Purdue University
Managing Director, Institute for Digital Forestry
🇺🇸
West Lafayette, IN
🕑
Full-Time
💰
TBD
💻
Research
🗓️
April 27th, 2026
Edtech.com's Summary
Purdue University's Institute for Digital Forestry is hiring a Managing Director. This role leads strategic, operational, and external engagement efforts to support research, project execution, and partnerships. The Managing Director collaborates with faculty and stakeholders to enhance strategic direction, funding opportunities, project delivery, and sustainability.
Highlights
- Provide operational oversight to ensure team performance and priority delivery.
- Partner with faculty leadership to define research strategy and growth initiatives.
- Lead planning, resource allocation, and capability development for research effectiveness.
- Identify funding opportunities and oversee competitive proposal development.
- Build relationships across the university and external partners including industry and government.
- Oversee funded project establishment, compliance, timelines, budgets, and risks.
- Bachelor’s degree required; 6 years related experience with leadership in research or complex organizations.
- Skills in strategic management, budgeting, team leadership, stakeholder engagement, and post-award research administration essential.
- Nice to have: Postgraduate degree and experience in university research environments.
- Exempt position with defined contribution retirement eligibility; background check required.
Managing Director, Institute for Digital Forestry Full Description
Job Summary
The Institute for Digital Forestry is seeking a Managing Director. In this role, you will provide strategic, operational, and external engagement leadership for the Institute for Digital Forestry, supporting the Institute’s research, project, and partnership activities. You will work closely with faculty leaders (Director, Associate Director, and the Steering Committee), researchers, professional staff, and external stakeholders to strengthen the Institute’s strategic direction, funding pipeline, post-award project delivery, and long-term sustainability. In addition, you will play a central role in enabling research teams and projects to operate effectively, identifying and supporting funding opportunities, overseeing post-award establishment and operations, and building productive relationships with industry, funding agencies, foundations, and other external partners.
What You'll Be Doing:
- Providing operational oversight of Institute teams to ensure high performance, alignment, and delivery of priorities.
- Partnering with faculty leadership to define and implement research strategy, priority initiatives, and growth opportunities
- Leading internal planning, resource allocation, and capability development to strengthen research performance and team effectiveness
- Driving identification and pursuit of funding opportunities, overseeing the development of high-quality, competitive proposals
- Building strong internal relationships across the University to enable collaboration, integration, and effective delivery
- Leading strategic engagement with industry, government, funding bodies, and research partners to advance Institute priorities
- Developing and sustaining high-value partnerships that generate funding, collaboration, and long-term growth opportunities
- Representing the Institute externally to enhance reputation, visibility, and influence
- Identifying who the various PIs are partnering with, track those partnerships for their future application
- Identifying and progressing new opportunities, including major collaborations and partnership-based initiatives
- Overseeing the effective establishment and delivery of funded projects, ensuring compliance with institutional and funder requirements
- Providing strategic oversight of project performance, including timelines, budgets, risks, and reporting obligations
- Ensuring robust governance, financial management, and operational coordination across the project lifecycle
- Proactively managing risks and resolving issues to ensure successful delivery of outcomes
What We're Looking For:
- Bachelor’s degree
- 6 years of related experience
- Leadership experience in a research, higher education, or complex organizational environment
- Effective partnership with faculty leaders in delivering strategic and financial priorities
- Demonstrated success in strategic and operational management, including planning, budgeting, and resource allocation
- Proven ability to lead, develop, and inspire high-performing, multidisciplinary teams, fostering collaboration, trust, and accountability
- Strong track record in building productive relationships and influencing stakeholders across all organizational levels
- Experience identifying funding opportunities and leading or enabling the development of competitive research proposals
- Sound knowledge of post-award research administration, including project establishment, governance, and delivery oversight.
- Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills, with the ability to engage, align, and motivate diverse stakeholders.
- Highly developed organizational and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
- Strategic leadership and execution
- Financial management and resource planning
- Team leadership, coaching, and capability development
- Research development and funding strategy
- Post-award management and project governance
- Stakeholder engagement and partnership building
- Operational leadership and organizational effectiveness
- Advanced communication, negotiation, and influencing skills
- Problem-solving, adaptability, and continuous improvement
Nice to Have:
- Postgraduate degree
- Experience within a university institute, research center, or similarly complex environment
- Understanding of research funding landscapes, industry engagement, and partnership development
- Experience collaborating with external stakeholders, including industry, government, and funding agencies
What We'd Like You to Know:
- Learn more about Purdue’s benefits summary
- Purdue will not sponsor employment authorization for this position
- A background check will be required for employment in this position
- FLSA: Exempt (Not Eligible For Overtime)
- Retirement Eligibility: Defined Contributions immediately
- Purdue University is an EO employer. All individuals, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply
Career Stream
Management 4
Pay Band S080
Link to Purdue University's compensation guidelines: https://www.purdue.edu/hr/mngcareer/compguidelines/index.php
Job Code #20002614
Link to Career Path Maker: https://www.purdue.edu/hr/careerpathmaker/
Link to Purdue University's compensation guidelines: https://www.purdue.edu/hr/mngcareer/compguidelines/index.php
Job Code #20002614
Link to Career Path Maker: https://www.purdue.edu/hr/careerpathmaker/
*Effective August 1, Purdue implemented a new background screen policy: any internal transfer will receive a new background screen if one has not been run within the last year.
Who We Are:
Purdue is a community built on collaboration, with global perspectives, Boilermaker pride and endless opportunity to live, learn and grow. Join us and contribute to our culture.
EO
Purdue University is an EO/EA University.
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