Research Development Coordinator

Apply now Job no: 510058
Position type: Full-Time 12-Month
Department: 190200 - Mississippi EPSCoR
Location: Main Campus - Starkville, MS
Categories: Professional
Position Open Date: Dec 15 2025

Mississippi EPSCoR plays a pivotal role in strengthening the state's research ecosystem by securing resources and building capacity that empowers researchers statewide. The Research Development Coordinator will play a pivotal role in these efforts by facilitating collaborations across universities and disciplines and guiding teams to submission of complex, high-value proposals. This position will operate with a high degree of autonomy to identify and understand funding landscapes, manage interdisciplinary proposal teams, and mentor faculty and research support staff on best practices in grantsmanship.

The successful candidate will directly influence the long-term success and sustainability of critical research infrastructure and research development initiatives across the state.

• Lead the full lifecycle of complex proposal development, working with individuals and teams at all levels to ensure successful integration of all grant application components and compliance with sponsor requirements.
• Deconstruct complex solicitations (RFPs/FOAs) to identify critical requirements and strategic scoring drivers, producing high-level roadmaps and timelines for proposal teams.
• Perform strategic "Red Team" reviews, critically evaluating narratives for logic, persuasion, and alignment with sponsor priorities, while providing actionable feedback to strengthen the specific aims and significance.
• Partner with project teams on research design and logic modeling, helping to identify capacity gaps and align project objectives.
• Assist with the creation of budgets and budget justifications that align financial resources with project scope, and review for accuracy and compliance.
• Orchestrate submission logistics across multiple institutions, coordinating directly with Authorized Organizational Representatives (AORs) to ensure seamless proposal submission.
• Develop data-driven institutional assets (e.g., economic impact statements, capacity descriptions) that enrich grant narratives and demonstrate the broader impact of Mississippi's research ecosystem.
• Conduct intelligence gathering to identify and disseminate high-value funding opportunities and strategize the development of proposals.
• Curate a comprehensive library of proposal assets, including institutional data, boiler plates, and facilities descriptions, to reduce administrative burden and accelerate proposal generation.
• Plan, prepare, and present a wide variety of educational and training programs and workshops to strengthen the capacity of grant seekers and support personnel, while also conducting outreach to individuals and institutions to promote these offerings.
• Cultivate relationships with federal program officers and agency representatives to facilitate technical assistance for Mississippi investigators.
• Participate in professional development activities to enrich skills and institutional knowledge.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Experience:
  
  Three (3) years of experience with extramural grants and contracts in an academic setting.

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Five years’ experience with progressive responsibility for research development activities, including significant editing and advising responsibilities.
• Demonstrated successful experience in research development in a higher education setting, with a proven record of support for funded projects.
• Recognized professional certification(s) in Research Development, Research Administration, and/or Project Management (e.g., CRA, CPRA, PMP, RDP).
• Active membership and engagement with one or more research administration or development organizations.

• Knowledge of higher education infrastructure and ability to analyze, interpret, and apply federal and non-federal regulations related to proposal development.
• Proven ability to work with researchers on proposals submitted to federal…