Large Grants and Awards Manager

About QAI

Established in 2020, Quantum Algorithms Institute (QAI) aims to help secure British Columbia’s position as a global leader in the development of application of quantum computing for real-world problems. By bringing industry, academia and government together, QAI will leverage British Columbia’s strengths to establish an applied quantum computing ecosystem that features broad participation, an inclusive approach to core technology and is focused on building a critical mass of talent that drives skilled job creation and economic development across the province and Canada. QAI is located on Simon Fraser University’s Surreycampus, in a newly renovated facility where we will promote an inclusive and collaborative environment for students, industry researchers, and faculty. It is alsoa venue to host workshops, industry events, and incubate commercial projects.

Position Summary

The Large Grants and Awards Officer will work closely with the ED to bring together multi-disciplinary teams of people to pursue complex and long running programs of research, in addition to continued success in individual research projects.The Large Grants and Awards Officer is a critical revenue-generating role for QAIand it is expected that the grant writing and industrial research activities of the role will result in significant financial returns for QAI. This position has significant influence and impact on the ability of QAI to meet its financial goals and commitments, which are to: secure sufficient funding to maintain the research program and technical staff beyond the initial 5 years’ Provincial Government investment; maintain the same or higher level of resources per faculty member; and secure sufficient finances to seize research opportunities when they arise. The incumbent will increase the stream of revenue coming into QAI by leading groups of primary investigators to craft multidisciplinary projects related to fund raising for research activity: researching available large grants (government, foundation and industry), awards and donations; selecting those that are strategically most suited to QAI’s expertise; bringing together the right team -of researchers, external partners and associates, and technicians -to compete for them; developing the competitive strategy to win the awards; gathering the necessary information to support the submission; managing teams, editing, writing, then submitting, the proposals. The Large Grants and Awards Officer also preparesproposals, papers and presentations to industry and companies that would have an interest in the potential of QAI’sresearch and devices in close collaboration with the Executive Directorand Business Development Manager. The Large Grants and Awards Officer is an integral part of the external-facing part of the QAI administration.

Responsibilities

Research Grant Strategy:

• Directs large grant and fund-raising initiatives at QAI using knowledge of vision, strategy and goals; matches QAI research strategy to funding sources; establishes criteria for selection of grants to pursue, focusing on those that will require a multi-disciplinary team of researchers; advises the QAI leadership on which grants to pursue; formulates the strategies and procedures that will guide pursuit of the grants;
• Builds and maintains relationships with all internal and external stakeholders in the grantand fund-raising activities of QAI and its Principle Investigators in our academic partners(SFU, UBC and UVic) and other academic institutions. Develops knowledge of their skills andexpertise to know when to include individuals in projects as associates and collaborators,thus increasing the chances of success of the grant application;
• Identifies and builds the optimal team of researchers with the required skillsets to pursuegrants that are of strategic interest to QAI; identifies the resources they will need to besuccessful in their bid (i.e. additional expertise, partners, technical support, equipment,budget);
• Facilitate grant writing by mapping the project plan, required tasks andmilestones; maps and forecasts the budgetary requirements; assigns tasks andmanages team as needed;
• Solicits, and reviews responses from, groups of researchers to participate in grantcompetitions and selects those that meet the overall priorities of QAI; providesdirection on meeting the requirements of the granting agency;
• Continuously researches and identifies sources of large grants and awards and ensures thatPrinciple Investigators are aware of current, new and emerging opportunities;
• Provides insight, advice and guidance to individual researchers on identification and pursuit oflarge or small individual grants.
• Prepares budget reports and predicts research funding trends.

Grant Writing:

• Drives all phases of grant application projects to completion of submission;
• Directs the application process and facilitates the coordination and preparation of Letters ofIntent, supporting documentation and final application;
• Establishes relationships with local, national and international academic institutions,government bodies and granting agencies to ensure that expectations are clear and will bemet;
• Once the Large Grants and Awards Manager has mapped the strategy, identified researchteam members and forecast budgetary needs, the manager leads the writing team and editsthe proposals, ensuring that they meet the format and content criteria of the granting agency,clearly detail the goals, objectives and deliverables for which the funds will be used, fullyoutlines the expertise, experience, and accomplishments of the selected team of researchers,and accurately reflects the requirements for success

Business Development:

Works closely with the Business Development Manager to prepare submissions, papers and presentations to companies that could be potential partners with QAI and/or be interested in licensing or otherwise participating in the commercialization of applications.

Award Strategy and Coordination:

Raises the international profile and reputation of QAI and its individual researchers by:

• Researching and building a database of other relevant scientific awards;
• Using knowledge of QAI vision, strategy and goals, as well as knowledge of individual researcher’s expertise, selecting those awards that, if won, would increase the profile of QAI, its research groups, and its individual researchers;
• Establishing the policies and procedures for nominating researchers and for submitting these nominations;
• Communicating the availability of these awards in a timely manner and identifying the researchers, or teams of researchers, most likely to win a particular award;
• Collaborating closely with the researcher, team of researchers, and/or the Research Administrators at our partner academic institutions, to confirm qualification for awards and gather the necessary background information to submit the nomination;
• Leading preparation and submission of the nomination; tracking the submission and end result;
• Ensuring that successful awards won are communicated appropriately and widely.

Supervision Received

This position reports to the Executive Director of the QAI and works closely with the Leadership team.The incumbent performs all duties independently with work subject to periodic review by theExecutive Director to determine that the quality and quantity of work performed meets establishedprogram objectives. The position is accountable for leading the identification, pursuit, and winning, ofsignificantly large grants that will further the strategic vision of QAI.

Supervision Given

This position does not have direct reports but works closely with and advises the Scientific AdvisoryBoard, Business Development Manager, Administration and Operations Manager, and all QAI PrincipalInvestigators with regard to setting grant seeking and writing strategy, with all QAI PrincipalInvestigators to identify funding needs, form the research project teams, and gather scientificinformation, with the VPRI office to gather and corroborate data for grant submission and with otherinternal and external resources such as QAI s international academic partners.The Large Grants and Awards Officer also reviews the work of the faculty researchers andadministration support team to ensure that information and documents submitted for an award orgrant competition are accurate, aligned with strategy and well written.

Required Education & Experience

• Graduate degree in Quantum computing or an associated field or equivalent education andexperience.
• Minimum two years related experience as a grant writer;
• Demonstrated expertise in preparing successful large complex grant applications;
• Proven track record in securing large funding
• Experience in academic, grant-funded research, and project coordination is essential;
• Knowledge of the grant ecosystem;
• Knowledge of University policies, procedures, resource support networks, and financial tracking systems, is preferred;
• Knowledge of MS Office applications and project management tools;
• Resourcefulness and flexibility to adapt to changing needs and circumstances;
• Strong research, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to exercise a high degree ofjudgement;
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and manage time while completing a wide range oftasks;
• Ability to effectively lead project teams as well as be a collaborative team player;
• Effective and adaptable communication style;
• Ability to advise senior faculty, management or external partners on areas of expertise.

Personal Attributes

The incumbent must exercise sound judgement and strong analytical thinking in the sourcing andselection of potential grants and the relevance of market and industry trends and intelligence. Workrequires the ability to quickly absorb large amounts of complex scientific and industry information andsubsequently create an understanding of how to translate this information to economic benefits forQAI and its partner academic institutions. Errors would result in missed revenue opportunities,inefficient use of time and re-sources pursuing unfruitful avenues of funding or commercialpartnership opportunities, and reduced ability to pursuit future opportunities. As such, errors wouldhave a significant negative impact on the reputation and financial sustainability of QAI.The Large Grants and Awards Officer must exercise a high degree of tact and diplomacy in interactionswith international partners, federal and provincial grant agencies, University administration, andgovernment bodies to garner the required participation and support and to protect and build thereputation of QAI as a professional and collegial institution.

Working Conditions

• Travel may be required
• Ability to attend presentations and events