Director, Core Research Facilities

The University of New Hampshire – the flagship land-, sea-, and space-grant university of the state of New Hampshire – seeks an innovative and collaborative leader to serve as the institutional expert on research core facility development, management and operations and provide strategic guidance to university leadership on building and sustaining a robust core facility infrastructure that will advance the mission and reputation of the university.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Research Development, the Director of Core Research Facilities will have two primary responsibilities.

The first is management and operations of the University Instrumentation Center (UIC), a University-wide core facility dedicated to the advancement of the research and academic missions of UNH and the surrounding research community. The UIC provides direct and easy access for faculty and other researchers to a wide variety of state-of-the-art instrumentation for analytical and educational purposes. It also serves as a resource for state and regional industries, institutions, and agencies. UIC staff provide expertise in instrumental analysis techniques, maintain and repair the instruments, operate instruments for clients and/or train them in operation, and assist in data analysis. Each year, the UIC supports 200 users from UNH, including 150+ graduate and undergraduate students, across 17 different departments residing in 4 different colleges. The UIC also supports the needs of dozens of researchers from state and regional universities and 40+ companies. More information is available at http://www.unh.edu/research/uic .

In addition, the Director will develop a coordinated network of core research facilities across the university that serves as a “force multiplier” to enhance UNH’s institutional priorities and core missions of research, education, and innovation. There are approximately 20+ core research facilities that currently operate independently, including the UIC. The Director will chair an internal core research facilities committee to assess the current landscape of UNH core research facilities and lead implementation of a more coordinated and efficient network of core facilities at UNH

Duties/Responsibilities

UIC Responsibilities (45%)

• Leading strategic, budget, and business plan development. Responsible for long-range planning for the UIC, including estimation of future budget and instrumentation needs. Review forecasts, performance trends, and usage targets to ensure that the UIC is forward looking and aligned with UNH research priorities. Work with faculty and staff to secure funding from internal and external sources to obtain new instruments and upgrade existing instruments. Ensure compliance with government and university regulations and guidelines.

• Managing and supporting the professional development of UIC staff. Nurture an environment that promotes staff training, cross-training, and professional growth to ensure that UIC support stays on the cutting-edge of faculty needs. Set performance benchmarks, manage facility work schedules, and identify areas for improvement and annual performance evaluations.

• Building strong and sustained relationships with internal and external clients. Create pathways for faculty to provide input into the decision-making process for the UIC. Consult with UNH faculty and research staff on their research programs to anticipate needs for new instrumentation and to maximize use of current equipment. Develop knowledge and awareness of other laboratories and core facilities in the state and region, for purposes of forming partnerships, referral, relationships, information networks, etc. Build consistent outreach and engagement strategies to serve as a resource for state government and business and industry in New Hampshire and the region. Participate in local, regional, and national events that promote the UIC.

Core Research Facilities Network Responsibilities (45%)

• Assessment and Planning. The Director will chair an internal core research facilities committee to assess the current landscape of UNH core research facilities, reviewing relevant policies and procedures, documenting shared challenges and opportunities, benchmarking peer institutions, and gathering input from the UNH research community and external stakeholders. This work, to be conducted in the first year, will result in recommendations for the Vice President for Research & Innovation on implementing a more coordinated and efficient network of core facilities at UNH.

• Implementing a networked vision for core research facilities. In consultation with the VPRI office and other stakeholders, the director will lead the implementation of recommendations for a professionalized, state-of-the art centralized network of research core facilities. The director will provide administrative leadership and vision for the approach, which will include:

• Partner with UNHInnovation to support corporate engagement utilizing core facilities

• developing a process for selecting core facilities that will be included in the network.

• establishing metrics for the evaluation and assessment of individual core facilities and the network as a whole.

• supporting sustainability and business models for existing core services and priorities for future instrumentation and services.

• working closely with core facility directors and appropriate campus administrative units to develop competitive and consistent usage rates.

• where appropriate, standardizing procedures and shared management best practices

• increasing the visibility and utilization of UNH core research facilities.

Other duties (10%)

• Contribute to leadership of the VPRI Office through participation in the Research Operations working group.

• Serve on appropriate hiring and advisory committees

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree and 10+ years of Business Management experience or Graduate degree in science or engineering with 6+ years of managerial and supervisory experience.

• Experience operating under government (OMB & FAR) regulations and requirements.

• Deep understanding of analytical instrumentation used in chemistry, the life sciences or engineering.

• Leadership or administrative track record, ideally with prior experience in developing or managing core research facilities within a university environment.

• Experience developing cost models and business plans

• Track record of growing and managing business development and customer relationships

• Experience developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships among stakeholders and partners on campus, and with external university, industry, government and/or non-profit sectors.

• Excellent verbal and written communication, presentation and public speaking skills.

• Success in grant writing/proposal development and the acquisition of extramural funding.

Applicant Instructions:

Applicants should be prepared to upload the following documents when applying online within the My Experience: Resume/CV section of the application: (Maximum of 5 Documents)

• Resume/CV

• Cover Letter

• Contact Information for 3 Professional References

Applications that are missing any of the required items may not move forward for consideration. Additional uploaded documents not requested in the position announcement will not be reviewed.

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.

Compensation Pay Range:

$97,230.00 - $188,120.00

The pay range for this position is listed above. Actual offer will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity, in addition to relevant business considerations. More information on benefits can be found here: USNH Employee Benefits | Human Resources

Location:

Durham