Program Development Director - National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Job Description

Summary:

NOTE A COVER LETTER IS REQUIRED FOR CONSIDERATION In this senior-level strategic role with no direct supervisory responsibilities, the Program Development Director, National Highway Cooperative Research Program (NCHRP), leads the development, coordination, and delivery of applied transportation research produced through NCHRP. NCHRP is funded by participating State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and managed by the Transportation Research Board. NCHRP undertakes research to solve problems facing state DOTs administrators and engineers.

Reporting to the Director of the Cooperative Research Programs and working closely with both the Director and Deputy Director, the Program Development Director serves as a primary staff partner to the NCHRP oversight committees, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The position ensures that the oversight committee's priorities, decisions, and guidance, together with external stakeholder input, are effectively translated into internal program delivery activities and cohesive research portfolios.

The role exercises substantial independent judgment, manages a portfolio of complex and high-visibility research projects, and engages extensively with senior volunteers, sponsors, and stakeholders across the transportation community.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB), a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, provides leadership in transportation innovation through objective, evidence-based research and convenes experts from government, industry, and academia to address complex transportation challenges. Within TRB, the Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) is a group of applied research programs-such as the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), and Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP), among others-that develop practical, implementable solutions to current and emerging transportation issues through stakeholder-driven research and collaboration.

• Work in close cooperation with the Director and Deputy Director to support the program oversight committee in identifying, refining, and prioritizing research needs.

• Prepare analyses, options, and recommendations to support oversight committee deliberations and approval of research projects.

• Contribute substantively to program development by integrating oversight committee guidance, stakeholder input, and operational considerations.

• Ensure oversight committee decisions and priorities are clearly communicated and addressed through internal delivery activities.

• Lead planning and coordination of oversight committee meetings, including agendas, schedules, materials, and decision frameworks, in cooperation with the Director.

• Develop executive-quality briefing materials, background papers, program updates, and decision documents.

• Document committee decisions, track action items, and coordinate follow-up to support timely implementation.

• Independently engage with federal, state, local, and private-sector stakeholders to identify emerging research needs, trends, issues, and concerns.

• Conduct environmental scanning of transportation policy, practice, technology, and research developments.

• Synthesize stakeholder input and present insights to the Director, Deputy Director, and oversight committee to inform program direction and delivery.

• Serve as a primary liaison with relevant TRB standing committees, task forces, and panels to inform research needs identification and promote alignment.

• Coordinate with other National Academies divisions and offices, as appropriate, to leverage institutional expertise and avoid duplication.

• Maintain awareness of related work across CRPs and NASEM to support integrated program delivery.

• Manage an assigned portfolio of complex research projects approved by the oversight committee.

• Manage selected complex or high-profile research projects personally, including contractor oversight and delivery of final products.

• Oversee contractor performance, schedules, budgets, and deliverables with minimal supervision.

• Identify and resolve project-level…