The Director of Innovation serves as the primary lead of the Institute’s Innovate Pillar and is
responsible for the strategic design, growth, and operational execution of the Institute’s
sponsored research and technology innovation portfolio. This role operates as a senior member
of the Institute’s team, with enterprise-level responsibility for innovation strategy, external
partnerships, and revenue generation aligned with national security research priorities.
The Director of Innovation owns the development and execution of a multi-year innovation
roadmap, including oversight of a defined operating budget and revenue targets tied to
government-sponsored research and strategic partnerships. The role functions with independent
signature authority for proposals and external representation, serving as the Institute’s
innovation representative to federal agencies, national laboratories, and strategic industry
partners.
This position requires executive-level engagement across academic, government, and defense
communities and operates with significant autonomy in originating new initiatives, securing
funding, and shaping institutional innovation priorities under the guidance and vision of the
Institute’s Executive Leadership.
The Vanderbilt University Institute of National Security is an academic proving ground for future national security leaders and a hub for innovation. The Institute offers the national security community access to top student talent and fresh thinking from a university rooted in open debate, radical collaboration, and real-world impact. The Institute also provides a trusted space to convene leaders, experts, and students for conversations about the pressing challenges facing our nation and the world.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Clearly Serves as a member of the Institute’s leadership team with a formal role in
strategic planning, institutional governance discussions, and long-range resource
allocation decisions. - Establishes and leads the strategic direction of the Innovate Pillar, including setting
annual and multi-year objectives aligned with national security priorities and Vanderbilt’s
institutional strategy. - Exercises independent judgment and decision-making authority in shaping innovation
initiatives, partnerships, and research focus areas. - Owns and manages a defined innovation operating budget and sponsored research
portfolio. - Establishes annual revenue targets for government and foundation-sponsored research
and is accountable for achieving portfolio growth goals. - Leads financial forecasting and pipeline tracking for innovation-related funding
opportunities. - Originates and leads large-scale proposal development efforts, including multi-investigator,
multi-institution submissions. - Serves as principal strategist in identifying, cultivating, and securing funding from DoD,
Intelligence Community, DOE, DHS, and other national security agencies. - Drives the growth of a high-impact research portfolio generating significant grant
revenue. - Provides direct supervision and performance management of staff within the Innovate
Pillar. - Leads cross-functional teams spanning faculty, researchers, students, and administrative
staff. - Builds scalable operational processes to support innovation pipeline development.
- Serves as the Institute’s designated innovation representative to senior government,
military, laboratory, and industry stakeholders. - Represents the Institute independently in high-level engagements, briefings, and
partnership negotiations. - Maintains and expands strategic relationships with national laboratories (Sandia, Los
Alamos, Oak Ridge, PNNL, etc.) and defense innovation organizations (DARPA, DIU, In-
Q-T Independently identifies emerging national security challenges and formulates new
innovation initiatives. - Designs and launches new research programs, applied innovation labs, and translational
initiatives. - Shapes the Institute’s innovation identity at the institutional and national level.
Supervisory Relationships: This position has supervisory responsibility over staff under the Innovate Pillar. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Founding and Executive Directors of the Institute
of National Security.
Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, computer engineering, data
science, national security or related field is required. An advanced degree in engineering, computer science, or a national security-related field is strongly preferred. - 12-14+ years of experience at the intersection of technology, applied research, and
national security operations is required. Relevant education can be substituted for
required experience. - An active or recently held TS/SCI clearance is strongly preferred.
- Prior experience with defense innovation organizations (DARPA, DIU, In-Q-Tel, service
labs), national laboratories, or equivalent private-sector Research & Development
leadership is preferred.
Company
At Vanderbilt University , our work - regardless of title or role - is in service to an important and noble mission in which every member of our community serves in advancing knowledge and transforming lives on a daily basis. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, on a 330+ acre campus and arboretum dating back to 1873, Vanderbilt is proud to have been named as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” as well as a top employer in Tennessee and the Nashville metropolitan area by Forbes for several years running. We welcome those who are interested in learning and growing professionally with an employer that strives to create, foster and sustain opportunities as an employer of choice.
We understand you have a choice when choosing where to work and pursue a career. We understand you are unique and have a story. We want to hear it. We encourage you to apply today so that you might become a part of our story.
Vanderbilt University 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, or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.