NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

4201 WILSON BOULEVARD

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22230

Date: December 24, 2006

Title: Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnership (IIP),
Directorate for Engineering (ENG) Employment Opportunity: Industry
University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) Program Director

Position Closing Date: February 28, 2007.

This document replaces: iip0701 and iip0701a.

Dear Colleague:

The Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnership (IIP) announce a
nationwide search for a qualified candidate to fill a Program Director
position for the Industry University Cooperative Research Center
(I/UCRC) Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Please review
the attached Program Director IPA Position Description for the
Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers program. This position
will be filled on a one or two year Intergovernmental Personnel Act
(IPA) assignment.

Program Director positions at the NSF provide a challenging experience
and an excellent opportunity to encourage and support science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and education
and for working with academe and industry to develop strategic plans to
advance technology and produce graduates who are more effective in
industrial practice. The successful candidate will work with other
Program Directors in formulating and implementing improvements in the
Program, developing cooperation among government, academia, and
industry, fostering outreach to underrepresented groups, and providing
leadership within NSF and the research community.

Should you or your colleagues be interested in this position, please
contact the IIP Search Committee Coordinator, Glenn H. Larsen (contact
information below) and forward a Letter of Interest and your vita via
either e-mail (preferred method) or mail by February 28, 2007.
Applications will be reviewed immediately after this date.

Glenn H. Larsen,

IIP/IUCRC Search Committee Coordinator

Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships

National Science Foundation

4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 505N

Arlington, VA 22230

Phone: (703) 292-4607

Fax: 703/292-9052

Email: glarsen@nsf.gov

+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------+
| **Industrial Innovation and Partnerships     |                       |
| (IIP)**                                      |                       |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------+
| ![](med                                      | **SBIR/STTR I/UCRC    |
| ia/image1.jpeg){width="1.8958333333333333in" | GOALI**               |
| height="0.7076388888888889in"}               |                       |
|                                              | **PFI**               |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------+

**Program Director**

**IPA Position Description for**©

**Industry/University Cooperative Research Program (I/UCRC)**

**December 24, 2006**

**Table of Contents**

[1 Overview 2](#overview)

[2 Purpose 2](#purpose)

[3 Responsibilities 2](#responsibilities)

[4 Organization 2](#organization)

[5 Relationships 2](#relationships)

[6 Skills 2](#skills)

[7 Experience 2](#experience)

[8 Qualifications 2](#qualifications)

[9 Traits 2](#traits)

[10 Work Environment 2](#work-environment)

[11 Salary 2](#salary)

[12 Special Conditions 2](#special-conditions)

# Overview {#overview .Section}

The Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRCs) program
develops long-term partnerships among industry, academe, and government.
The centers are catalyzed by a small investment from the National
Science Foundation (NSF) and are primarily supported by center members,
with NSF taking a supporting role in their development and evolution.
Members of a center form an Industry Advisory Board (IAB) to help
establish the research agenda of a given center. I/UCRCs stimulate
highly leveraged industry/university cooperation by focusing on
fundamental research recommended by Industrial Advisory Boards. More
information about the I/UCRC program is available at
<http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/iucrc/about.jsp>.

Enabling I/UCRC partnerships require careful management and proactive
communications to integrate member research needs, multiple university
assets, and center interactions into a single cohesive center. There are
approximately 40 centers, each of which holds two day, semi-annual
meetings. Because this integration is so critical to the continued
successful evolution of the I/UCRC program, an IPA program director is
needed to help manage and coordinate the program and center activities.

The appointee is expected to assist in I/UCRC program coordination,
planning, and administration of the I/UCRC program within the framework
of agency policies, strategic plans, missions, objectives, and resources
under the guidance of the I/UCRC Program Team Leader. The key objectives
for the IPA Program Director's role are:

-   Specific oversight and review of the I/UCRCs;

-   Analysis of center research programs, industrial collaboration and
    center management;

-   Provide management guidance to IUCRC directors and the Industrial
    Advisory Boards (IAB) for each center;

-   Development of strategies to promote synergy among research centers
    and sites;

-   Planning, implementing, controlling, and general management of
    I/UCRC proposal review panels for I/UCRC grants and supplements; and

-   Assist other programs of the division as assigned.

I/UCRCs require frequent communications with members and center staff to
coordinate and integrate NSF I/UCRC methodologies and processes. It
cannot be overstated that the success of communications is critical to
the success of a center's operations and research. The IPA Program
Director will require strong leadership and people management skills.

# Purpose {#purpose .Section}

#  {#section .Section .unnumbered}

The purpose of this role is to help provide consistency in the
management and operations across approximately 40 I/UCRCs within the
guidelines of NSF, the Division of Industrial Innovation and
Partnerships, and the Industry/University Cooperative Research Program
while enabling centers to grow and expand their research base through
industry participation.

# Responsibilities

In addition to the objectives in Section 1, the IPA Program Director
shares in the responsibility for the overall success of the I/UCRC
program that include planned centers, centers in operation, and centers
that have graduated from NSF funding to self-sufficiency. The shared
responsibilities to manage centers may include the following:

 \
**Center Initiation** (Letter of Intent)

-   Recruit suitability skilled and qualified center directors and
    co-directors.

-   Review proposal feasibility studies to ensure that proposed new
    centers are achievable and sustainable.

-   Provide management and operational guidance to prospective center
    directors.

-   Determine effects on funding with total operational budget.

-   Contact reviewers and hold a panel to evaluate proposed centers.

-   Provide management guidance to prospective center directors on the
    creation of marketing, financial, staffing, and research plans.

 **Center Planning** (Planning Grant and Full Proposals)

-   Work with center directors to schedule the phases, activities, and
    tasks required to undertake the center.

