Dubai Future Foundation
Fundamental and Applied Funding Manager
- Permanent
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Experience 5 - 10 yrs
Job expiry date: 01/12/2025
Job overview
Date posted
17/10/2025
Location
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Salary
AED 20,000 - 30,000 per month
Compensation
Comprehensive package
Experience
5 - 10 yrs
Seniority
Manager
Qualification
Bachelors degree
Expiration date
01/12/2025
Job description
The Fundamental and Applied Funding Manager at the Dubai Future Foundation plays a pivotal role in managing funding initiatives that bridge fundamental research and applied innovation. This position supports Dubai’s long-term research, development, and innovation (RDI) strategy by administering grants, ensuring transparent evaluation, and tracking funded projects. The Manager coordinates open calls, peer-review panels, and award processes while maintaining compliance with institutional and regulatory frameworks. The role also requires overseeing milestone tracking, reporting, and impact assessments to ensure alignment with Dubai’s strategic priorities in research and innovation. As part of DFF’s mission to position Dubai as a leading city of the future, this role strengthens the ecosystem connecting research excellence to practical innovation outcomes. The position demands strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills, along with a deep understanding of research funding mechanisms and applied science processes.
Required skills
Key responsibilities
- Plan and execute open funding calls with clear eligibility rules, evaluation criteria, and communication guidelines
- Coordinate expert peer-review panels and ensure fair, transparent assessment processes
- Manage grant award cycles including budget disbursements, contract setup, milestone tracking, and compliance reporting
- Collaborate with researchers to clarify application requirements and facilitate efficient grant administration
- Monitor and evaluate project progress, collecting data to assess outcomes and inform future funding decisions
- Prepare detailed reports, impact assessments, and presentations on funding performance and trends for leadership review
- Ensure adherence to internal policies, regulations, and ethical standards while conducting risk and conflict-of-interest checks
- Maintain accurate, audit-ready documentation for all funding activities
- Use data insights to evaluate project performance and recommend process improvements
- Promote fair and transparent grant management practices that empower researchers and enhance innovation impact
Experience & skills
- Hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Science, Engineering, Business, Public Policy, or a related field
- Have a minimum of 7 years’ experience in research funding, grant administration, or related fields, ideally in RDI environments
- Be familiar with the full lifecycle of grant management from call announcement to project evaluation
- Demonstrate strong organizational and communication skills to manage multiple funding processes simultaneously
- Understand both fundamental and applied research frameworks, including timeline and milestone expectations
- Possess experience using data and metrics to assess funding impact and support strategic alignment
- Exhibit strong attention to detail and ability to manage complex documentation accurately
- Show commitment to compliance, transparency, and operational excellence in research funding
- Proficiency in Arabic is considered an advantage
