Research Development Manager at University of Southern Denmark

The Dean's office at the Faculty of Science at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is looking for a Research Development Manager to join our External Relations Team.

Do you have an interest in working with science, cultivating research ideas and collaborations, and increasing funding success? And do you have a natural talent for networking, grant writing, and communication? Are you an agile, goal oriented, quality driven, and self-driven person? Then, we have the perfect job for you!

As Research Development Manager, you will liaise with national (notably the Novo Nordisk Foundation) and international funders (such as the European Commission). You will manage and coordinate the grant application and pre-award process including: identifying potential new funding sources, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders on developing research strategies and coordinating the grant application process, developing funding tools, preparing proposals and grant applications, writing and editing grants.

Job purpose:
You will be part of an international team providing a core and high-level support function for researchers at the Faculty of Science, by assisting researchers with writing, preparing, and submitting competitive project proposals.

Your tasks will be to:

• Work closely with the faculty and staff in developing and transforming ideas into research projects and grant proposals.
• Obtain and provide information and matchmake colleagues to upcoming calls for proposals.
• Seek new avenues for funding and new grant opportunities.
• Write and review proposals, collaborating with internal/external partners.
• Identify, promote, and support best practice in successful proposal development.
• Assist researchers in building networks and research consortia.
• Participate in research and external funding strategy development.
• Support and develop initiatives that support innovation and research commercialization at the Faculty.
• Onboard new academic staff and introduce them to national and international funding landscapes.
• Assist with office tasks in the External Relations Team such as costing of projects, maintaining web-content and newsletters, data-analysis, organizing events, and leadership support.

Your profile:

• You have a relevant academic degree (preferably in science*) at PhD level, and postdoc experience is an advantage OR long-standing experience in the field of research support.
• You must be fluent in written and spoken English and be an excellent communicator.
• You are enthusiastic, a team player, supportive and highly flexible to meet the variety of work.
• Experience in fundraising of EU research projects and/or Danish foundation bids (e.g., DFF, Novo Nordisk) will be considered an advantage.
• Experience with developing research strategies is considered an advantage.
• Knowledge of fostering innovation will be a plus.
• You work independently and can manage and prioritize your own time.

* Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry or Pharmacy.

Due to the nature of research funding cycles and strict application deadlines, some periods may require extra flexibility, including the possibility of working beyond normal hours.

We offer:
A motivating and exciting position with ample potential for personal development at the Faculty of Science at SDU, a faculty characterized by ambition, commitment, and an informal and flexible working environment. You will also work locally in close collaboration with strong scientific environments. You will become part of the External Relations Team that bridges project management, policy intelligence, liaison with funders, capacity building, leadership support with hands on grant writing. We offer collaborative working ethic and expect that you contribute actively to the team and to a balanced workload of the team tasks. SDU offers an attractive work-life balance, a competitive salary** with the option for qualification allowance, a full-time position, frequent training, and personal development.

English is the working language in our team, and a high level of professional proficiency in both written and spoken English is essential for this position. At the same time, Danish is the administrative and everyday language at SDU. If you do not speak Danish, you are expected to be willing to learn it over time. We value an inclusive, international environment and fully support language development. We will do our best to help you feel at home, both in the team and at SDU more broadly.

We strongly encourage Danish and European experts to apply for these positions. SDU and the Region of Southern Denmark provide excellent repatriation services, language courses, day-care, and international schools, and a strong and growing international community. People in Denmark are known to be amongst the happiest people in the world.

The External Relations Team is part of the Dean's office with around 40 colleagues including study-administration, communication, and accounting teams. The Faculty of Science consists of four departments: Biology; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Mathematics and Computer Science, and Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy. The faculty hosts 500 employees and 2000 students.

Contact interim Team Leader Mikkel Jørgensen (tel.: +45 20 65 85 52; e-mail: mikkeljywrightelizabethwellspwilkins@sdu.dkrivera.dkfloyd-compton.dk) for more information.

The first round of interviews is expected to take place in week 36-37, 2025 and the second round of interviews is expected to take place soon after, if relevant. First round of interviews by telecom is an option for candidates not based in Denmark.

Expected job start is 1 October 2025 or soon thereafter.
Application deadline: 31 August 2025 at 23:59 hours local Danish time

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply online". Attached files must be in Adobe PDF or Word format. Each box can only contain a single file of max. 10 Mb. We recommend that you read how to apply before you apply.

About SDU
The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.

Application, salary etc.
Salary and employment conditions are related to educational background and applicable collective agreements between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).

To be considered for this position, please fill out an online profile and attach the following documents:

• Cover letter
• Resume (CV)
• Certificates, and if possible, a list of up to three references

All documents in connection with the application should not contain CPR number (civil registration number) – in that case, the CPR number must be crossed out.
All attached files must be in Adobe PDF format. Cover letter and CV can contain max. 5 Mb.

We recommend that you read How to apply for a position at SDU before you apply.

You can only apply for the position through our website.
The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.