Mission or Goal of Unit:

The mission of the College of Humanities and Sciences is to serve as the intellectual heart and soul of our institution and wider community. The College of Humanities and Sciences:

• Prepares lifelong learners to participate actively as engaged and responsible citizens
• Propels scientific research and scholarship to improve the human condition, cure and treat diseases, and promote healthy environments
• Grounds us in our history, critically examines our present human condition and empowers students to create more equitable local and global communities
• Provides communities with a passionate and creative workforce that serves as a powerful engine for economic development and innovative solutions to problems

As the intellectual lifeblood of VCU and our community, the College of Humanities and Sciences seeks to inspire our students to explore their passions and dreams as individuals and provide the context to understand their place in the world and connections with others—locally, globally and throughout time. Most importantly, our educational and research environment addresses an array of technological, health-related and societal problems, as well as providing profound insights and reflections of what it means to be human and humane..

Chief Purpose of this position: The Center for Research, Health, and Social Justice is seeking a full-time (100% FTE) Program Director of Faculty Development to oversee career development, skills, and competency development of early-stage career investigators.

Position Responsibilities: The Director will assure that pilot award applicants and grantees receive appropriate mentoring and training and professional development that leads to the successful submission and implementation of the pilot grant and subsequent publications and grants. The Director will use data from concept mapping and pre-assessment surveys to identify and develop a core set of interventions/courses needed to facilitate the successful career development of pilot applicants and awardees. The Director will assist in developing and modifying a core set of training modules; facilitate the group grant coaching modules; and link applicants to a core set of trainings to prepare applicants (e.g. development of biosketches, specific aims, research plan) for the submission of pilot studies; work with applicants to link them to a primary and secondary mentors prior to pilot grant submission; work with applicants and faculty to help fine-tune research questions consistent with the goals of the Center grant; and work with the administrative coordinator to develop recruitment materials and content for the training and mentoring resources website. The Project Director will work with the Training and Mentoring Advisory Board members to develop individual training and mentoring plans for each applicant based on the applicant’s existing skills and competencies.
The Director will direct applicants to appropriate resources to help each applicant build skills and competencies to compete for a pilot grant applicants and implementation post-funding. The Program Director works with Evaluation Manager and the Research Project Administrator to write monthly reports about the challenges and successes of the grant coaching and faculty development program. For postdoctoral awardees, the Program Director will also assure that mentors are assisting them with faculty placements and support needed for job searches. This is a grant funded position.

Required Qualifications: PhD, MD, or relevant terminal degree in health, public health, social sciences, biomedical
sciences.

Experience in working on research projects.
Experience in faculty development.
Grant writing experience.
Experience in developing curricula and training programs.
Experience in developing PowerPoint and other scientific presentations.

Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Red-Cap, and Excel. Excellent written and oral
communication skills and ability to communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders;
willingness to learn and apply new skills; commitment to excellence; ability to work in a
team and independently; highly motivated; creative; critical thinking; resourceful;
responsible; high level of integrity; collaborative; and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications: