Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice's culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name -- RICE -- Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:

The Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies (Rice360), a multi-disciplinary institute at Rice University, is a leader in global health technology education, research, and implementation, with a distinctive focus on experiential and problem-based learning. Rice360 develops highly effective, low-cost healthcare solutions addressing critical healthcare needs in underserved communities and educates a cadre of future leaders to continue to innovate and implement solutions. Rice360 works closely with partners in underserved communities throughout the world, including low- and middle-income countries and the United States. The Rice360 Global Health Fellows (GHF) program is a post-baccalaureate fellowship for exceptional early-career engineers with an interest in medical technology for low-resource settings. Through the GHF program, fellows develop, refine and evaluate affordable, high performance clinical technologies for sustainable use in low-resource settings. Rice360 is a lead member of the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) alliance. The NEST360 alliance is working with African governments to transform hospital newborn care by installing a bundle of rugged devices, educating clinicians to use devices and biomedical engineers to maintain them, and implementing locally-owned data dashboards to drive uptake and quality.

The Rice360 director of technology development, in partnership with Rice360 faculty co-directors Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum and Dr. Maria Oden, will develop and execute the Rice360 technology portfolio strategy and manage the Rice360 technology development team, including the GHF cohort. The director of technology development will provide strategic R&D leadership to Rice360 technology development efforts, including needs finding, design, prototyping, benchtop testing, clinical evaluation, transition to manufacture, regulatory approval, commercial launch and reporting, including those for the NEST360 project. S/he will provide research administration oversight, including managing research budgets, resource utilization, and regulatory and ethical standards compliance. S/he will manage the day-to-day activities of the Rice360 GHF cohort, including recruitment and training, design project guidance and mentorship, and facilitate engagement and communication with Rice360 leadership and external collaborators/clinicians.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate has at least eight years' experience in project management related to medical technology research & development, including design, prototyping, clinical evaluation, and translation to production. S/he has significant experience with bioengineering/biomedical innovation for low-resource settings. S/he has strong quantitative and analytical abilities, as well as excellent written and oral communication and demonstrated strong coordination, team leadership, and mentorship skills. S/he has experience working on grant-funded programs/projects within a research university environment. They also have experience working in a multi-cultural environment, a demonstrated sensitivity to low resource settings, and are willing and able to travel periodically to sub-Saharan Africa.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is M-F 8am-5pm, with occasional early morning, evening, or weekend work required to accommodate time zone differences for important meetings with teams in the US, UK, and across sub-Saharan Africa).

Hiring Range: $75,000 - $85,000

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

This position is partially funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding.

Minimum Requirements:

• PhD or other Doctoral Degree in engineering
• Two (2) years of related experience in project management, technology development and / or other closely related experience.
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

Skills:

• Proficient and comprehensive knowledge of information management, knowledge management and publication management
• Possess a logical and independent mind
• Good interpersonal skills such as patience, determination, flexibility, and decisiveness
• Excellent listening, verbal and written communication, analytical, and research skills
• Excellent scientific and numerical skills with meticulous attention to details and accuracy
• Ability to work in a team environment, to participate actively, to collaborate and to motivate others in the lab
• Must demonstrate support for Rice360 Core Values: Innovation, Equity, Community, Integrity, Accountability, Empowerment and Transformation

Preferences:

• Five (5) years or more of related experience in project management, technology development and / or other closely related experience.
• Experience with engineering project management and research & development team leadership
• Experience with design of medical technology, particularly in the areas of maternal and neonatal health and/or cancer, for low-resource settings.
• Experience transitioning technologies from research & development through clinical evaluation to production.
• Experience with medical technology development and regulatory approval processes
• Experience working in an institution of higher education, and engaging with faculty, staff and students
• Healthcare related experience
• Experience with multi-sector international development programs/projects
• Experience working on grant-funded programs/projects
• Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, preferably in Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania and/or Nigeria
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally

Skills:

• Ability to oversee and direct staff
• Ability to manage projects in transition from research & development to production
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to work well under pressure, with flexibility, tact, and good judgment
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
• Outstanding ability to facilitate collaboration and communication between teams, with proven ability to motivate and coordinate effectively with diverse individuals and stakeholders to achieve results
• Ability to develop and initiate new strategies
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
• Strong data analysis skills, with knowledge of software statistical packages such as Stata, SAS, R, or HLM
• Fluency in English
• Excellent cross-cultural skills, with demonstrated sensitivity to low resource settings

Essential Functions:

• Manages research projects and related budgets
• Performs scientific research conducting independent experimental studies, facilitating other ongoing research in the laboratory, and developing and validating new protocols, methodologies, and / or theories
• Communicates the results of scientific research through verbal presentations at scientific conferences and written articles submitted for publication
• Actively engages to improve the laboratory's reputation and set of scientific capabilities
• Seeks new research grants
• Supervises and / or trains student researchers in the lab
• Maintains a harmonious, safe, and efficient work environment by training new laboratory members in the correct use of equipment, ordering necessary supplies as needed, and coordinating routine equipment maintenance
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Leads, in partnership with the Rice360 co-directors, the strategic planning and development of GHF program technology portfolio, including:
  • Identifies new project opportunities
  • Coordinates setting of technology development goals and deadlines
  • Sets the technical direction, approach and decision-making of projects
  • Synchronizes plans for clinical evaluation of projects
• Provides oversight and leadership to the Rice360 global health post-baccalaureate fellows (GHF) cohort, including:
  • Manages the day-to-day activities of the GHF cohort
  • Leads the weekly GHF project meetings
  • Provides fellows guidance on technology development, in coordination with the Rice360 chief designer and chief electronics designer
  • Assists fellows with finding outside expertise, if needed
  • Supports fellows scheduling of and preparation for clinical trials and partner site visits, including coordination with the Rice360 IRB administrator, to assess technology prototypes under development
  • Facilitates fellows' use of best practices in the collection and management of project data
  • Provides fellows guidance on data analysis and the documentation and synthesis of results
  • Provides fellows guidance on planning, editing, and refining of presentations, documentation, papers, etc.
  • Tracks fellows progress against technology development milestones, making contingency plan recommendations, helping to prioritize decisions that need to be made and work that needs to be done, and trouble-shooting issues that arise
  • Oversees fellows' communication with external partners to advance technologies towards commercialization.
• Administers the Rice360 global health post-baccalaureate fellows (GHF) program, including:
  • Regularly reviews and, as needed, revises GHF program policy and guideline resources, including onboarding and training materials
  • Coordinates the recruitment, application review, interviews, selection and hiring of new fellows
  • Conducts, in coordination with the Rice360 director of finance and operations, the onboarding of new fellows
  • Assists with featuring of technologies during Rice360 visitor tours, including fellows' preparation
  • Assists Rice360 with GHF program undergraduate engagement, including mentoring and arranging for interns, as needed
• Contributes to periodic technical reporting to granting agencies and sponsors, including ensuring submissions are prepared well in advance and executed by required deadlines.
• May teach a course, seminar, or workshop

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

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Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University's Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or [email protected] for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.