Technical Senior Proposal Manager

Research Development Specialist 3

The Knowledge Enterprise (KE) Research Development Office (RD) at Arizona State University seeks a collaborative, strategic, and highly skilled Technical Senior Proposal Manager to support the development of competitive research proposals that advance ASU's growing health research enterprise.

As a member of the Research Development Proposal Management team, this position will work in close partnership with the Assistant Vice President for Research, Health Strategy, and the Director of Health Strategy to advance interdisciplinary health research across the university. The Proposal Manager will provide comprehensive support for proposal development to faculty pursuing externally funded research in health-related fields, including clinical research, serving as both a strategic proposal manager and a writing partner throughout the proposal development lifecycle.

As institutional priorities evolve, the position will flex between health-focused initiatives and broader proposal development efforts supporting faculty across ASU.

The Proposal Manager will collaborate extensively with colleagues across the Office of the Vice President for Research, Knowledge Enterprise, ASU Health, and the broader ASU research community to deliver integrated research development services. This includes partnering with Capture Management, Faculty Development and Outreach, Opportunity Management, Research Editing, Graphic Design, the Research Development Project Management Office (RD PMO), fellow Proposal Managers, Research Administrators, and other institutional stakeholders to strengthen proposal competitiveness and support strategic research initiatives.

This position reports administratively to the Director of Proposal Management within Research Development and maintains a strategic, matrixed partnership with the Assistant Vice President for Research, Health Strategy and the Director of Health Strategy to advance ASU's institutional health research priorities.

• Partner with faculty to develop highly competitive research proposals from concept development through submission.
• Serve as both proposal manager and strategic writing partner, helping investigators strengthen project narratives, articulate innovation, and communicate scientific impact.
• Collaborate with faculty to develop compelling research strategies aligned with sponsor priorities and institutional strengths.
• Draft, edit, and substantially revise proposal sections including Specific Aims, Project Summaries, Research Strategies, Facilities and Resources, Letters of Support, Management Plans, Executive Summaries, and concept papers.
• Provide scientific editing that improves clarity, organization, responsiveness, and persuasiveness while maintaining the investigators' scientific voice.
• Translate complex scientific concepts into compelling narratives appropriate for both technical and non-technical reviewers.

• Maintain current knowledge of the evolving federal and philanthropic funding landscape for health research.
• Advise faculty on sponsor priorities and emerging investments in areas including, but not limited to:
  Clinical Research, Food is Medicine, Chronic disease prevention and management, Healthy aging and lifespan health, Metabolic health, Precision health and personalized medicine, Biomedical and translational research, Clinical and implementation research, Population health and healthcare delivery, Rural and community health, Mental and behavioral health, Digital health and artificial intelligence, Biomedical data science and health informatics, Women's health, Maternal and child health, Environmental health.
• Partner with institutional leadership to develop proposals for strategic opportunities that advance ASU's health research portfolio and increase institutional competitiveness for large-scale federal and philanthropic funding.

• Interpret sponsor solicitations and funding announcements and translate requirements into actionable proposal development plans, communication strategies, and submission workflows.
• Coordinate with other Proposal Managers to share workload, leverage expertise, and ensure consistent proposal development practices across Research Development.
• Lead proposal development efforts from proposal kickoff through submission.
• Develop proposal management plans, timelines, compliance matrices, development schedules, and submission checklists.
• Coordinate with multidisciplinary proposal teams across colleges, centers, institutes, and external collaborators.
• Organize internal reviews, external reviews, version control, document integration, and quality assurance.
• Monitor proposal progress and proactively manage risks to ensure high-quality, on-time submissions.
• Collaborate with research administrators to ensure compliance with sponsor and university requirements.

Perform other duties and lead special projects as assigned in support of evolving organizational priorities, strategic initiatives, and…