Proposal Development Associate

BASIC JOB FUNCTION

Assist faculty in preparation of proposals for funding and/or funding continuation, including individualized advising, organizing, editing, and proofreading of competitive grant and contract proposals, providing grantsmanship resources, advising faculty on federal and non-federal funding opportunities, and coordinating the establishment of faculty teams.

NATURE AND SCOPE

• Analyze sponsor guidelines and past awards to advise the PI on sponsor expectations and help guide responsive grant and contract proposal concept development.

• Manage the entire proposal development process in consultation with the research administrator and PI.

• Provide consulting services on strategic proposal development, including high-level conceptualization to match sponsor priorities; effective team organization, and effective administrative, management, education/outreach and/or data sharing plans to assist investigators in the process of developing competitive proposals.

• Design, develop, and execute training and workshops, oftentimes involving funding agency representatives to increase application competitiveness.

• Assist the Director with the execution of intramural funding programs and limited submission competitions.   

• Assist the Director in facilitating networking, team building, proposal planning, and coordination for large-scale, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-center collaborations.

• Review agency program goals and guidelines to ensure proposals align with both agency and institutional goals and capabilities.

• Convene strategic teams of faculty that are interdisciplinary to create and pursue grant and contract opportunities.

• Maintain information on proposal preparation requirements for relevant federal, state, and local sponsors, private foundations, and industry partners.

• Advise faculty on the development of non-research components of proposals, including broader impacts, management plans, budgets, budget justifications, and other required non-technical proposal requirements.

• Plan, develop and facilitate workshops, meetings, networking sessions or conferences with high impact on program and/or participants.

• Ensure that goals and objectives specified for the funding opportunity are accomplished in accordance with priorities, time and funding limitations, or other specifications.

• Prepare reports on grant and contract development program activities, progress, status, or related special reports for the Director.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES           

• Work with individuals at all levels in the proposal development process (e.g., other research development staff, sponsored research administrators, school/college grant staff) to ensure successful integration of all grant application components and full compliance with all funding program and sponsor requirements.

• Work with the Director to develop templates, toolkits, newsletters, tips,  and other written resource materials to help the Campus community with proposal development.

• Contribute to targeted funding opportunity dissemination.

•   Perform other related duties as assigned.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Extensive knowledge of federal and non-federal sponsors supporting research and education activities, preferably in a university environment.

• Excellent critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, ability to drive decisions, ability to see the big picture and grasp complex interconnections.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to manage an unpredictable and time-sensitive caseload of complex assignments while providing quality service and meeting deadlines.

• Demonstrated ability to analyze and synthesize large amounts of data.

• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills with a demonstrated ability to build consensus and lead teams to achieve desired outcomes.

• Skill in the operation of computers, related software applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access), and standard office equipment.

• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective and harmonious work relations with faculty, staff, students, and customers.

• Ability to plan, organize, and coordinate with co-workers

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution of higher education is required. A Master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is preferred.

• Five to Seven Years of relevant experience or the equivalent is necessary.

• At least four years of experience working on a high-functioning research development team is preferred.

• Higher education, foundation, or federal funding agency experience is strongly preferred.