Senior Director, Medical and Scientific Relations

Senior Director, Medical and Scientific Relations will lead the day-to-day function of the International Research Grant Program and the strategic grants funding programs. This includes developing and supporting the overall strategy for the Alzheimer’s Association’s funding programs, oversight and day to day management of the grants team, the development and implementation of core and standalone requests for applications oversee and lead the peer-review process and moderate the review panel discussions. This includes working with partner organizations and seeking new opportunities for partnered funding programs. Working with the Senior Vice President, the Scientific Engagement Team, other leadership across Med Sci and the Chief Science Officer and Medical Affairs lead, this position will also serve as a communicator with internal and external audiences on topics related to the Alzheimer’s Association research scope, including but not only grant-related activity. This could include serving on panels, providing educational sessions about the state of research or the Association’s funding programs, serving on external advisory committees and similar.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and manage the performance of Medical & Scientific Grant Department team, including a Senior Associate Director/ Director Scientific Grants and four grant team administrators (Associate Director, Senior Specialists and Specialists), including oversight of required performance measurements of the team. It will also require coordination with other team colleagues that support and/or engage with the Grants team and processes.
• Oversee the strategy, organization and activities of the International Research Grant Program Council to facilitate request for application development and implementation for annual grant programs; this includes working closely with partner organizations on a strategic level to support and grow collaborations, leadership of the Alzheimer’s Association. This also includes coordination with the Senior Vice President on reporting and engagement of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Group (MSAG).
• Oversee and lead the peer-review process for letters of intent and grant applications, including advancing best practices of grant oversight and management, and the management of all scientific and financial grant reporting. This also includes the continued evaluation and tracking of program outputs and evaluations to ensure the overall funding strategies can be measured for successes and areas of potential improvement in an ongoing basis.
• Oversee reporting needs regarding funding areas and history, including for field, for marketing and communications and public policy, as well as others in Med Sci and Medical Affairs.
• Manage review process for all scientific and financial grant reporting, as well as the review process for translated abstracts, pending grant summaries and yearly reports provided to Relationship Development, including their review, and serve as a source expert for Relationship Development in review of materials (reports and other materials) and meeting visits with donors and other philanthropic partners.
• Provide leadership of the Alzheimer’s Association partnership in the International Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia Research Portfolio and Health Research Alliance grants tracking systems.
• Work cross divisionally with legal, finance and development to oversee the necessary reporting and data capture related to grant agreements, grant payments and related financial tracking.

Qualifications

• PhD or postdoctoral training in neuroscience or related field with expertise in neurodegeneration required, with an emphasis on the basic or translational areas of science.
• 7+ years of grant administration/ oversight required.
• Staff management experience required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple simultaneous priorities and provide leadership to the full team, including regular communication and managing day to day needs.
• Proficient at managing complex relationships with external and internal teams, inclusive of collaborative external funding partners, cross divisional partners, peer-reviewers and past/active awardees and applicants to navigate and deliver scientific products.
• Experienced and proficient communication strategies, inclusive of using technological resources to create and deliver information to scientific and non-scientific audiences, and to prepare and deliver information to diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of designing and managing methodological approaches that support program evaluation systems and reporting processes.
• Ability to lift to 20lbs.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 40%.

Title: Senior Director, Medical and Scientific Relations

Reports To: Senior Vice President, Medical and Scientific Operations

Position Location: Chicago, IL

Full time

Position Grade & Compensation: Grade 512 (The Alzheimer's Association’s good faith expectation for the salary range for this role is between $135,000 - $160,000;

In addition, you will also be eligible to participate in the Annual Incentive Compensation Program with a maximum incentive opportunity of 6% of your base compensation for achievement of approved annual objectives.

Who We Are:

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia- by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.

The Alzheimer’s Association announced a landmark $100 million investment in research for 2023. This unparalleled commitment is illustrative of the momentum we are building in dementia research - our investments today will lead to breakthroughs tomorrow.

At the Alzheimer’s Association, our employees are at the core of all we do. Our network of more than 1,900 employees across the United States makes a difference each and every day for those impacted by Alzheimer’s and those at risk for the disease.

We warmly invite qualified applicants to consider this opportunity to make a life-changing impact on the millions living with Alzheimer’s, their caregivers and those that may develop the disease in the future. Read on to learn more about the role, then visit our website to explore who we are and why we've been recognized as a Best Place to Work for the last twelve years in a row.

At the Alzheimer's Association®, we believe that diverse perspectives are critical to achieving health equity - meaning that all communities have a fair and just opportunity for early diagnosis and access to risk reduction and quality care. The Association is committed to engaging underrepresented and underserved communities and responding with resources and education to address the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Association commitment remains steadfast in engaging all communities in our full mission. The Association provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment to the fullest extent required by law, including, but not limited to, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Employees working 24 hours/week or more are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, flex accounts, short and long-term disability, life insurance, long term care insurance, tuition reimbursement, generous Paid Time Off, 12 annual holidays and Paid Family Leave, as well as an annual Cultural & Heritage Day and Volunteer Day of their choosing. They are also eligible for our gold standard 401(k) retirement plan. Please click HERE for more information.

Full time employees (37.5 hours/week), will enjoy all of the above plus an annual School Visitation Day and an Elder Care Facility Day of their choosing.