Director, Contract Support Office - CSO - Open Rank

Overview:

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.   

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do: 

1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
5. We champion innovation.
6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
8. We act ethically.
9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Project/Unit Description

The Contract Support Office (CSO) is responsible for the management of GTRI-wide contract vehicles in support of GTRI’s core competencies, research portfolios, and strategies. To accomplish this primary objective, CSO is responsible for the management and oversight of GTRI’s status as a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC), implementation and execution of Organizational Conflict of Interest processes, and other compliance with federal regulations, like Export regulation compliance, that are implemented at the contract level. CSO must collaborate with GTRI management at all levels to ensure that contract vehicles have the attributes to support the GTRI research enterprise, identify opportunities to win new contracts, and modify existing contracts to best support GTRI’s research directorates and laboratories. Contract vehicles managed by CSO currently support approximately 60-70% of GTRI research awards on an annual basis. As a result, the successful operation of CSO is critical to GTRI’s ongoing success as an applied research organization.

Job Purpose

The Director of the Contract Support Office (CSO) is a senior leader responsible for setting the strategic direction and overseeing the operations of the CSO in alignment with GTRI’s mission, vision, and strategic goals. As a member of the Operations Council and a direct report to the Deputy COO, the Director plays a pivotal role in shaping GTRI’s contracting strategy, supporting research excellence, and ensuring compliance and efficiency in contract execution.

The Director directs and oversees a portfolio of research projects that includes internal and external sponsors and stakeholder engagement. The Director is responsible for both the oversight of technical execution, schedule, and budget of assigned portfolios. Specifically, the Director develops the planning of programs and future projects through routine interactions with stakeholders. The Director develops trusted relationships with sponsors and also serves in an advisory capacity to critical stakeholders, defining the technical direction of projects and technical thrusts.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee technical government programs that are of relatively medium-to-high risk and medium-to-high complexity.
• Ensure that all required resources, such as engineering expertise, manpower, production, computer infrastructure, facilities, etc., are available for the program.
• Plan, direct, and monitor program budgets and serve as primary sponsor contact for program information inquiries.
• Author and oversee the delivery of project deliverables.
• Coordinate schedules, briefing materials, minutes and logistics associated with project meetings.
• Direct program growth by proposing new ideas to sponsors and marketing new technology or follow-on business opportunities.
• Understand and present GTRI core competencies and lab capabilities to external sponsors and stakeholders.
• Maintain an understanding of various sponsors' interests in a given technical area.
• Coordinate with program development leads and GTRI support units on la