Research Development Specialist

The Research Development Specialist will support faculty in identifying and pursuing external funding opportunities and developing competitive grant proposals. This position provides strategic funding guidance, proposal development support, editorial review, and project coordination for individual and multi-investigator submissions. The specialist serves as a key partner to faculty throughout the proposal lifecycle, helping investigators identify funding opportunities, strengthen proposal narratives, coordinate interdisciplinary teams, and navigate complex proposal development processes.

Key Responsibilities:

Funding Opportunity Identification Conduct proactive searches for federal, state, foundation, and industry funding opportunities

Stay up-to-date on the latest trends in funding opportunities and shifts in federal and non-federal agency priorities

Match funding opportunities to faculty expertise and strategic institutional priorities

Provide targeted funding recommendations

Facilitate interactions with Program Officers Proposal Development Consult with faculty on proposal strategy and competitiveness

Review proposal drafts and provide substantive feedback

Assist with development of project narratives, broader impacts, significance statements, and commercialization sections

Facilitate proposal planning meetings and timelines

Support resubmissions based on reviewer feedback

Participate in review of limited submission proposals

Multi-PI and Large Proposal Coordination Coordinate multidisciplinary proposal teams

Organize planning meetings and proposal development schedules

Track contributions, deadlines, and required documents

Facilitate communication among investigators and administrative offices

Support center-scale, consortium, and institutional proposals

Faculty Development Provide one-on-one proposal coaching

Conduct workshops on grantsmanship

Develop proposal templates, guides, and best practices

Assist new faculty with establishing funding strategies

Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree (Master's degree or higher in a relevant field preferred)
Experience in research development, grant writing, sponsored programs, research administration, or related field

Demonstrated experience identifying funding opportunities

Strong writing, editing, and proposal review skills

Exceptional project management and organizational skills

Ability to work effectively with faculty from diverse disciplines

Preferred Qualifications Minimum three years experience supporting proposals to NSF, NIH, DoD, DOE, NASA, or major foundations

Familiarity with federal sponsor requirements

Experience coordinating interdisciplinary and multi-investigator proposals

Certification from NORDP, NCURA, SRAI, or related organizations

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