A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position. Applicants should be prepared to participate in a series of interviews.
The mission of the University of Michigan Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is to catalyze, support and safeguard U-M research. To that end, the OVPR team fosters new research, builds partnerships, and provides support to our researchers in order to realize our vision of research that serves the world.
The Research Development Officer will be a member of the Bold Challenges team and Office of Research Development (ORD), and will focus primarily on supporting success for interdisciplinary research teams. As part of OVPR's Bold Challenges initiative, the Research Development Officer will work with colleagues across OVPR and other units across the institution, to advance large-scale grant efforts. The Research Development Officer will support faculty teams through proposal/project management services to increase readiness and competitiveness for large-scale funding opportunities, as well as plan, support and/or deliver ideation sessions, skill-building workshops and other events. This position also will support operations within the ORD, including developing and maintaining online resources, among other activities.
This is a hybrid position. The Research Development Officer will be expected to spend one day a week in the office and to be on campus to support events as needed.
Proposal management: work with faculty and staff teams to develop well-organized, polished, competitive grant proposals that are responsive to funder requests for large-scale and interdisciplinary opportunities; tasks include creating timelines and checklists, tracking proposal writing progress, drafting supporting documents, and proposal editing (as needed) with a goal of increasing the quality of submitted proposals.
Team development: coordinate team meetings and activities and track progress to support effective team science, helping position teams for success in pursuing external research funding.
Coordinate activities related to proposal development: organizing peer/red team reviews, facilitate connections to external partners, and coordinate with other internal support units/services, etc.
Support Bold Challenges events and related ORD activities; tasks may include coordinating logistics, managing registration, communication to participants, etc.
Management and maintenance of online resources, e.g., proposal libraries, etc.
Support and/or lead a range of gatherings, from single-team meetings to large networking events, to foster ideation, community-building, strategic planning, and complex problem-solving.
Develop programming and resources for faculty and staff, such as toolkits, workshops, mentoring programs, writing groups, orientations, and individualized research plans.
Support Bold Challenges and ORD-related communications content as needed to achieve OVPR and University objectives.
Master's degree or Bachelor's degree with equivalent experience required.
Significant experience with conduct and/or management of sponsored research, e.g., familiarity with funders and/or funding mechanisms, peer review, etc.
Experience in grant proposal development and editing.
Strong writing and interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to effectively provide training to others in the form of workshops and individual instruction.
Experience with administrative aspects of activity and event planning.
Strong initiative and demonstrated ability to work independently and in collaborative settings is essential. Must be able to work in a sensitive and confidential manner using independent judgment and professionalism.
Must be able to manage multiple projects and initiatives simultaneously while meeting deadlines and maintaining attention to detail.
Familiarity with broader impacts/societal impacts/community engagement and the importance of DEIA to the research community.
Ph.D. or other advanced degree.
Knowledge of federal and non-federal research sponsors' common requirements and anticipated funding goals.
Demonstrated success working with teams to submit large-scale proposals (>$5 million)
Training in facilitation strategies, e.g., Liberating Structures, Strategic Doing, etc.
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
About University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
A great university is made so by its faculty and staff, and Michigan is recognized as one of the best universities to work for in the country. The Michigan culture is known for engaging faculty and staff in all facets of the university to create a workplace that is vibrant and stimulating.For two consecutive years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has placed U-M in its "Great Colleges to Work For" survey. In particular, the university earns high marks for strong relations between faculty and administrators, a collaborative system of governance, strong pay and benefits, and a healthy work/life balance.
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