The client seeks an accomplished, collaborative, and strategic Chief Research & Data Services Officer (CRDSO) to provide executive leadership for a national portfolio of researcher-facing services. The CRDSO will lead areas including Research Data Management, Research Software and Services, researcher enablement, training, and related service domains, serving on the Senior Leadership Team and reporting to the Chief Executive Officer.
The CRDSO will help shape the future of the digital research infrastructure ecosystem by ensuring that services delivered directly and through client-funded partners are aligned with researcher needs and demonstrate measurable value and impact for the research and innovation community. Working with senior technology, partnerships, and external relations leaders, the CRDSO will translate validated needs from researchers, institutions, and partners into service priorities, investment decisions, and portfolio outcomes, while ensuring services are designed and delivered within appropriate architectural, cybersecurity, operational, and sustainability frameworks.
The successful candidate will have strong understanding of research excellence, scholarly impact, and funding success, along with proven leadership in research services, digital research infrastructure, data services, or large-scale service delivery environments. They will be experienced working with research communities and navigating complex, multi-stakeholder ecosystems, and will be able to translate complex information into clear, evidence-based priorities and measurable outcomes. A graduate degree is expected, ideally at the PhD level or equivalent, along with progressively senior experience in complex, distributed environments; experience across national, academic, public sector, research-focused, or digital research infrastructure settings is a strong asset. The client is committed to equity and inclusion and encourages applications from all qualified candidates.