Grants Facilitator

Pay Grade: 30E

Context of the Job:

The Research Development Office partners with faculty and University leadership to develop multi-year federal funding, collaboration, and growth plans for complex research initiatives. The team provides customized support services catered to the development of new research initiatives – from establishing key success variables for launching multidisciplinary programs to creating diversified and sustainable funding portfolios.

Under limited direction from the Associate Vice President, Research Development (AVP RDO), the Grants Facilitator undertakes a variety of duties to provide direct support to faculty, Institute Directors, and staff as they pursue funding in support of research, teaching and service projects. The Grants Facilitator, working individually or in a team, will help UD faculty, administrators, and staff to develop and submit competitive external grant proposals to federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the US Department of Agriculture; as well as foundations such as Keck, Sloan, and Simons. Funding opportunities that increase research capacity (e.g., equipment and graduate training grants), support large interdisciplinary research efforts (e.g., center level grants), or that focus on young investigators will be the primary emphasis of the Grant Facilitator’s effort.

The primary role of the Grant Facilitator is to support faculty in preparing, coordinating and project management of medium to large scale, complex federal proposals to capture major awards and which might involve other educational, research and corporate entities. Specifically, the Facilitator will work closely with faculty to increase sponsored funding by providing strategic services to support the programmatic development of research, the creation of consortium, federal engagement, the provision of research training, and the support of inter-institutional federal proposals.

Major Responsibilities:

• Identify key funding opportunities that mesh well with targeted areas for development at UD and that align with institutional capabilities.
• Provide detailed grant proposal development assistance including project management through all stages of proposal conceptual development and refinement including:
• Work to understand proposal requirements, agency mission and culture, and specific program objectives with the goal of producing more competitive grant proposals
• Facilitate and participate in proposal ideation meetings with researchers
• Edit proposals with specific focus on the narrative and summary sections, in particular concerning the sponsor’s “impact areas” such as K-12 education, workforce development, stakeholder impacts, economic impacts, diversity and inclusion and others.
• Coordinating timely workflow of proposal preparation and submission.
• Design, conduct and participate in grant development workshops and other interventions with faculty.
• Develop and maintain a detailed knowledge of UD’s faculty research interests and strengths.
• Create and oversee innovative programs of faculty development for their scholarly endeavors.
• Cultivate knowledge of ongoing, targeted, and emerging programs and projects and support administrative and faculty efforts to enhance competitiveness for external funding across the disciplines.
• Coordinate proposal development efforts with counterparts in the divisions, schools, and national labs, for multi-institution proposal efforts
• Keep up to date on new/recurring funding opportunities/programs from federal agencies and advise faculty on strategic approaches to develop research initiatives and large, complex proposals. Work closely with faculty in building strategic alliances and effective teams.
• Engage faculty in their research/scholarly interests and readiness to develop a catalog of potential projects well-positioned to pursue grant funding.
• Connect project directors and teams with institutional resources for facilitating successful project implementation and start-up.
• Track the impact of Grants facilitation efforts on UD’s sponsored program enterprise.
  Perform job-related duties and special projects as needed.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or an advanced degree in a science or engineering discipline with five years of progressively responsible job-related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Experience in writing successfully funded grant proposals in own discipline is preferred.
• Experience in research program development or capture management or grant facilitator position at a research-intensive university and/or public or private institutions engaging in sponsored research or service.
• Experience of the funding mechanisms and opportunities at one or more agencies listed here NIH, NSF, USDA, Dept of Energy, and Dept. of Defense.
• Experience with funding mechanisms and proposal development that straddles industry and academia, as well as foundations.
• Project management, federal proposal, and team management experience.
• Ability to work with faculty members from a wide variety of academic disciplines in a supportive environment that promotes high-quality research and the development of sophisticated funding proposals.
• Ability to work with other grant writers and consultants and, coordinate and manage color reviews.
• Ability to work independently and/or in a team, set appropriate work priorities, and require minimal supervision over regular work activities.
• Strong communication skills, independent judgment, and the ability to work effectively with diverse populations and consensus-building skills.
• Strong time management and organizational skills and the ability to balance multiple priorities under deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A high degree of discretion, tact, and an ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Experience working with university research administration, including sponsored research services offices.
• Ability to understand and identify the needs of faculty and translate those needs into programmatic solutions. Demonstrated capacity, skill, and willingness to engage with faculty and contribute to success in research collaboration and equity.
• Demonstrates an understanding and consideration of the differing needs and concerns of individuals with varying identities, cultures, and backgrounds.
• Committed to fostering a workplace culture of belonging, where diversity is celebrated, and equity is a core value.