Proposal Specialist
About Rice
Boasting a 300-acre, tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system that supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.
Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice's culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name -- RICE -- Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.
Position Summary
Kinder Institute of Urban Research (KIUR) is seeking a full-time Proposal Specialist to support multiple centers' research portfolio funding strategies and facilitate both prospective grant identification and the full proposal development, submission, and reporting process. The Proposal Specialist works with KIUR executive leadership, research center directors, associate directors, and the development team to establish funding priorities and goals for their respective research centers and teams. They will work with the Director of Grant Operations and the Lead Proposal Specialist to support faculty and research personnel in planning for, developing, and tracking grant proposals for highly competitive extramural research funding (e.g., federal agencies, state agencies, industry, or foundations).
The Proposal Specialist supports the grants team in managing all aspects of the grants pipeline, including writing, preparing, and submitting pre-proposals, Letters of Interest (LOIs), and full grant applications; and supporting non-financial aspects of the post-award process, including calendaring, tracking, and developing grant report narratives and other documents and project information required by funders. These functions require engagement with KIUR's Research, Operations, and External Affairs teams; Rice's central research administration and fundraising offices; and external organizations, including funders and community partners.
The role requires:
- Autonomous, analytical, and process-oriented thinking to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven setting.
- An exceptional level of organization and attention to detail, as well as excellent writing and editing skills.
- Proficiency in interpreting and applying pertinent federal and state statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures, as well as those of sponsoring organizations.
- Effective and concise communication skills.
The Kinder Institute for Urban Research aims to improve lives through data, research, engagement, and action. The institute is currently working to build out five research centers focused on critical aspects shaping the social and cultural landscape of the Houston area. The five centers will research housing, education, community and public health, economic mobility and inequality, and population dynamics. Each center will investigate its topic area and will work across centers. To achieve this, each center is building interdisciplinary teams specializing in solutions-oriented research while using a partnership model of research. The partnership model work to jointly design, develop, and conduct research that values diversity in expertise and prioritizes the community in identifying and addressing the most pressing questions and challenges facing the Houston area. The goal is for the institute's research to inform decision-making and bring about systemic change.
Workplace Requirements
This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work within Harris County and surrounding counties to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.
Hiring Range
This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the offered salary will be $72,000- $75,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor's degree
- In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted
- 2+ years of experience in pre-award research administration, general research administration, or grant administration experience
- In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required,on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted
Skills:
- Initiative and the ability to work independently and as a team member
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills, both written and verbal
- Excellent administrative and organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize one's own workload
- Strong critical thinking skills
- Excellent writing and editing skills
- Ability to work under deadline pressure
- Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively across multiple teams and working styles
Preferences
- Bachelor's degree in public policy, business, applied research, or social sciences
- Experience in a university setting
- Cayuse SP experience
- Knowledge of federal agencies' submission processes
- Commitment to learning and continuous improvement
- Adaptability and resilience
Essential Functions
- Support identification and evaluation of forthcoming funding opportunity announcements, as well as development of related proposal preparation timelines, templates, checklists, and tracking of proposal development efforts.
- Management and oversight of internal project management processes and platforms (e.g., monday.com).
- Understand, explain, and clarify various agencies' proposal requirements and review processes.
- Support faculty and research teams in preparing large-scale, complex, multidisciplinary proposals, including collaborative opportunities across the Institute and the University.
- Research and assist in writing and reviewing non-technical content of proposals.
- Support review of the scientific, technical, and/or scholarly narrative sections of proposals to ensure compliance with sponsor requirements and University research policies.
- Support preparation and updates to proposal documents (budgets, JIT documentation, CVs, etc.) as needed prior to execution of an award, in accordance with sponsor guidelines and University research policies.
- Serve as a liaison with faculty, administrators, and Rice's Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) to ensure timely and successful proposal submissions.
- Support professional written communications to sponsor agencies, organizations, and key stakeholders.
- Support interaction and collaboration with agencies, faculty, and departmental award management staff to support the successful life cycle of funded projects.
- Support training and development sessions designed for faculty, staff, postdocs, graduate students, and/or undergraduate students on topics related to the development of proposals for external grants.
- Assist in preparing ad hoc administrative projects such as proposal archives, reports, and proposal writing tips.
- Perform all other duties as assigned.
Additional Functions
- Inform the principal investigator (PI) of all proposal preparation requirements and ensure guidelines are followed for proposal formatting, all required documents, and submission requirements.
- Monitor compliance with agency and University regulations regarding submission; verify all financial information.
- Complete and verify Cayuse records and work with Rice OSP for submission to sponsors.
- Exemplify Kinder Institute team values and comply with strategic organizational culture initiatives.
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