BARI Chief Strategist

University of California - San Francisco; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California, San Francisco is seeking a Chief Strategist to lead community engagement and advance aging and age-related research across basic, clinical, and translational domains. The role focuses on executing strategic initiatives, coordinating grant development, and shaping the research vision in partnership with BARI leadership and faculty.

The position involves managing funding strategies, coordinating researchers, attending seminars, and organizing events to build a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and training.
• 3 years directly relevant, progressive work experience.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Highly organized.
• Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Skilled at adopting and implementing new technologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop project concepts, budgets, need assessment and strategies for funding opportunities.
• Write RFAs and grant proposals in collaboration with leadership.
• Identify and pursue funding opportunities and revenue streams.
• Coordinate clinical translational pipelines and pilot data.
• Organize educational initiatives, seminars and workshops for junior faculty and trainees.
• Lead outreach, community engagement and collaboration with stakeholders.

Skills

Strong communication and interpersonal

Analytical and problem solving

Discretion and confidentiality

Adopting and implementing new tech

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Chief Strategist who demonstrates knowledge in aging and age-related disease research (i.e. basic, clinical, and translational research) and entrepreneurial efforts to facilitate development in our community.

The Chief Strategist is a dynamic, hands‑on position that is responsible for supporting all related aspects of community engagement and outreach within our organization, with a significant focus on enriching aging and age‑related research in our community.

The Chief Strategist plays a vital role in the strategic and operations management of our existing aging and age‑related research groups (e.g. basic, clinical, and translational research). This includes planning, implementation, and coordination of new and existing initiatives of moderate to high complexity to support each group’s priorities and ensuring that they are able to do their best work.

The nature of the projects will be varied, from managing funding to addressing clinical, scientific, and administrative needs. This person is expected to execute project management work with minimal supervision, but in close consultation with the BARI program manager, faculty leadership, principal investigators, and other stakeholders. Their primary role will be to nucleate the research and trainee communities within BARI. The Chief Strategist is expected to become an active member in the research community, interacting closely with faculty, postdocs, and graduate students to develop a deep understanding of their research interests and expertise. This will involve attending works‑in‑progress seminars and strategizing and organizing events and initiatives that bring together researchers with similar and/or complementary expertise and interests. The Chief Strategist will explore opportunities to put together research proposals for grant writing agencies and potential industry and philanthropic sponsors.

They will manage and assume primary writing responsibilities for grant proposals, working in tandem with the BARI Directors. They will determine and prioritize research proposals to pursue and will be responsible for developing efficient grant development processes with the critical skills of effective time management, active participation as a writer and editor, and managing the aggregation of various boilerplate materials such as bio sketches, letters of support, and PI waivers while maintaining effective communication with PI teams and funding agencies to ensure successful grant application. The Chief Strategist's success will be measured by the success of getting these projects funded, and in turn, managing these projects and funds flowing back into the office. This is a challenging and exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about advancing scientific research and fostering a collaborative community of researchers.

The ideal candidate will play a critical role in defining and implementing the strategic research vision for the next year or years in close collaboration with the BARI Directors, BARI Program Coordinator, and other stakeholders.

They should have or be capable of a moderate‑to‑high degree of personal initiative and be able to adjust to an organization’s changing needs. Most of all, the candidate must have high zeal for this role and a willingness to learn. The candidate should be adaptable and able to manage multiple groups within an organization. The candidate should have or be capable of learning strong research and communications skills, a collaborative mindset, and change management experience as all will be important to this position when collecting information from individual groups and providing concise and timely updates to program leadership. The Chief Strategist reports directly to the BARI Director.

Department Overview:

The Anatomy Department is a basic science department within the School of Medicine that performs scientific research, training and teaching. The Department includes 15 faculty members with primary full‑time appointments, 15 faculty with joint appointments, and about 150 postdoctoral fellows and students engaged in research that covers questions in cell biology, developmental biology and the neurosciences. Faculty have laboratories at both the Parnassus Heights campus, where there is a focus of interest in cancer biology, and at the Mission Bay campus, where many of the neurobiology faculty are located. The administrative office of the Department is located at the Parnassus Heights campus. Anatomy faculty and staff are committed to building a diverse community that is welcoming and supportive, one that will nurture education and research.

The Bakar Aging Research Institute is an institute in the Department of Anatomy that brings together scientists and clinicians from all UCSF campuses to address the most critical and intractable questions related to the Science of Aging. Members draw from the Memory and Aging Center, the Hillblom Center for Biology of Aging, the Division of Geriatrics, which supports the Claude D. Pepper Center, the Institute for Health and the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotion center, as well as 24+ departments.

