AERDF (Advanced Education Research & Development Fund) is a national nonprofit organization launched in 2021. We advance scientific discovery and create innovative solutions that celebrate learners’ brilliance and transform their PreK-12 educational futures. Our ambitious three-to-five-year initiatives (programs), supported by budgets up to $25 million, tackle critical challenges in teaching and learning that have historically been overlooked for Black and Latino learners and students experiencing poverty in the United States.
The Deputy Chief, R&D, is a pivotal leadership role at AERDF. This leader will architect, enhance and manage the organization’s cutting-edge advanced, inclusive research and development infrastructure and build systems and strategies in service of student success and the breakthrough goals of AERDF programs. The ideal candidate will thrive in a dynamic environment, bringing experience in R&D infrastructure development, advanced inclusive research and development methodologies, a proven ability to navigate ambiguity, and exceptional skills in relationship-building to unite cross-functional teams and external partners around a shared vision.
This role directly supports the execution of large-scale, multi-year advanced R&D programs, works directly with program staff to design, structure and advance R and D projects and requires comfort working in an intentionally evolving and iterative programmatic landscape.
Key roles and responsibilities
R&D Expertise and Infrastructure Development
- Lead the design and implementation of AERDF’s advanced R&D capabilities and capacities.
- Lead the improvement and execution of AERDF’s advanced R&D contracting and procurement processes from design through assessment.
- Identify, evaluate, and integrate emerging technologies to enhance AERDF’s R&D capabilities, conducting thorough due diligence and impact assessments.
Strategic Program Management and Innovation
- Develop strategic processes to accelerate the R&D processes, building a hub and spoke model and infrastructure.
- Automate repetitive tasks, eliminate bottlenecks, and uphold rigorous ethics and privacy standards to drive innovation and efficiency.
- Implement a robust strategic design framework for high-stakes R&D projects, proactively addressing challenges and de-risking high risk, high reward innovation.
- Monitor progress against KPIs using advanced analytics and provide actionable insights through custom dashboards and regular reporting to senior leadership.
Operational Excellence and Process Design and Optimization
- Establish and optimize department workflows that align with strategic goals while maximizing organizational impact and efficiency.
- Develop and lead sophisticated contract management processes with external vendors, research institutions, and technology providers.
- Support program leaders in crafting RFPs, negotiating terms, and ensuring adherence to timelines and budgets.
Team Leadership and Program Engagement
- Build and lead a high-performing team, fostering an innovative and growth-oriented culture where everyone has a sense of belonging.
- Build trusting and collaborative relationships with program team members to align R&D design, infrastructure and workflows with program objectives.
- Work with program team members to encourage and enable high risk, high reward opportunities for innovation.
- Identify talent needs and plan for future hires, including a Director of R&D Infrastructure and two additional roles focused on contract management, to enhance team capacity and drive strategic initiatives.
- Cultivate strong partnerships with stakeholders, vendors, and external organizations to ensure alignment and shared accountability.
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and program managers, providing guidance, facilitating open communication, and supporting informed decision-making.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of progressive experience managing complex, high-stakes R&D programs.
- Strong operational skills, including handling contracts, optimizing processes, and executing efficiently.
- Proven ability to balance strategic thinking and thought partnership in research operations, focusing on improving processes rather than conducting research.
- Expertise in advanced research methodologies and frameworks
- Demonstrated success in navigating ambiguity, driving innovation, and fostering relationships across complex teams.
- Extensive experience managing large-scale technology procurement.
- Proficiency in cloud computing, big data analytics, and data security best practices.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making skills.
- Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Preferred
- Experience collaborating with government agencies (e.g., DARPA, IARPA, NSF, NIH) and large multi-stakeholder projects or organizations.
- Expertise in product development and data visualization.
- Familiarity with data security best practices for high-risk research environments.
The base national salary range for this role is $139,740 to $231,679 contingent on location and experience. For the states of California and New York, the base salary range is: $176,800 to $293,111. For the state of Washington, the base salary range is: $156,400 to $259,291. For the states of Colorado and Hawaii, the base salary range is: $149,600 to $248,017.