-   Review and provide guidance to proposed center standards and
    procedures for quality assurance and quality control

-   Establish with center directors to schedule the required resources
    (meeting deliverables for planning grants).

-   Communicate member concerns with center management to achieve
    overall member satisfaction with research projects and their
    deliverables.

-   Help centers to establish a clear Communications Plan.

 **Project Execution** (Ongoing)

-   Generate and promote interest in growth centers that incorporate
    multiple institutions.

-   Control and monitor the program budget to ensure that the program
    remains within budget

-   Coordinate with other NSF and federal organizations to arranging
    government leveraging of resources.

-   Ensure that defined quality targets are achieved, by undertaking
    quality assurance and quality control

-   Monitor, control, and manage the implementation of center change
    requests

-   Identify and resolve all issues currently affecting the program.

-   Evaluate and promote program and center activities

-   Keep program stakeholders regularly and suitably informed of program
    progress

-   Review and act on annual reports submitted by center directors.

-   Ensure that center directors provide annual statistical and other
    information required by the program.

**Project Closure**

-   Undertake all actions necessary to formally graduate a center.

# Organization

An organization chart showing the I/UCRC program is depicted below.

Dr. Edward Clancy's IPA appointment ends on August 31, 2007.

# Relationships

The IPA Program Director receives instructions and assignments directly
from the Senior Program Director for the I/UCRC program and operates
autonomously within the parameters established by the program and
assignments. The Program Director will also have a direct relationship
with the people in the following roles:

**Program Manager.** The Program Director will work with the Program
Manager to ensure that he is provided with the support and guidance
needed. The Program Director will keep the Program Manager properly
informed of the status of all high-level risks, issues and changes
throughout the Center Lifecycle.

**Industry Advisory Board (IAB).** Each center has an industry advisory
board. The Program Manager must ensure that the needs of the IAB are
considered and acted upon by center management. The IAB requires
research project status information to information to enable the board
to make informed strategic decisions for research project that assure
continued member involvement.

**Center and Site Directors.** The Program Director support center
directors by providing the advice, guidance and mentoring necessary to
help them to achieve their center success.

**Other IIP and I/UCRC Program Directors.** The Program Director will
lead, motivate, and inspire fellow team members to achieve their
objectives by ensuring that each team member works for the success of
the overall division.

**NSF and Center Management.** The Program Director will keep NSF
management informed of the progress of the program, as appropriate. The
Program Director must use discretion, by handling all confidential
information with the greatest of care.

**NSF and Center Staff.** This program will likely impact on the roles
and responsibilities of many staff member within NSF and its centers.
The Program Director must therefore keep all affected staff regularly
informed of important development, new opportunities, the status of the
program, any changes that affect their roles.

 

# Skills

The Program Director must have the following key skills and
competencies:\
 \
**Leadership**

Ability to define clear program objectives and motivate and inspire
teams to performance

-   Strong people management skills with experience managing teams under
    difficult circumstances

-   Skill resolving conflict in high stress environments

-   Exceptional negotiation and problem solving skills

-   Strong communication and presentation skills

**Industry and University Research Management**

-   A detailed understanding of the research and development lifecycle

-   The ability to implement a structured center methodology

 \
**Team Management**

-   Understanding of the required motivators to maximize team
    performance

-   Ability to clearly and concisely define objectives for I/UCRCs and
    their teams

-   Skill in building, guiding, and supporting teams

 **Financial Management**

-   Ability to construct a detailed project budget and control
    expenditure against this budget

-   Skill in producing accurate program forecasts throughout the center
    lifecycle

**Communications and Marketing Management**

-   Excellent skills in client relations with ability to present
    difficult propositions in a clear and positive way

-   Ability to take on IAB and center problems and issues to create a
    workable solution wherever possible

-   Ability to help promote the I/UCRC program to potential members and
    have them participate in the center program.

# Experience

The ideal candidate will have the following experience:

-   Six or more years of successful, related industry and university
    experience pertinent to the program

-   Applicants should also have research administration, contract, and
    managerial experience demonstrating disciplinary and
    interdisciplinary expertise

-   University center experience in highly desirable

-   Experience managing difficult and complex projects

-   Demonstrable presentation skills are especially important.

# Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following experience:

-   A Ph.D. or equivalent experience in engineering, science, or
    technology discipline.

# Traits

NSF Program Directors bear the primary responsibility for carrying out
the Agency\'s overall mission: to support innovative and merit-reviewed
activities in basic research and education that contribute to the
nation\'s technical strength, security, and welfare. To discharge this
responsibility requires not only knowledge in the appropriate
disciplines, but also a commitment to high standards, a considerable
breadth of interest and receptivity to new ideas, a strong sense of
fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity.

#  {#section-1 .unnumbered}

# Work Environment

The following statements describe the general working conditions
applying to this role:

-   The Program Directors can expect a wide variety of stakeholders to
    attempt to influence the way in which the centers are operated and
    managed

-   This an extremely challenging position due to the extent of center
    diversity and composition

# Salary

For an IPA assignment, the individual remains on the payroll of his/her
home institution and the institution continues to administer pay and
benefits. NSF will reimburse the institution for NSF\'s negotiated share
of the costs. Individuals eligible for an IPA assignment include
employees of State and local government agencies, institutions of higher
education, Indian tribal governments, federally funded research and
development centers, and qualified non-profit organizations. For more
information regarding a Visiting Scientist appointment or an IPA
assignment, visit our website at <http://www.nsf.gov/about/career_opps>.

# Special Conditions 

The following special conditions also apply to this role, requiring:

-   Long working hours outside the regular workweek for some activities

-   Frequent travel.