Assistant Director, Research Partnerships & Public Engagement

UIC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Life Insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Tuition waivers

Job summary

University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) seeks an Assistant Director for Research Collaboration and Public Engagement in Chicago, IL. The role advances GCI's mission by strengthening collaboration, dissemination, and coordination with academic, civic, and community partners.

The incumbent will connect applied research with policy and practice, develop partnerships, and lead public-facing research outputs while coordinating across campuses and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Public Administration, Sociology, or a closely related field.
• At least three years experience in applied research, community-engaged scholarship, program coordination, or partnership development within academic, nonprofit, government, or policy research environments.
• Experience designing and conducting qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research, including data analysis and the preparation of applied research reports, policy briefs, or scholarly publications.
• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral-level training in Social Work, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Sociology, or a related field.
• Demonstrated research expertise in interorganizational collaboration, collaborative governance, or cross-sector partnerships, particularly within urban policy, community development, or public-sector contexts.
• Demonstrated experience translating research into accessible public-facing formats, including reports, digital media, visual communication, multimedia storytelling, or community-oriented knowledge dissemination.
• Experience working within interdisciplinary research environments or university-based research institutes, including collaboration with faculty, community organizations, and public-sector partners on applied research initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Support research collaboration, partnerships, and capacity building across units and partners.
• Lead dissemination of findings through reports, briefs, multimedia storytelling, and public events.
• Coordinate cross-campus collaborations linking UIC faculty with GCI initiatives and projects.
• Develop interdisciplinary faculty working groups to advance urban policy dialogue.
• Design and lead a bi-directional Collaborative Exchange model between GCI and UIC units.
• Strengthen university-community partnerships through coordinated engagement strategies.

Skills

Applied research

Community-engaged scholarship

Program coordination

Partnership development

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Public communication

Education

Master’s degree in Social Work, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Public Administration, Sociology

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral-level training in Social Work, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Sociology, or a related field

Job description

University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) seeks an Assistant Director for Research Collaboration and Public Engagement in Chicago, IL. The role advances GCI's mission by strengthening collaboration, dissemination, and coordination with academic, civic, and community partners.

The incumbent will connect applied research with policy and practice, develop partnerships, and lead public-facing research outputs while coordinating across campuses and external stakeholders.