Job Purpose
Are you a strategic leader with a passion for bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and impactful training and capacity building and practical human development? We are seeking a visionary Director of Research and Grant Management to lead our evidence-based initiatives and secure the resources necessary to scale our global impact. Our organization is dedicated to empowering youth, women, men, families, cooperatives, villages, communities, entrepreneurs, small business owners, employees of organisations, professionals and business leaders through world-class training and capacity building programs. We are looking for a Director of Research and Grant Management to spearhead our evidence-based approach, ensuring our programs are not only impactful but also grounded in the latest pedagogical and industry insights. As the Director of Research and Grant Management, you will hold a dual-impact portfolio. You will oversee the design and execution of research that informs our training and capacity-building programs, while simultaneously leading our grant acquisition strategy. You will be a key member of the senior leadership team, ensuring that our organization remains a thought leader in the training and capacity-building sector. As the Director of Research and Grant management, you will be the architect of our knowledge strategy. You will lead a team of researchers to evaluate the efficacy of our training and capacity-building interventions, identify emerging trends in global training and capacity building, and provide the data-driven insights necessary to keep our empowerment curriculum at the cutting edge.
- Strategic Research Leadership. Develop and implement a comprehensive research agenda that aligns with the organization’s mission.
- Lead strategically the transformation of the Institute into a globally recognized empowerment hub for entrepreneurship and innovation intelligence through blue sky and applied research.
- Organise and collaborate with other institutions research conferences focused on entrepreneurship and innovation empowerment at global, regional and national level.
- Leading and developing the strategic design and oversight of research conference’s intellectual framework to ensure that the call for papers, keynote selections, and workshop themes align with the dual goals of advancing theoretical knowledge and empowerment entrepreneurs, youth, women, men, families, communities and businesses with actionable insights.
- Develop research policy on how research is conducted within the Institute to protect its reputation and legal standing.
- Ensure that research is ethical, funding is compliant, and the institute’s data is used to shape national or regional innovation agendas.
- Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of researchers and grant specialists.
- Lead the pursuit of domestic and international research grants for training and capacity building for entrepreneurship and innovation.
- Lead the full grant lifecycle from identifying opportunities and building donor relationships to writing high-stakes proposals.
- Diversify funding streams by targeting institutional donors, foundations, and corporate partners.
- Forge and cultivate strategic partnerships with universities, think tanks, and international Non-Governmental Organizations to facilitate collaborative research projects.
- Coordinate with the Finance Department to manage grant budgets and resource allocation.
- Coordinate with the Business and Enterprise Development Department to mobilise resources for the Institute’s empowerment programs.
- Representing the Institute at global, regional, national and provincial summits and academic and research conferences.
- Infusing the latest research findings into the Institute’s training and capacity building programs.
- Leading and overseeing the management of the Research and Grant Management Department’s budget, ensuring a balance between long-term blue sky and applied research and immediate project-based needs.
- Perform any other research and grant management-related duties as assigned.
Qualifications & Experience
- A PhD in Development Entrepreneurship, Commercial or Social Entrepreneurship, Applied Business Research, Business Management or Administration, Economics, Finance, Engineering, or any related Social Sciences, or a related field with a focus on Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship and Grant management.
- Possess a unique blend of academic authority, financial acumen, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
- A proven history of high-impact publications in top-tier peer-reviewed journals and a demonstrated ability to translate complex research into ‘plain language’ for stakeholders.
- A documented history of securing multi-million-dollar grants from major bodies (e.g., NSF, NIH, Horizon Europe, or private foundations like Gates/Ford).
- Deep expertise in the full grant lifecycle, including prospecting, proposal writing, budget development, compliance, and post-award reporting.
- Proficiency in managing complex institutional budgets and ensuring that research expenditures align with the institute’s long-term sustainability goals.
- Knowledge of Intellectual Property (IP) management and the commercialization of research is an added advantage.
Attributes, Competencies & Skills
- Result-orientation and mission-driven
- A deep understanding of inferential statistics, regression modelling, and hypothesis testing to ensure research integrity.
- Ability to liaise between academic faculty, government policy-makers, and venture capitalists.
- Ability to architect complex research projects
- Ability to evaluate the technical skills of new hires and mentor junior analysts in their technical growth.
- Deep familiarity with the specific handbooks of major funders
- Predictive Insight
- Sound communication skills
- Visionary leadership
