Proposal Development Specialist

Job Description

The Proposal Development Specialist will collaborate with faculty in the College of Science (COS) Virginia Tech and external partners to support proposal writing from the identification of opportunities through development and submission. Reporting to the Associate Dean for Research this individual will work with stakeholders to support competitive federal research proposals training grants instrumentation proposals and center-scale submissions as well as proposals to foundations industry and state and local sponsors.

The Specialists role is to assist with communication organization coordination and compliance with sponsor requirements. The Specialist works closely with the Colleges pre-award and post-award grants administrators who handle budget preparation financial compliance and award management and supports COS-affiliated research centers and institutes in pursuit of external funding opportunities.

This work includes preparation of non-technical proposal documents (project summaries facilities and resources data management plans mentoring plans management plans) identifying and analyzing funding opportunities coordinating and facilitating the work of proposal writing teams and developing and offering training sessions to enhance proposal-writing capacity across COS. The Specialist will partner with stakeholders to prepare and manage a consistent year-round pipeline of letters of intent proposals presentations briefings and progress/impact reports to local state federal corporate and foundation funding sources.

This position requires strong writing and oral communication skills critical thinking and analytic skills and a high degree of competence and organization. The successful candidate must manage multiple priorities and deadlines work independently as well as collaboratively and operate with discretion around confidential pre-submission materials.

Required Qualifications

Bachelors degree in a science engineering communications English technical writing or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience in research administration grant writing scientific editing or a closely related field.
Experience writing editing or supporting externally funded proposals research publications or comparable technical documents.
Demonstrated record of strong writing and editing skills with the ability to engage with scientific content and communicate it clearly to varied audiences.
Demonstrated ability to work independently function well under the pressure of deadlines and manage multiple diverse projects simultaneously.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to collaborate effectively with faculty administrators grants administrators and external partners.
Proficiency with standard office software including Microsoft Office and collaborative document platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

Graduate degree in a science engineering or related discipline.
Experience with federal foundation or corporate grant writing particularly in the natural or physical sciences mathematics or computing.
Direct familiarity with NSF NIH DOE DOD NASA or DARPA proposal requirements and sponsor systems (e.g. eRA Commons PAMS).
Experience supporting center-scale proposals Limited Submissions or institutional proposal reviews at a research university or national laboratory.
Familiarity with the division of responsibilities between proposal development pre-award administration and post-award administration in a university setting.
Experience with web-based research tools and funding opportunity databases (e.g. Pivot Grant Forward SPIN InfoReady).

Pay Band

5

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Restricted

Salary Information

Starting at $75000 commensurate with experience

Hours per week

Exempt position: 40 hours scheduled and as needed

Review Date

August 24 2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its mottoUt Prosim(That I May Serve) Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world Virginia Tech is aninclusive communitydedicated to knowledge discovery and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36000 undergraduate graduate and professional students in eightundergraduate colleges aschool of medicine aveterinary medicinecollegeGraduate School andHonors College.The university has a significant presence across Virginia including Blacksburg the greater Washington D.C. area the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke sites in Newport News and Richmond and numerousExtension officesandresearch institutes.A leading global research institution Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.