathways, and sustainable programs. The role is structured as a stage-gated appointment in which continuation and level of effort are reviewed at defined milestones.

The position will initially be appointed at 30% effort, with the opportunity to increase to 50% and potentially beyond based on demonstrated performance, achievement of agreed-upon milestones, evolving Center needs, availability of funding, and University approval.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Funding and Proposal Development

• •Identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes federal, state, foundation, industry, and economic-development funding opportunities aligned with the Center’s research and strategic priorities.
• •Builds and coordinates research teams for large, center-level, multi-investigator, multi-institutional, and industry-led funding opportunities.
• •Leads proposal development planning, including solicitation analysis, timelines, compliance checklists, concept integration, internal and external reviews, and submission readiness.
• •Supports proposal narrative development, synthesis, editing, and positioning to ensure responsiveness to sponsor priorities and evaluation criteria.
• •Maintains a forward-looking pipeline of major funding opportunities and coordinates linkages to existing funded projects and institutional capabilities that can strengthen proposals.

Strategic Partnerships and Fundraising

• •Develops and implements a fundraising and partnership strategy emphasizing diversified public, industry, philanthropic, and private funding sources and long-term sustainability.
• •Establishes relationships with industry, foundations, economic-development organizations, and private funding and investment sources, including venture-capital firms, corporate venture groups, family offices, and strategic investors.
• •Develops strategic partnerships and anchor relationships supporting collaborative research, sponsored programs, facilities, workforce development, private fundraising, and Center growth.
• •Builds and engages an advisory network of industry, commercialization, and external stakeholders to inform strategic priorities and expand the Center’s reach.

Commercialization and Innovation Development

• •Identifies promising commercialization opportunities arising from Center and affiliated faculty research and assesses potential pathways for technology transfer, licensing, startup creation, and industry collaboration.
• •Coordinates with University innovation, technology-transfer, entrepreneurship, corporate-relations, and development resources to advance commercialization and private-funding opportunities.
• •Develops commercialization and technology-acceleration initiatives, including appropriate engagement with venture-capital, strategic-investor, and other private-capital communities for startup, spinout, or translational opportunities.

Faculty and Research Team Support

• •Consults with faculty and researchers on funding strategies, sponsor alignment, partnership development, and proposal positioning.
• •Provides strategic guidance, document review, proposal management, and best-practice templates for major funding opportunities.
• •Facilitates connections among faculty, external collaborators, institutional leadership, and potential sponsors to strengthen research teams and project concepts.

Center Strategy, Outreach, and Performance Management

• •Supports development of a long-term sustainability roadmap, including programs, partnerships, commercialization activities, workforce-development initiatives, and recurring funding streams.
• •Positions the Center as a focal point for advanced biomanufacturing and sustainability initiatives through targeted outreach, stakeholder engagement, and coordination of sponsor or partner visits.
• •Maintains a concise performance dashboard covering opportunities, proposals, partnership pipeline, commercialization activities, funding outcomes, and stage-gate deliverables; provides periodic progress reports to Center leadership.

What We Need:

• •Masters degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• •Six years of related experience.

What is Helpful:

• •Advanced degree in engineering, science, business, public policy, or a related field.
• •Master’s degree in Business Administration.
• •Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in research development, strategic partnerships, fundraising, business development, commercialization, or private-capital engagement.
• •Demonstrated success developing large, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, or industry-engaged proposals for federal agencies, foundations, industry, or economic-development organizations.
• •Experience in biomanufacturing, industrial biotechnology, bioeconomy-related sectors, or another technology-intensive research and commercialization environment.
• •Experience with technology transfer, licensing, startup formation, innovation accelerators, venture capital/private investment networks, public-private partnerships, or economic-development initiatives.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• •Ability to manage multiple complex priorities and work cooperatively with faculty, administrators, industry leaders, government stakeholders, and external partners.
• •Strong knowledge of research funding strategies, proposal development processes, sponsor expectations, and large-team proposal management.
• •Ability to translate scientific and engineering concepts into compelling sponsor, partner, and commercialization narratives.
• •Knowledge of partnership development, fundraising, private-capital/investor engagement, commercialization, technology transfer, and/or innovation ecosystem development.
• •Excellent oral and written communication, negotiation, relationship-management, organizational, and project-management skills.
• •Ability to work independently, exercise sound ju