Indiana University researchers have been advancing our state, nation and world through innovative discoveries, research and creative endeavors for more than two centuries. The IU 2030 strategic plan outlines goals for continued, ambitious growth.

Russell J. Mumper. Photo by Haley Sinn PhotographyTo help achieve these goals, the recently announced IU Research Innovator Career Track job family is live in the IU Career Navigator with role descriptors ready for use. The job family is available to all IU divisions on all campuses to hire staff to directly engage in largely externally funded research, service and/or creative activity.

As principal investigators embark on grants and contracts, having the right people with the right knowledge in place, and on the funder’s timeline, is critical to success. To support cutting-edge endeavors, principal investigators need staff with cutting-edge knowledge and experience.

The Research Innovator Career Track is a new job family under the Research job function within the IU Job Framework. It offers flexibility to efficiently hire staff with extensive experience and/or specialized skills at market-based, competitive rates, and it also provides a career path to retain this talent over time.

Titles include assistant research innovator, associate research innovator, full research innovator and senior research innovator. These positions are 12-month, non-tenure track and funded almost exclusively through external grants and contracts. Pay will be determined by the availability of funds through the external award and external market analysis to determine competitive compensation, while also considering credentials, years of experience and any other unique qualifiers needed for a specific role.

The IU Job Framework has brought transparency, structure and ease of position progression. Research Innovators generally fall outside our existing framework for reasons not limited to unique expertise and depth of experience from any sector — nonprofit, government and/or industry. Unlike other job families, and because of the specialized nature of their roles, Research Innovators by design will often not have comparable roles within the university or within the family since its applications will vary across units and disciplines. It is important to note that there are no identified existing staff to be transitioned.

Research is critical to IU’s academic mission. This new career track will play a key role in helping principal investigators efficiently recruit and retain a highly trained and skilled workforce to increase research productivity and enhance our ability to solve vexing problems for our local communities and beyond.

To learn more about the IU Research Innovator Career Track, please reach out to your unit’s HR business partner. If they are not yet familiar with this new job family, please email vprhr@iu.edu.

Russell J. Mumper is vice president for research at Indiana University.