Pre-Award Specialist (Proposal Development Specialist)
Indiana University

Department

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (UA-PDS-IUBLA)

Department Information

Proposal Development Services is a central service within IU Research that provides proposal assistance for external funding to faculty and research scientists across all IU campuses. Staff provide coordinated, comprehensive, customized support to faculty including guidance and feedback on proposal documents, project management, proposal review for alignment with sponsor guidelines, budget preparation, and administrative support related to proposal preparation.

Job Summary

The Pre-Award Specialist will join an existing pre-award team within Proposal Development Services.

Department-Specific Responsibilities

• Supports faculty throughout the proposal preparation process, including budget development, review of proposal documents for compliance with sponsor guidelines, assistance with sponsor systems, routing of proposals for internal approvals, and coordinating with IU's Office for Research Administration for final review and submission of proposals to external funding opportunities.

General Responsibilities

• Consults, directs, and assists investigators on the development of external funding proposals including preparation, submission, acceptance, and administration; investigates and answers questions from external agencies, researchers, fiscal officers, research administrators and others; counsels researchers and staff on the preparation of budgets, completion of certifications, and institutional information to ensure compliance with university policies, federal regulations, and agency guidelines.
• Ascertains the status of proposals, awards, research risk approvals, internal approvals such as route sheets, and related documents; initiates action to resolve problems when necessary; assists faculty and staff in identifying documents or forms needed in connection with pending or funded projects; follows up on all correspondence to ensure that appropriate action is taken or information provided.
• Provides comprehensive project management services including establishing timelines and processes for proposal production, helping to convene potential collaborators, organize faculty project teams, and lead proposal development meetings of the project team; edits proposals for concision, clarity, and consistency of style.
• Provides strategic analysis and guidance for investigators and research teams; connects investigators with relevant internal and external professionals for development of certain proposal sections; suggests, when appropriate, faculty or researchers who may collaborate to strengthen proposals, particularly on large projects involving interdisciplinary and intercampus cooperation; advises on positioning of a project idea in relation to agency mission, active or anticipated funding opportunities, and program criteria; reviews and provides non-technical reviewer-focused feedback on proposal text for content and structure; discusses reviews for declined proposals and advises on potential revisions.
• Provides analysis, writing, or other support to senior leaders for proposal-relevant strategic initiatives; analyzes funder priorities, communicates with agency personnel to better understand current and upcoming funding opportunities that are appropriate for IU faculty and/or researchers, and disseminates opportunities that align with institutional strategic priorities; offers consulting support to research interest groups involved in strategic initiatives.
• Develops and presents content for workshops, web-based materials, tailored presentations for investigators, schools and departments; participates and leads other educational initiatives to assist faculty in finding funding opportunities and developing competitive grant proposals.
• Facilitates effective communication, consensus building, team building, and team management to work effectively and collaboratively with agency contacts, project leaders/team members, senior administration, project management staff, internal units, and/or external contacts.

Qualifications

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor's degree (preferably in related field)

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 3 years in proposal and/or research writing or related experience

Preferred

• Experience in a higher education research setting
• Experience with private, state and/or federal granting agencies and an understanding of the policies and procedures of external granting agencies

SKILLS

Required

• Maintains a high degree of professionalism
• Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty
• Highly thorough and dependable
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure

Preferred

• Clear written and oral communications
• Attention to detail
• Ability to independently evaluate and interpret regulations and guidelines and appropriately apply them to diverse situations
• Familiarity with budget development for external funding opportunities
• Knowledge of proposal submission systems, including ASSIST, Research.gov, Grants.gov, ProposalCentral
• Knowledge of regulations, policies and guidelines for major Federal sponsors, including NSF, NIH, DOE, etc

Working Conditions / Demands

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

Work Location

Bloomington, Indiana

This position is eligible for remote work or to work a hybrid schedule (mix between remote and in-person work), subject to change in the future based on university policy and business needs.

Benefits Overview

For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:

• Multiple plan options for medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Health Savings Account with generous IU contribution
• Life insurance, LTD, and AD&D options
• Base retirement plan contribution from IU, subject to vesting
• Additional supplemental retirement plan options
• Tuition benefit for IU classes
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Learn more about our benefits by reviewing our online Benefits Brochure.

Job Classification

Career Level: Career

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Research

Job Family: Research Development
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Posting Disclaimer

This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.

If you wish to include a cover letter, you may include it with your resume when uploading attachments.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status. Indiana University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs and activities, including employment and admission, as required by Title IX. Questions or complaints regarding Title IX may be referred to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights or the university Title IX Coordinator. See Indiana University's Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

Campus Safety and Security

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Contact Us

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Telephone: 812-856-1234

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