Research Development Associate

Job Summary

Introduction: The University of Utah is seeking an experienced Research Development Associate to provide proposal development and proposal project management support on high-profile interdisciplinary extramural funding opportunities. The Research Development Associate will be a member of the Large Infrastructure Funding Team (LIFT), a team based out of the Office of the Associate Vice President for Research, who assists with center, program, and other large-scale, interdisciplinary grant opportunities. This position is full time, benefited position.

About the Role:

A central responsibility of this position is to facilitate and manage the preparation of complex research proposals as it relates to proposal project management (including timeline development, facilitation and scheduling of team meetings, and coordination of proposal team), development and review of proposal content (including drafting templates, drafting auxiliary documents, and reviewing technical and non-technical content), and strategic guidance (including identifying funding opportunity, program development planning, etc.).

Additional responsibilities include identifying funding opportunities and solicitations; assembling and coordinating research teams and external partners, including industry, municipal, and community partners, to pursue these opportunities; assessing faculty interest and collaboration possibilities; and integrating research ideas to create competitive proposals.

The Research Development Associate will collaborate with PIs and other grant opportunity leaders plus relevant research development and research administration staff to successfully submit high quality, competitive proposals. It is essential that the Research Development Associate can interpret requests for proposals or solicitations from external sponsors.

Strong applicants will have significant experience (1) interpreting grant requirements and guidelines, (2) submitting or managing extramural proposals/grants, (3) reading and translating technical science to be more accessible for dissemination, and/or (4) coordinating collaborative efforts across the finish line.

About the University of Utah and Benefits:

The University of Utah is located at the foot of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains and offers a rich benefits package including affordable health insurance on the first day, generous retirement contributions of 14.2%, 13 paid holidays per year plus vacation accruals each month, tuition reduction for employees and families, paid parental leave and more. Please visit our Benefits website for more information: https://www.hr.utah.edu/benefits

Responsibilities

• Assist in generation of external funding through high-quality concept-building, content writing, copy-editing, storytelling, etc. for external grant writing campaigns across a wide-variety of research spaces.
• Collaborate with internal/external stakeholders and team members to develop project management plans (including checklists, timelines, scheduling and setting agendas for proposal teams) to successfully submit proposals.
• Keep track of the federal and foundation funding landscape to identify funding opportunities and provide strategic guidance for targeting and pursuing relevant funding opportunities.
• Collaborate with University leadership; Industry partners; staff in State, Foundation, and Federal grant spaces to assist with grant preparation, writing, and submission.
• Engage with program officers at grant sponsor organizations to ask developmental/content-creating questions, as needed. Act as liaison with program officers and sponsor staff, as needed.
• Organize grant writing events (workshops, brainstorming sessions, dedicated writing sessions, etc.) related to extramural funding opportunities.
• Coordinate pre-submission peer reviews (e.g., red team review) of proposal drafts.
• As requested by the VPR Office, participate in broader institutional initiatives, proposal and award applications, staff mentoring, and other administrative assignments.

Minimum Qualifications

Master's Degree or Bachelor's degree + four years of related experience or equivalency (one year of education can be substituted for two years of related work experience). Applicants must demonstrate the potential ability to perform the essential functions of the job as outlined in the position description.

Preferences

• Prior knowledge of and/or interest in research funding landscape
• Prior grant writing and research proposal development experience
• Experience in technical/grant/science writing as it relates to research
• Very strong organizational and time management skills
• Significant experience with grant development, project management, writing and grants communications
• Experience organizing, leading, and managing complex grant writing campaigns around federal, state, and foundation sponsored grant opportunities.
• Experience with complex proposal development and management
• Experience working with complex, interdisciplinary research teams and demonstrated skill to work as part of an interdisciplinary team.
• Willingness and availability to work flexibly and on short notice to meet tight grant deadlines.

Special Instructions

Requisition Number: PRN43142B Full Time or Part Time? Full Time Work Schedule Summary: This role will typically be M-F & standard business hours. This position supports and contributes to a wide variety of external grants with different deadlines. Some nights and weekends may be required based on needs of the business. This is a hybrid position with a required 2-3 days in office, on campus. No fully-remote option is available. Department: 00639 - VP for Research Location: Campus Pay Rate Range: $60,700 - $98,000 Close Date: 12/15/2025 Open Until Filled: