Director of Innovation
Share
Job Location:
Nashville, IN - USA
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
Yesterday
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
The Director of Innovation serves as the primary lead of the Institutes Innovate Pillar and is
responsible for the strategic design growth and operational execution of the Institutes
sponsored research and technology innovation portfolio. This role operates as a senior member
of the Institutes team with enterprise-level responsibility for innovation strategy external
partnerships and revenue generation aligned with national security research priorities.
The Director of Innovation owns the development and execution of a multi-year innovation
roadmap including oversight of a defined operating budget and revenue targets tied to
government-sponsored research and strategic partnerships. The role functions with independent
signature authority for proposals and external representation serving as the Institutes
innovation representative to federal agencies national laboratories and strategic industry
partners.
This position requires executive-level engagement across academic government and defense
communities and operates with significant autonomy in originating new initiatives securing
funding and shaping institutional innovation priorities under the guidance and vision of the
Institutes Executive Leadership.
The Vanderbilt University Institute of National Security is an academic proving ground for future national security leaders and a hub for innovation. The Institute offers the national security community access to top student talent and fresh thinking from a university rooted in open debate radical collaboration and real-world impact. The Institute also provides a trusted space to convene leaders experts and students for conversations about the pressing challenges facing our nation and the world.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Clearly Serves as a member of the Institutes leadership team with a formal role in
strategic planning institutional governance discussions and long-range resource
allocation decisions. - Establishes and leads the strategic direction of the Innovate Pillar including setting
annual and multi-year objectives aligned with national security priorities and Vanderbilts
institutional strategy. - Exercises independent judgment and decision-making authority in shaping innovation
initiatives partnerships and research focus areas. - Owns and manages a defined innovation operating budget and sponsored research
portfolio. - Establishes annual revenue targets for government and foundation-sponsored research
and is accountable for achieving portfolio growth goals. - Leads financial forecasting and pipeline tracking for innovation-related funding
opportunities. - Originates and leads large-scale proposal development efforts including multi-investigator
multi-institution submissions. - Serves as principal strategist in identifying cultivating and securing funding from DoD
Intelligence Community DOE DHS and other national security agencies. - Drives the growth of a high-impact research portfolio generating significant grant
revenue. - Provides direct supervision and performance management of staff within the Innovate
Pillar. - Leads cross-functional teams spanning faculty researchers students and administrative
staff. - Builds scalable operational processes to support innovation pipeline development.
- Serves as the Institutes designated innovation representative to senior government
military laboratory and industry stakeholders. - Represents the Institute independently in high-level engagements briefings and
partnership negotiations. - Maintains and expands strategic relationships with national laboratories (Sandia Los
Alamos Oak Ridge PNNL etc.) and defense innovation organizations (DARPA DIU In-
Q-T Independently identifies emerging national security challenges and formulates new
innovation initiatives. - Designs and launches new research programs applied innovation labs and translational
initiatives. - Shapes the Institutes innovation identity at the institutional and national level.
Supervisory Relationships: This position has supervisory responsibility over staff under the Innovate Pillar. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Founding and Executive Directors of the Institute
of National Security.
Qualifications
- A bachelors degree in engineering computer science computer engineering data
science national security or related field is required. An advanced degree in engineering computer science or a national security-related field is strongly preferred. - 12-14 years of experience at the intersection of technology applied research and
national security operations is required. Relevant education can be substituted for
required experience. - An active or recently held TS/SCI clearance is strongly preferred.
- Prior experience with defense innovation organizations (DARPA DIU In-Q-Tel service
labs) national laboratories or equivalent private-sector Research & Development
leadership is preferred.
Required Experience:
Director
Key Skills
- Crisis Management
- Marketing
- Public Relations
- Fundraising
- Media Relations
- Constant Contact
- Strategic Planning
- Social Media Management
- Team Management
- Public Speaking
- Wordpress
- Writing Skills
About Company
At Vanderbilt University , our work - regardless of title or role - is in service to an important and noble mission in which every member of our community serves in advancing knowledge and transforming lives on a daily basis. Located in Nashville , Tennessee, on a 330+ acre campus and ... View more
