Associate Director Position in NCBS on Contract basis, Bengaluru, India

August 7, 2023

Designation/Position- Associate Director Position in NCBS

National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore invites applications for Associate Director Position in NCBS

About- NCBS is a premier research institute with all the necessary facilities that a research scientist may need. Research interests of our faculty members lie in the frontier areas of biology, and the science at NCBS (a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research ) uses experimental and computational approaches in the study of molecules, cells and organisms. We aim to understand biology at each of these levels to advance an integrated view of life processes. The talent and drive of our students and faculty members continues to show us the way to good science. Associate Director Position in NCBS

Research/Job Area- Engineering or Technology

Location- National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore

Eligibility/Qualification–

Essential Qualification and Experience:

1. PhD degree in science/ Master’s Degree in Engineering or Technology and 7 years of relevant experience. A good understanding of the science and research ecosystem of India will be given preference.

2. The candidate will require to have advanced competency in program/project management and execution, scientific writing (including grants, pitches, outlines, plans, and proposals), an understanding of the scientific landscape in India, and experience with working with funding bodies, institutes, universities, and international partners.

3. The candidate will require to possess skills such as multitasking across projects at various stages, time management, high quality of work and attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines, turnaround work requests in a short timeline, and build competence with new and diverse web-based platforms in a relatively rapid manner.

Desired Experience:

A demonstration of leadership skills and the ability to work effectively and accomplish goals in team settings will be advantageous.

Personal characteristics: The role is best suited to a candidate who is self-driven and adaptable, thrives in a dynamic work environment, and can be a quick learner and self-starter.

Age: 45 years as of 1st July 2023

Job/Position Description-

Role Summary:

Operating under the broad guidance of the Executive Director and the Advisory Board, the Associate Director will be responsible for supporting the development and execution of all IndiaBioscience activities and projects, with a particular focus on the Skill Building vertical.

This position will spend approximately 60% of its time working closely with the Executive Director towards managing, coordinating, implementing, and building the current and ongoing activities of IndiaBioscience. This will include the day-to-day roles and processes related to managing the website, email inboxes and newsletter lists, communication with partners, developing partnership plans, and providing inputs, assistance and support to the program managers/team members for their verticals. In addition, the Associate Director will be responsible for leading the writing of work-related quarterly and annual reports at IndiaBioscience, preparing slide decks for meetings and presentations, and coordinating Board meetings.

In the remaining 40% of the time, the Associate Director will specifically run, coordinate, manage, build, and grow the Skill Building vertical at IndiaBioscience. This will include being in charge of all aspects (end-to-end competence) related to the International Grants Awareness Program (iGAP) and Crafting-Your-Career (CYC) workshop series. In addition to growing the above programs, other skill-building activities at IndiaBioscience, such as the jobs and internships newsletter, recruitment of interns, and leadership, grant writing, scientific writing workshops, and other workshop plans may be built in partnership with external organizations. The Associate Director will also be responsible for seeking and raising funds related to the Skill Building vertical via writing small grants, outlines for potential partners, and pitch decks.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Work with the Executive Director: The Associate Director will work closely with the Executive Director towards running, coordinating, and building all the programs at IndiaBioscience.

For this, the Associate Director is expected to build a very strong understanding of IndiaBioscience, which includes its overarching vision and day-to-day implementation.

Independent work: The Associate Director will work independently to run, coordinate, grow, and build the Skill Building vertical at IndiaBioscience.

For this, the Associate Director is expected to build a very strong competence with the execution and implementation of the programs of this vertical and build a concrete plan for the regular rollout of these programs (iGAP and CYC) across the year. As part of their independent work, the Associate Director will be expected to write and defend proposals related the raising funds and building partnerships for the Skill Building vertical.

Work with the IBS team: The Associate Director will provide assistance and inputs to the Program Managers/team members for their verticals and responsibilities.

For this, the Associate Director is expected to understand the different verticals at IndiaBioscience, their programs, processes, and timelines, and build an advanced level of expertise in the backend platforms and processes (website, wiki, newsletters, email lists related to running each of these verticals. In case of the prolonged absence of a team member (owing to leave, sickness, or resignation), the Associate Director will be expected to quickly cover roles and responsibilities related to the specific vertical at IndiaBioscience.

Work related to the expansion of IndiaBioscience: In collaboration with the Executive Director, the Associate Director will be expected to write and defend grants, pitches, plans, and proposals to raise funding for IndiaBioscience activities. The Associate Director could also deliberate on plans for new programs and initiatives at IndiaBioscience, subject to competence in other aspects of the work in the organization and the larger goals of IndiaBioscience. The role will require travel to institutes and universities for workshops and other IndiaBioscience-related activities 6-8 times a year.

Description of a day in the role of Associate Director, IndiaBioscience: The team member will be based out of the IndiaBioscience office in NCBS, Bangalore. The typical work schedule will be 8-9 hours in the day, five days a week. The Associate Director’s Day will include several tasks related to the running of the programs at IndiaBioscience. Simultaneously, the Associate Director will also have to build and execute plans for the skill-building vertical at IndiaBioscience. Further, based on requests for plans and outlines for partnerships, report deadlines, slide decks, and grant openings (from the Executive Director), the Associate Director will work on these documents in a paced manner to ensure deadlines are met. While select large pieces of work are expected from the Associate Director, all work will need to be of an advanced quality with attention to detail.

Salary: At par with Project Scientist III, as per DST OM No. SR/S9/Z-05/2019 dated 10th July 2020

Maximum of Rs.78,000 per month + 24% HRA = Rs. 96,720 per month (salary offered will be subject to experience and expertise)

How to Apply-

Necessary documents to apply: Please attach a resume and cover letter. Make sure you include a strong statement of interests stating how they align with ours and why you will fit this position (~400 words). At this point we require no recommendation letters.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please attach a resume and cover letter. Make sure you include a strong statement of experience and interests stating how they align with the role at IndiaBioscience and why you will fit this specific position of Associate Director (maximum one page). Recommendation letters are not needed at this stage.

The selection process will involve an interview with short-listed candidates, which may be followed up with a short assignment related to a workshop proposal or partnership outline.

HOW TO APPLY:

Step 1: Interested candidates should register ONLINE through the link on our website using a valid email ID.

Step 2: You will receive a user ID and password on your registered email ID.

Step 3: Using your ID and password, you can fill in the application by clicking on “Submit Application”

Step 4: Once you fill in the application, you can SAVE or PREVIEW the application. Please Note: Any corrections should be made before you SAVE the application.

Step 5: After you SAVE, you can submit the application by clicking “SUBMIT.”

Step 6: All essential certificate is proof of your qualification, date of birth, experience, caste, etc. Should be uploaded while submitting the Online application.