Associate Director of Research Development

Duties & Responsibilities

Manage the development of compelling, compliant, and clear research proposals

• Organize and manage teams of scientists and staff to prepare high-quality, compelling, competitive proposals for funding, including convening and facilitating meetings, creating action plans and timelines, determining proposal milestones, and establishing roles and responsibilities.
• Provide competent writing and editing services for proposals by planning and drafting non-technical sections of proposals and editing drafts of technical and non-technical sections produced by others.
• Review proposals against sponsor merit evaluation criteria for competitiveness.
• Organize pre-submittal peer review panels (i.e., “red teams”) to review scientific narratives and analyze feedback from those reviews to apply comments to the proposal.
• Oversee interactions between PIs and budget teams, research collaborators, communications staff, program managers, and sponsored research administrators to ensure efficient proposal development and submittal processes.
• Maintain information on proposal preparation requirements for relevant research sponsors (e.g., federal agencies, state and local governments, private foundations, and industry partners).

Plan strategic research development activities and initiatives in the College

• Identify potential funding sources and strategic funding opportunities for the college and connect researchers with these opportunities.
• Facilitate relationships across the university and with external partners (universities, corporations, foundations, and government agencies) to form teams that pursue new interdisciplinary funding opportunities.
• Analyze sponsor profiles, funding opportunities, and funding program histories to assess GCOE’s place in the competitive landscape.
• Develop and track metrics for research development services toward growing proposal volume and research expenditures in the College.
• Develop and implement a strategic and integrated capacity building plan for interdisciplinary research and proposals.

Manage external award and prize nominations for The Grainger College of Engineering

• Work with the Office of the ADR, the Office of the Dean, the Department Heads, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, and other campus offices to proactively identify Grainger College of Engineering candidates for prestigious external prizes and awards.
• Grow successful award nominations by working with Grainger College of Engineering PIs and their Departments to write nomination letters, secure external letters as needed, and translate technical details into application materials.
• Oversee the submission process and continually analyze processes to ensure award nominations are occurring efficiently and effectively.

Support research-related events in the College

• Assist researchers preparing for site visits (project interviews) by helping develop presentation materials, coaching presentation delivery, organizing mock review panels, and organizing event logistics.

Other duties as assigned

• Assist in the development and implementation of processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the GCOE Office of the ADR.
• Represent the Office of the ADR in meetings/events as requested.
• Other duties as assigned.