University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Department: Office of Research Development & Strategy; Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research

Job Title: Program Director and Principal Strategic Development for Research

Position #: 00849778 – Requisition #: 40247

Job Summary:

The Office of Research Development and Strategy (ORD&S), within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), advances research excellence by fostering strategic collaborations, expanding funding opportunities, and supporting high-impact interdisciplinary initiatives aligned with institutional priorities.

The Program Director and Principal Strategic Development for Research is a senior leadership position within ORD&S reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Development and Strategy. This position is responsible for developing and executing institution-wide, data-informed strategies to expand, diversify, and strengthen the CU Anschutz research funding portfolio across extramural sponsors (with a primary focus on foundations). This position will have significant synergies, interactions and collaboration with the Director of Extramural Research within ORD&S and the Office of Advancement.

The position dedicates at least 50% effort to building and managing a robust portfolio of foundation partnerships and funding opportunities, with the remaining effort focused on advancing broader funding strategies across federal and other sponsors, including agencies such as the NIH, ARPA-H, DARPA, and BARDA.

This role places significant emphasis on proactively cultivating large, complex funding opportunities—positioning faculty and institutional priorities ahead of formal solicitations—through strategic intelligence, sponsor engagement, interdisciplinary team development, and external relationship-building.

Success in this role is measured by increased diversification of sponsor portfolio, growth in large-scale awards, expanded foundation engagement, increased institutional competitiveness for sponsored research funding.

Key Responsibilities:

Foundation Funding Strategy Portfolio Development (50% Effort)

• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to identify, cultivate, and expand relationships with private foundations and philanthropic organizations

• Build and manage a portfolio of foundation partners aligned with institutional research priorities

• Engage foundations proactively to shape funding opportunities and co-develop strategic initiatives

• Collaborate with Advancement and ORDS Leadership to align campus investments with research priorities

• Monitor and analyze foundation funding trends to anticipate opportunities and position institutional strengths

Proactive Funding Strategy & Opportunity Development (