"Senior Grants Development Specialist"

Position Overview

The Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society is conducting a search for the Centers Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist, a person who will work closely with the Centers leadership team to acquire the resources to build the Center into the flourishing academic community envisioned in ORC 3335.39. The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist, as with all members of the Center, should embrace the Centers mission.

The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist for the Salmon P. Chase Center will be responsible for identifying, planning, guiding, writing, and executing the Centers grant and proposal processes for all grants and relevant donations, public and private, individual and institutional. The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist will cover all the sponsored research activities for the Center and its faculty. This role requires creativity, strong communication skills, and the ability to engage various audiences, including faculty, Ohio State colleagues, and prospective partners.

This role ensures compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations while providing strategic guidance to optimize funding opportunities and operational efficiency. In addition to managing the full lifecycle of grants and contracts, the position partners with leadership to develop and implement strategic initiatives that advance organizational goals, enhance research infrastructure, and improve financial sustainability.

This position collaborates with leadership to identify funding trends, strategic priorities, and growth opportunities. It develops and implements process improvements to streamline grant administration and enhance operational efficiency. It provides insights and financial modeling to support strategic decision-making. It leads or contributes to cross-functional projects aimed at expanding research capacity and institutional competitiveness.

This position administers grants for the Center. It assists the leadership team with strategic planning, and with the development, implementation and maintenance of policies. It oversees fiscal management of all grants. It provides expertise in the navigation of OSU processes for submitting multiple types of grants, such as NEH, DoE, State, industry, and foundations. It leads pre-award budget development for high value and complex proposals leveraging extensive experience to ensure successful project implementation and also participates in grant proposal preparation for large program projects.

This position participates with training of new PIs and their staff. It conducts risk assessment and recommends mitigation strategies for complex agreements; it conveys difficult, complex or sensitive information, facilitates productive dialogue on sensitive matters; it assists in interpreting and applying sponsor regulation; it leads meetings with Center wide award management team; it represents the Center on external grant and committee meetings as necessary; and it supports the development of in-house publications, such as annual reports, newsletters, and communication plans.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Advanced degree in relevant field may be desirable.
• 6 years of relevant experience required. 8-12 years of relevant experience preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive grant and donation resource acquisition plan to advance and promote the Chase Centers mission.
• Forecast, plan, and manage research portfolios by identifying funding opportunities.
• Identify and disseminate potential funding opportunities.
• Coordinate and develop proposals including budget development.
• Plan, oversee, and draft grant applications and proposals to all varieties of potential financial supporters.
• Review applications and proposals for institutional compliance.
• Administer grants.
• Assist faculty in finding and preparing grants and proposals.
• Represent the Center in working with funders and developing financial resources and programs.
• Collaborate with Center and University faculty, staff, and administrators to effectuate duties.
• Ensure compliance with laws, regulations, policies and sponsors related to research.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to the Chase Centers mission of citizenship education.
• Bachelors degree in a field related to the Centers mission of citizenship education, or equivalent experience.
• Experience in grant writing, or similar experience, preferably within a higher education environment.
• Demonstrated excellence in writing, editing, and oral communication.
• Demonstrated poise, professionalism, good judgment, and ability to take the extra step to meet customer needs.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, changing environment, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Regular in-person attendance is expected.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with pre-award proposal initiatives, post-award management and closeout activities for public, private, federal, state, and local sponsors.
• Experience in higher education grant writing, or a related field.
• Knowledge of Ohio State University policies, rules, and procedures.
• Portfolio of successful grant writing for submission with resume and application.

The Targeted Hiring Range for this position is $81,800 - $106,900. The actual salary paid to an individual will vary based on multiple factors, including but not limited to, education, years of experience, internal equity, etc.

Function: Research Administration
Subfunction: Grants and Contracts Management
Band: Specialized
Level: 4