Research Director

Note : This is a one year fixed term, hybrid position that requires the employee to be on campus at least two times a week.

The School of Engineering

Stanford Engineering has been at the forefront of innovation for nearly a century, creating pivotal technologies that have transformed the worlds of information technology, communications, health care, energy, business and beyond.

Our faculty and students are creative risk-takers who pursue excellence across a breadth of disciplines. Our alumni include some of the world's most successful leaders in technology and business.

Our staff are critical to enabling Stanford Engineering to accomplish its mission : seeking solutions to some of the world's most urgent challenges and educating leaders who will make the world a better place through the power of engineering principles, techniques and systems.

Founded in 1965, the Stanford Computer Science (CS) Department continues to lead the world in computer science research and education influencing society at levels that remain without parallel among academic institutions.

Its spin-offs are among the most successful corporate ventures in the world, and many of the leaders in the academic and corporate research world are graduates of the Stanford CS Department.

The digitization of currency, the foundation of economic life, will have a profound impact on the future of society. The Stanford Future of Digital Currency Initiative (FDCI) explores the emerging role of Central Bank Digital Currencies and other digital currencies in advancing global financial inclusion and financial architecture interoperability moving further into the 21st century.

FDCI is a Stanford affiliates program researching and promoting the adoption of open digital currencies capable of supporting and interoperating with future financial technology, including blockchain.

FDCI conducts research on the technical and policy aspects of digital currencies and ledgers and has also partnered with the UN ITU in an effort to establish international standards around digital currency.

The FDCI is seeking a Research Director to work under the direction of faculty or other management to implement and administer the vision, strategy, and goals of the assigned academic entity / program(s) utilizing specialized / technical knowledge.

The ideal candidate possesses a demonstrated passion for making meaningful, sustainable change and will have an interest in digital currency and blockchains and a desire to collaborate with Stanford's world-class students and faculty.

We want to work with leaders who have robust external-facing experience in public sector contexts or direct experience creating and implementing programs with NGOs, multiple levels of government, or the blockchain ecosystem.

The ideal candidate will possess experience in all areas. Experience with at least one of distributed ledgers, traditional finance, policy, or government would be helpful.

In this role, you will :

Collect and analyze data, create reports, review and explain trends to determine program effectiveness; formulate and evaluate alternative solutions and / or recommendations to achieve the goals of the program.

This involves conducting field research on the real-world impact of digital currency on consumers and institutions around the world, traveling to different countries and assessing how digital currencies are used.

Interviewing consumers and leveraging survey data, as well as real transaction data from digital learners active on the Airtm platform.

Represent the program or function as the key contact and subject matter expert within the department and develop communications for internal and external constituencies.

Organize and / or participate in outreach activities. Lead workshops and facilitate meetings. This entails leveraging the contacts in the digital currency and blockchain industries to help solicit new Future of Digital Currency Initiative (FDCI) members.

• Responsible for initiating meetings, phone calls and introductions with individuals and central banks both in the US and overseas and in the US to discuss FDCI’s work on digital currencies.
• Represent FDCI’s mission of investigating future uses for digital currency by studying test cases where digital currencies are being used.
• Monitor expenses, assist in setting up budgets and finances of the program. Make recommendations on funding based on program spending.

Help project 6-month, 12-month, and 18 month cash flows, as well as give suggested expense budgets.

Education & Experience (Required) :

Bachelor’s degree and two years of relevant experience or combination of education, training, and relevant experience. Advanced degree may be required for some programs.

Program administration and or research experience may be required.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities (Required) :

• Demonstrated oral, written, and analytical skills, exhibiting fluency in area of specialization.
• Ability to oversee and provide basic direction to staff.

Physical Requirements :

• Frequently stand / walk, sitting, grasp lightly / fine manipulation, perform desk-based computer tasks.
• Occasionally use a telephone, writing by hand, lift / carry / push / pull objects that weigh up to 40 pounds.
• Rarely sort / file paperwork or parts, lift / carry / push / pull objects that weigh >

40 pounds.

• Ability to use voice to present information / communicate with others.
• On-campus mobility.

Working Conditions :

• May travel locally.
• Occasional overnight travel.

Work Standards :

• Interpersonal Skills : Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
• Promote Culture of Safety : Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns;

uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.

Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide.

Pay Range :

The expected pay range for this position is $70,000 to $99,000 per annum. The actual pay will be pro-rated based on the 50% FTE.

How to Apply :

We invite you to apply for this position by clicking on the Apply for Job button. To be considered, please submit a cover letter and résumé along with your online application.

The cover letter should briefly describe why you believe you are a good fit for this position.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer.

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