Proposal Development Specialist

Job no: 504501

Department: Office of Proposal Development

Work type: Staff Full-time Exempt

Location: Alabama

Categories: Administrative
- Professional, Research
- Other

The Proposal Development Specialist performs three main duties:
1) review and analysis of written research proposals by UAH research personnel, providing strategic and tactical feedback for maximum competitiveness;
2) leading the Weekly Funding Bulletin publishing efforts by supervising the graduate students and working on the WFB; and
3) managing various aspects of the office (supplies, purchase-card reconciliations, travel authorization, etc.).

The successful applicant will support proposal development through research, planning, developing, organizing, writing, and editing of highly technical proposals before submission in support of research  successful applicant will also be expected to gain fluency in and maintain a library of agency-specific (NSF, NIH, DoD, NASA, etc.) proposal guidebooks and associated materials to ensure successful proposal compliance.

• Perform research for funding opportunities.
• Evaluate solicitations.
• Develop strategies to enhance and improve the proposal-development process.
• Create and prepare content and review narratives and supplementary documents for proposal packages.
• Manage and coordinate efforts of various personnel and help to develop partnerships that make up the proposal team.
• Provide relevant proposal-support training to graduate students.
• Maintain configuration management for proposal documentation.
• Manage and maintain the OPD website.
• Prepare checklists and document templates for team members.
• Perform comprehensive editing of final documents.
• Perform assessments from consultations regarding the proposal-development process for single PIs as well as large, multi-disciplinary, multi-agency proposal teams.
• Work in collaboration with other OPD personnel to guide faculty and researchers on best practices for proposal development.
• Perform research related to proposal efforts.
• Contribute to team meetings for concept development and strategy.
• Manage and outline all aspects of the proposal solicitation.
• Work in collaboration with other UAH offices to obtain the documentation needed for completion of proposals.
• Format supplementary documents per agency requirements for submission.
• Prepare and provide templates for letters of support and commitment from appropriate parties, both inside and outside UAH.

• Format, research, compile, and publish the Weekly Funding Bulletin
• Distribute the Bulletin each week to all faculty and staff
• Foster the development of graduate students, including training for graduate students.
• Supervise, review work, and provide guidance and direction for graduate students.

• Serve as OPD's liaison and official point of contact for Facilities, Purchasing, Human Resources, and other departments/offices at UAH
• Manage processes related to onboarding/offboarding and payroll activities for student workers.
• Process ePAFS and act as OPD's Approver on Time Clock Plus
• Coordinate and distribute mail and accept and sign for deliveries.
• Manage communications for ODP main office to include email and phone.
• Manage and maintain OPD's conference area and other common areas to keep them clean and neat.
• Manage and process travel authorizations and reimbursements for OPD staff.
• Manage and maintain OPD's office-supply inventory and purchase more supplies as needed.
• Perform P-Card reconciliations.
• Participate in monthly financial managers' meeting on behalf of OPD.
• Manage the arrangement and registration of meeting spaces and logistics, including refreshments, guest lists, sign-ups, printed materials, and handouts, etc., for OPD events, and manage recordkeeping and documentation, including OPD account usernames and passwords.

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and years of experience
• 3
  -5 years of full-time verifiable work experience
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• Excellent grammar, writing, and editing skills

• Master's degree
• Proficiency in Banner
• Experience in proposal development
• Experience in technical writing
• Superior grammar, writing, and editing skills, including rhetoric and argumentation

$43,258 - $55,951

Oct 12 2026 Central Daylight Time