Pre‐Award Grant Dev. Spec.

earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.

Veterans' Preference Statement

The University of South Carolina is committed to equal opportunity and proudly values the skills and experience military veterans bring to our workforce. Across South Carolina, we are making veterans a priority for employment and recognize their vital contributions to our state and our communities.

Advertised Job Summary

Under limited supervision, the Pre‐Award Grant Development Specialist will support the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC) by delivering research administration services to the MCEC Office of Research. This role is responsible for assisting faculty with building grant proposals, developing grant proposal budgets, editing grant proposals and reports, and developing tools to streamline processes in the MCEC Research Office.

Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 2 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Actively involved in professional development organization related to the research administration field.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Experience with research grant proposal development to external federal and state agencies, such as FASTLANE, NIH, grants.gov and other federal proposal processing systems.
• Current knowledge of regulations within the field of university research administration.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point.
• Excellent ability to read, write and speak English, and to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with faculty, students, and staff.
• Knowledge of modern office practices, procedures, and equipment.

Job Duties

• Job Duty: Reviews and recommends adjustments to research grant proposals in the MCEC to ensure GRANT proposals and awards meet budgetary and regulatory requirements of USC, state, and federal policies, as well as sponsor requirements. Essential Function: Yes. Percentage of Time: 30
• Job Duty: Assists with design, maintenance, enhancement, and distribution of communication from the MCEC Office of Research Enhancement and Operations including Weekly Funding Newsletter (email), MCEC Faculty Lookbook, Monthly Research Update (email) and Research section of the My MCEC website. Essential Function: Yes. Percentage of Time: 30
• Job Duty: Coordinates development of application checklists and boilerplate documents such as biosketches, current and pending, and budget forms. Reviews and edits science components with faculty as requested. Essential Function: Yes. Percentage of Time: 15
• Job Duty: Prepares and edits required reporting documents and provides updates to project stakeholders, sponsors, faculty, staff, students, etc. Develops and maintains project documentation. Essential Function: Yes. Percentage of Time: 15
• Job Duty: Contributes to the overall success of the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing by performing other duties and responsibilities as assigned by supervisor. Essential Function: Yes. Percentage of Time: 5
• Job Duty: Oversees coordinated recruitment efforts and tracking of Graduate and Ph.D. students for work on select MCEC sponsored research projects and grants. Including, but not limited to recruitment communications, project matching, monitored hiring, and maintaining up-to-date reporting information. Essential Function: Yes. Percentage of Time: 5

Position Details

• Posting Number: STA00699PO26
• Job Family: Operational Analysis
• Job Function: Project Management
• USC Market Title: Project Manager
• Link to USC Market Title: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/133564
• Job Level: P2 - Professional
• Business Title (Internal Title): Pre‐Award Grant Dev. Spec.
• Campus: Columbia
• Work County: Richland
• College/Division: College of Engineering and Computing
• Department: CEC College of Engineering and Computing
• State Pay Range: G11
• USC Market Range: MRI - $71,310 $89,137 $106,965
• Anticipated Hiring Range: $71,310 - $90,000
• Part/Full Time: Full Time
• Hours per Week: 37.5
• Work Schedule: Generally Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. Schedule may vary to meet the needs of college
• Basis: 12 months
• Job Search Category: Other Professional
• Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive: No
• Hazardous weather category: Non-Essential
• Number of Vacancies: 1
• Desired Start Date: 11/01/2026
• Job Open Date: 09/18/2026
• Job Close Date: 10/15/2026
• Open Until Filled: No

Special Instructions to Applicant

Applicants must upload a cover letter, resume’ and provide 3 references for contact. Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email. We are only accepting applications submitted by October 15, 2026.

The University of South Carolina offers a valuable benefits package including but not limited to:

• Health and Life Insurance
• Retirement Programs
• Paid Tuition
• Dependent Scholarships
• Annual Leave
• Sick Leave
• 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional Development Opportunities

Click here to learn more about why you should work at USC.

Quicklink for Posting: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/213392

EEO Statement

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.

Working at University of South Carolina

With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There's never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state's flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation for research.

The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics, and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future-Innovista, a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree.

Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas-hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment-but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant, for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs.

By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista, the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries.

Chartered in 1801, Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions, representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood.

In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs, Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships.

South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent.

The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers.

South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of "research centers of economic excellence" in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years.

The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.