The specialist will develop and conduct applied research and technical assistance projects and participate in the collaborative design and implementation of projects with a special focus in the Hampton Roads area. This position, reporting to the director of the Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) is a restricted calendar year, administrative and professional faculty appointment.
Responsibilities include:
Design and implement projects addressing economic and community development needs across Virginia on subjects such as research commercialization, manufacturing extension, distributed research centers, strategic innovation partnerships, asset-based development, entrepreneurship, and strategic planning. This requires the senior specialist to undertake the following:
Conduct diverse forms of research and analysis such as economic impact and feasibility studies, market analysis, cluster studies, strategic planning, and program design and evaluation with emphasis on economically distressed areas in Virginia.
Prepare reports and deliver public presentations to project clients and other stakeholder's derived from that research.
Write and submit sponsored project proposals, including scope of work, budget development, and secure funding from national, state, and local sources to support up a substantial portion of salary and fringe for this position.
Develop contacts with current and potential clients across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors through regular travel around the state, active participation in professional associations, and other marketing activities of the unit.
Build strong relationships with academic departments at the university, including faculty as partners in projects.
Participate in internal evaluations and conduct impact assessments of past projects.
Participate in recruiting, selecting, and managing graduate assistants and undergraduate interns.