Director, Operations and Strategic Engagement

Department

PME Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE)

About the Department

The Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) is an intellectual hub in the Midwest that connects leading universities, national labs, and industry partners to advance the science and engineering of quantum information, train the future quantum workforce, and drive the quantum economy. The CQE is based at the University of Chicago and anchored by the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Northwestern University, and Purdue University. The community includes more than 50 corporate, international, nonprofit, and regional partners and is one of the largest collaborative teams working on quantum science in the world. The CQE leads national initiatives, including The Bloch Quantum Tech Hub, a US Economic Development Administration (EDA) designation endorsing the Chicago metro area as a central driver of US leadership in quantum technologies.

The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) is the first school in the nation dedicated to molecular engineering, and integrates science and engineering to address global challenges from the molecular level up. UChicago PME’s rigorous academic and research programs are enhanced through the University of Chicago’s unique partnership with Argonne and Fermi National Laboratories, and the broad excellence of scholarship and education on campus. In the next phase of growth as a School, PME will continue to expand its team of world-class faculty researchers and empower students from diverse backgrounds to collaborate with faculty in cutting-edge facilities. PME aims to bring solutions for urgent societal problems to the forefront, while training the next generation of scientific leaders and entrepreneurs.

Job Summary

The Director serves as a primary liaison among CQE, Economic Development Administration (EDA), University, industry, and state government stakeholders. The Director reports to and provides comprehensive operational support to the Regional Innovation Officer (RIO) and coordinates daily administrative workflows for the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE). The Director collaborates in fiscal and budgetary activities with the RIO and CEO, manages non-disclosure agreements and memorandums of understanding, and supports the creation and monitoring of procedures for research security and risk assessment. This role proactively identifies operational issues and implements process improvements, allocates resources across regional hub sites, and designs standardized operational tools and procedures. The role oversees federal grant budgets, ensures regulatory compliance, and synthesizes financial and operational data for mandatory reporting. The Director acts as the primary operational contact for principal investigators, corporate partners, and government agencies, organizing governance meetings and aligning cross-functional teams. Additional responsibilities involve monitoring sub-recipient financial workflows, assisting with grant proposal preparation, and supporting outreach and engagement activities.

Responsibilities

• Provides comprehensive operational support to the Regional Innovation Officer (RIO) and directs daily administrative workflows.
• Facilitates and supports the collaboration between CQE, EDA, and University, industry and state government stakeholders.
• Proactively identifies issues and implements process improvements.
• Coordinates fiscal and budgetary activities in collaboration with the RIO and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CQE.
• Coordinates and tracks non-disclosure agreements and memorandums of understanding in collaboration with the RIO and the CEO of the CQE.
• Supports the creation and monitoring of procedures for research security and risk assessment by stakeholders in coordination with RIO, other CQE staff, and partnering government institutions.
• Monitors multi-institutional project timelines to ensure EDA grant milestone compliance.
• Manages physical space, equipment deployment, and scheduling across diverse regional hub sites.
• Designs and implements standardized operational tools, communications protocols, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Manages complex federal grant budgets, tracking expenditures against projected allocations.
• Ensures adherence to EDA, federal, University, and state regulatory and procurement protocols.
• Synthesizes financial data and operational metrics to generate mandatory quarterly and annual federal performance reports.
• Audits financial workflows, invoicing, and contract compliance for University and corporate partners.
• May provide input for the preparation of grant proposals, ensuring compliance with all University, federal and private foundation guidelines and regulations.
• Serves as the primary operational point of contact for principal investigators, corporate partners, and state agencies. Organizes and schedules governance board meetings and assure proceedings.
• Partners closely with CQE and partner institution leadership.
• Facilitates operational alignment across workforce development programs, partner institutions, and corporate sponsors. Executes and supervises outreach events in collaboration with CQE staff.
• Assists Bloch PME Regional Innovation Officer in developing Bloch data collection and tracking processes, leveraging the CQE’s Salesforce system, to track growth, measure impact, inform course-corrections, and communicate Bloch impact to a wide variety of audiences, maximizing engagement, fundraising, and overall impact.
• Acts as a researcher and planner for a wide array of efforts led by the department/division.
• Develops and maintains a database of peer and competitor profiles. Helps establish and maintain a database of faculty (international) research topics and international inter-institutional collaborations.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree in business administration, operations management, public administration, or a related field.

Experience:

• Demonstrated experience coordinating multiple stakeholders, including university, industry, and state government.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale federal awards, such as EDA, DOE, and NSF.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple projects, competing deadlines, and budgets.
• Background handling coordination of large initiatives, including logistics and adhering to timelines.

Technical Skills and Knowledge:

• Proficiency in data analysis tools and financial systems to track performance metrics and budget variances.
• Expert knowledge of project management software, such as Asana, Jira, and Smartsheet.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong capability to translate complex technical milestones into clear, straightforward operational updates for diverse stakeholders.
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-tech, and evolving innovation ecosystem.
• Commitment to providing a high level of professionalism, service and working in a team environment.
• Attention to detail.
• Handle confidential information with utmost discretion.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.

 Application Documents 

• Resume/CV (required) 
• Cover Letter (required) 
• References Contact Information (3)(required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Administration & Management

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$110,000.00 - $120,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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