Community Partnerships Lead, Office of Community Engagement

Argonne National Laboratory is inviting applications for the position of Community Partnerships Lead for the Office of Community Engagement. Located about 25 miles southwest of Chicago, Argonne is one of the preeminent multidisciplinary research facilities in the country and is operated by UChicago Argonne, LLC, an affiliate of the University of Chicago, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The Community Partnerships Lead is a hybrid position based out of Argonne’s Hyde Park location in Chicago, IL and is a key role in the Office of Community Engagement (OCE). The OCE has as its mission to advance Argonne science and technology through expanded community collaborations and extend the benefits of Argonne’s capabilities and resources to communities.  As the hub and backbone of Argonne’s external-facing community activities, the OCE enables the laboratory’s alignment between external community engagement and partnerships and the laboratory’s science and technology (S&T) strategy and scientific expertise. The OCE is part of the laboratory’s Science and Technology Partnerships and Outreach directorate (S&TPO).

The OCE will be strategic and responsive to DOE/administration’s emerging priorities; build intentional, collaborative relationships with communities and community-focused organizations at the local, state, and regional levels; facilitate and support investment in short- and long-term collaborative research projects; support outreach of laboratory strategic growth initiatives and track the impact of laboratory-wide community engagement efforts and programming.

Reporting to the OCE Director, the Community Partnerships Lead will assist the Director with management and oversight of Argonne’s portfolio of community-centered research initiatives. Working closely with the OCE team and Argonne research teams, they will facilitate collaboration with municipalities, small businesses, and science and technology-focused nonprofit organizations to identify, vet, write, secure, and report on government grants that align with the goals and objectives of OCE and advance Argonne’s scientific priorities. They will also be responsible for developing and implementing strategies to enhance Argonne’s ability to build short and long-term partnership agreements in service of Argonne’s community engagement goals.

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  Develop and maintain a structured relationship management pipeline that includes: 

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    Proactively identifying, cultivating, and advancing relationships with prospective partners, moving them through the stages of prospecting, qualification, proposal, and agreement or collaborative project.

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    Leaning into development and maintenance of organizations and stakeholders, ensuring a systematic approach to relationship management and partnership development.

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  Research and identify external funding proposals that present viable funding opportunities for OCE and community-focused external stakeholders.

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  Collaborate with community partners to coordinate planning, grant writing, program design, budget development, and evaluation of grant funded projects.

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  Assist the Director in managing OCE partnerships, including overseeing grant implementation, administration, and programmatic reporting for awarded grants. Liaise with the Argonne research community to identify opportunities where current research priorities and research expertise align with community interests and challenges.

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  Demonstrate proficiency with AI tools to enhance relationship management, data analysis, grant prospecting, and partnership tracking.

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  Partner with the OCE Community Engagement Strategist to facilitate management of external stakeholder relationships.

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  Partner with the OCE Communications Coordinator to build awareness and support the execution of partnership communication strategies.

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  Provide support for logistical needs of community engagement work.

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  Perform other duties as assigned.

• PA4: Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, business or science related field required and 6+ years of experience driving strategic partnerships with communities, agencies, non-profit organizations, and small business to further organizational goals and mission.

• Strong grant writing skills. Ability to blend technical and creative writing skills.

• Extensive knowledge of the principles and practices of grants application and monitoring.

• Proven track record of securing grant funding.

• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.

• Experience in managing projects across multiple stakeholder groups.

• Knowledge of the Chicagoland community engagement ecosystem, networks, political environment, and key influencers is preferred.

• Ability to work with considerable independence within a team environment and a network of relationships.

• Ability to maintain records and develop reports to disseminate on a regular basis disclosing program results.

• Ability to travel in the performance of duties.

• Ability to attend events outside of normal business hours including nights and weekends periodically.

• Passion for the strategic thought partnership role as well as the mission of the lab.

• Ability to model Argonne’s Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork.

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.

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As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.