R2I2 Managing Director

Position Overview 

The R2I2 Managing Director will serve as the operational lead for the University of Minnesota’s role at the R2I2 National Office (RNO) for the NSF-funded Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator (R2I2) initiative. R2I2 supports research teams across the country to work with communities to co-design high-impact scalable solutions to address climate-related societal
challenges. The RNO will support the collective and coordinated operation of the regional R2I2 teams. This position is housed within the Research and Innovation Office’s (RIO) Research Development (RD) office under the direction of the leaders of the RNO, Kimberly Kirkpatrick and Melissa Kenney. The Managing Director will ensure the day-to-day implementation of the RNO coordination plan, establish and maintain project management systems, monitor activities and deliverables across multiple partners and teams, design, implement and oversee the customer relationship management system, and contribute to the successful delivery of a highly visible national initiative focused on climate resilience, innovation, and community impact. They will also assign duties and responsibilities to other staff members working on the project, with direct oversight of the community engagement specialist.

Job Responsibilities

50% Project Management and Implementation Oversight
● Design and implement strategic project workflows, project management tracking and reporting system(s) and customer relationship management system(s) to address unique project priorities and milestones, as well as enhance planning, monitoring, and decision-making processes
● Monitor timelines, milestones, and deliverables to ensure alignment with NSF expectations
● Coordinate across internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure all aspects of the implementation plan remain on schedule; identify risks and recommend solutions to overcome implementation barriers
● Guide the distribution of responsibilities among project contributors by identifying task needs and aligning them with project goals and timelines, team expertise, and capacity

30% Communication and Coordination
● Serve as primary liaison for internal and external communications related to project operations
● Organize and facilitate project meetings and conference calls, including quarterly and annual convenings with the project teams, advisory board meetings, executive committee meetings, and PI meetings with NSF program directors
● Oversee the communication of weekly project priorities and progress with team members
● Ensure accurate and timely information sharing across the R2I2 National Research Network and Hub, in collaboration with the RNO Communication Officer
● Support the PI and Co-PIs in preparing reports, updates, and materials for NSF and project partners

10% Administrative Support and Logistics
● Coordinate contracts, vendor agreements, and procurement in line with university and sponsor policies
● Maintain documentation related to project plans, timelines, and stakeholder communications
● Support scheduling and logistics for events, workshops, webinars, and training sessions

5% Strategic Input and Continuous Improvement
● Contribute to adaptive management practices and recommend improvements to project systems and workflows across the RNO, developing and implementing scalable solutions to enhance efficiency and effectiveness
● Collaborate with team members to assess impact, evaluate processes, and propose innovations

5% Supervision and Mentorship
● Supervise direct and indirect reports to advance project management-related activities effectively including direct supervision of the community engagement specialist
● Mentor other project team members in project management best practices and standardized processes to improve clarity on roles and responsibilities and improve work products