Grant Development and Research Support

• Collaborate with the Program Coordinator and BARI leadership to develop project concepts, budgets, conduct need assessment and develop strategies for internal and external funding opportunities.
• Work with BARI leadership to develop concepts and write RFAs for internal funding opportunities.
• Work with program leadership to identify and pursue funding opportunities and revenue streams.
• Conduct research and maintain a database on potential funding sources and grant opportunities.
• Consult and offer support to BARI faculty and trainees in developing large research proposals that meet the requirements of funders and align with the organization’s strategic goals.
• Providing direct support with research contracts and writing grant proposals.
• Review and analyze grant application guidelines to ensure compliance with funder requirements.
• Work with the Program Coordinator to compile and organize application materials, such as biosketches, letters of support, PI waivers, and boilerplate language.
• Edit and proofread grant proposals and other application materials to ensure accuracy and clarity. Submit grant applications and follow‑up with funders as needed.
• Responsible for sponsor annual research progress report, center core services electronic web based recharge intake forms and data server maintenance of services performed. Prepare research data analytics reports to measure core service.
• Develop and maintain relationships with funding agencies and their program officers. Act as a liaison between PIs and those funding agencies.
• Work with the BARI Program Coordinator and leadership, the Office of Collaborative Research and other relevant entities to setup clinical translational pipelines and preliminary pilot data.
• Develop and implement educational initiatives, such as seminars and workshops focused on writing grant applications and manuscripts for junior faculty and trainees.
• Stay up‑to‑date on the latest aging research and grant application best practice, and provide strategic advice and information to PIs and researchers.

Community, Faculty, and Trainee Engagement

• Trainee Engagement/Community (oversee educational/trainee initiatives & manage any faculty involvement, lead communications/community building, workshops like K99, job application/interview practice, grant writing mentorship)
• Organize and oversee in person and virtual meetings involving trainees, directors, faculty subgroups on diverse research and educational topics (e.g. research in progress, clinical trials, translational research, aging animal models).
• Monitor publications and activities across member labs to identify opportunities for internal BARI collaborations.
• Assess and recommend guest speakers, journal editors, philanthropic partners, and other visitors of interest to the BARI community.
• Plan and organize networking events, socials, and other special events.
• Work closely with faculty to develop an understanding of their research interests and expertise.

Communications, Outreach, and External Relations

• Develop content to highlight community achievements through newsletters, social media, and Q&A features for trainees.
• Work with the Development Office on updates about institute progress and achievements, including the annual foundation report.
• Moderate and attend panels involving innovation ventures, government, venture capital, and journal editors.
• Act as a liaison with the UCSF Office of Community and Government Relations, Chief Strategist meetings, Graduate School Council, and Development Office.
• Lead public engagement and outreach activities (e.g. philanthropic, government, and industry).

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• 3 years directly relevant, progressive work experience
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. Highly organized
• Ability to use discretion and maintain all confidentiality. Effective communicator
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Skilled at adopting and implementing new technologies

Preferred:

• Experience in creating and managing sizeable budgets
• Ability to multi-task with demanding timeframes. Working knowledge about biology of aging and geroscience research, including study design, protocol adherence, and data management
• Plus for someone with a scientific background in basic, translational and clinical aging research in the fields of biomedical, metabolism, biology, stem cell biology, cancer biology, neuroscience, cell biology, computation biology, chemistry, physiology, organogenesis, medicine, geriatrics, geroscience, therapeutics, organ systems

About UCSF

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate‑level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only campus in the 10‑campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. We bring together the world’s leading experts in nearly every area of health. We are home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, aging and stem cells.

Pride Values

UCSF is a diverse community made of people with many skills and talents. We seek candidates whose work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence - also known as our PRIDE values.

In addition to our PRIDE values, UCSF is committed to equity - both in how we deliver care as well as our workforce. We are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Additional information about UCSF is available here.

Join us to find a rewarding career contributing to improving healthcare worldwide.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

Salary Information

The final salary and offer components are subject to additional approvals based on UC policy.

Your placement within the salary range is dependent on a number of factors including your work experience and internal equity within this position classification at UCSF. For positions that are represented by a labor union, placement within the salary range will be guided by the rules in the collective bargaining agreement.

To learn more about the benefits of working at UCSF, including total compensation, please visit: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• 3 years directly relevant, progressive work experience
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. Highly organized
• Ability to use discretion and maintain all confidentiality. Effective communicator
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Skilled at adopting and implementing new technologies

Preferred:

• Experience in creating and managing sizeable budgets
• Ability to multi-task with demanding timeframes. Working knowledge about biology of aging and geroscience research, including study design, protocol adherence, and data management
• Plus for someone with a scientific background in basic, translational and clinical aging research in the fields of biomedical, metabolism, biology, stem cell biology, cancer biology, neuroscience, cell biology, computation biology, chemistry, physiology, organogenesis, medicine, geriatrics, geroscience, therapeutics, organ systems