Job Description

The Program Director for SMART Tulane holds primary responsibility for programming associated with the Success Model to Advance Research and Translation at Tulane (SMART Tulane), an NSF ART Track 2 initiative. Working closely with the SMART Tulane PI and Co-PIs, the Program Director coordinates undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellowships; seed translational research projects (STRPs); and the ART Ambassador network. Additionally, this position is responsible for monitoring the Institute's innovation pipeline, serving as the primary point of contact and connector for Tulane innovation teams, and ensuring that pipeline teams are linked to appropriate resources and progressing through the Institute's development stages.

This Program Director assists in planning and executes all tasks related to the above referenced programs, including participant recruitment, program execution and improvement, marketing and communications, vendor relations as needed, administering program-related councils and advisory committees, identifying needs and next steps for innovation pipeline teams. The Program Director supports the PI and Co-PIs in preparing NSF progress reports, coordinating advisory committee meetings, and translating strategic direction from the leadership team into operational plans and timelines. This position represents The Robert L. Priddy Innovation Lab and TUII at meetings, on committees, and other University/ student events to both internal and external constituencies as appropriate to the planning and execution of the above referenced programs.

The position reports to the David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer for the purposes of performance review and grant management, and to the Executive Director for Commercialization within the Robert L. Priddy Innovation Lab within the Institute for day-to-day supervision and program operations. The Program Director works in close coordination with the SMART Tulane PI and Co-PIs on all matters of program strategy, milestone tracking, and grant deliverables.

Expectations:

The role requires a systems-oriented individual who can balance program execution with systems thinking, understanding that the SMART programs are a part of a broader pipeline that moves ideas from discovery to commercialization to startup creation. The PD is responsible for understanding the needs of current innovation pipeline teams, ensuring that they are connected to appropriate resources and progressing through the Institute’s development stages and pathway development, responsible not only for program development and management, but also for tracking outcomes, generating insights, and refining programming based on data and stakeholder feedback to strengthen TUII's overall impact following a continuous quality improvement approach. In this capacity, the Program Director will:

• Serve as a program integrator, ensuring that SMART Tulane programs contribute to TUII’s end-to-end commercialization and talent development goals.
• Act as a connector across faculty, students, entrepreneurs, alumni, and community and industry partners, helping to build and sustain a vibrant innovation community.
• Serve as the operational liaison between the PI and Co-PIs and the broader SMART Tulane program infrastructure, ensuring that leadership decisions are translated into program activities and that program data flows back to inform strategic direction.
• Coordinate NSF grant compliance, including contributions to annual and final reports, adherence to grant terms, liaison with VentureWell (external evaluator), and coordination with Georgia Institute of Technology as the mentoring institution.
• Support the operational backbone of TUII, including program logistics, financial tracking, data management, and reporting for SMART Tulane and other Robert L. Priddy Innovation Lab programs as needed for innovation pipeline management.
• Contribute to program articulation, outreach, and visibility, reinforcing TUII’s role as Tulane’s “front door” for innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Engage with external ecosystem partners, including BioDistrict New Orleans, the New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC), industry collaborators, and regional innovation stakeholders.

This role requires independent judgment and integrity, excellent interpersonal communication skills, strong project management capabilities, and the ability to operate in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. The ideal candidate is both highly organized and mission-driven and capable of executing complex programs while contributing to the broader vision of building a nationally recognized university-based innovation ecosystem.

• Experience planning and executing programs, and continuously improving multi-stakeholder programs, preferably in an academic or research institution environment.
• Demonstrated experience with grant-funded program administration, including budget tracking, milestone reporting, and compliance with sponsor requirements.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, senior administrators, students, and external partners across disciplines and organizational boundaries.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, as well as the ability to interact cooperatively with individuals internal and external to the organization in an effective and courteous manner.
• Excellent organizational skills, the ability to meet established or anticipated deadlines, attentive to details, and able to handle multiple demands simultaneously.
• Experience with data management, outcomes tracking, and using program data to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite and familiarity with project management or CRM tools
• Flexibility to work after normal business hours and on the weekend as needed.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree with 5 years of directly related experience in program management, technology transfer, innovation programming, or grant-funded program administration.

OR

• Master's degree with 3 years of directly related experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or higher in a relevant field (business, science, engineering, higher education, public policy, or related discipline).
• Experience with NSF or other federal grant administration, including annual reporting, compliance documentation, and coordination with external evaluators.
• Familiarity with university technology transfer, commercialization, or intellectual property management processes.
• Experience managing innovation pipelines, startup support programs, accelerators, or similar commercialization-oriented programming.
• Experience coordinating across multiple principal investigators or senior leadership on a funded research or capacity-building project.
• Experience working with advisory boards, external mentoring partners, or multi-institutional collaborations.

Tulane University is an equal opportunity educator and employer committed to providing an education and employment environment free of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Legally protected demographic classifications (such as a person’s race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, shared ancestry, disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws) are not relied upon as an eligibility, selection or participation criteria for Tulane’s employment or educational programs or activities.

Tulane University is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing an application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact the Office of Human Resources by phone at 504-865-4748 or by email at hr@tulane.edu.