Proposal Development Lead - Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

Job Summary
The Proposal Development Lead is responsible for leading iSEE's proposal development efforts for current and prospective sponsors, with a focus on State and Federal government sponsors including United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), national laboratories, foundations, and others. The position plays a lead role in all phases of the proposal process, including opportunity tracking, capture, team building, writing, and full proposal development. The position contributes to iSEE's overall program development strategy, tracks and pursues new funding opportunities, participates in assessments, gathers and integrates information and ideas from across the Institute and beyond, develops compelling program designs, and serves as technical lead in writing of proposals. The ideal candidate will work with the iSEE leadership team to identify, expand, support sustainability research initiatives, and foster collaborations to create multi-disciplinary, multi-investigator teams to bring new sustainability funding to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Duties & Responsibilities

• Proposal Development and Training (50%)
  Steer the creation and coordination of interdisciplinary proposals.
  Coordinate interaction with academic units, other institutes and offices involved in proposal submissions to ensure timely and well-executed iSEE-lead proposals.
  Develop iSEE-supported seed proposal calls and organize review teams for submitted proposals.
  Facilitate interdisciplinary team building workshops and networking among scholars on campus

• Strategic leadership and management (25%)
  Develop and implement an integrated capacity building strategy for interdisciplinary research proposals.
  Maintain information on proposal preparation requirements for relevant federal, state, local sponsors, private foundations, and industry partners.

• Establish collaborative relationships across campus and beyond and identify funding opportunities (25%)
  Facilitate the establishment of relationships with corporations, foundations, and government agencies to serve as the foundation to pursue new interdisciplinary funding
  opportunities led by iSEE.
  Work closely with the ISEE Associate Director of Research to coordinate activities and develop research proposals.
  Identify strategic funding and research opportunities and match these to researchers in iSEE and affiliated faculty.
  Work closely with iSEE-affiliated scholars to identify appropriate funding mechanisms.

Additional Physical Demands
Work is performed in normal office setting.

Minimum Qualifications
Master’s degree in science, engineering, or related field or equivalent experience. Minimum of four years' direct experience with proposal development, two years of project management experience, and one year of supervisory experience. Applicants with alternative degrees and equivalent experience will also be considered. Highly skilled in all areas of proposal development: strong proposal writing ability, project and timeline management, negotiation and partnership development, and budget development. Experience interacting with federal agencies such as the NSF, USDA, DOE, etc. Adept at reviewing RFPs/RFAs/RFI/broad agency announcements and conducting desk and field research on new opportunities.

Preferred Qualifications
EDUCATION - Preferred: PhD or terminal degree in science, engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.
EXPERIENCE - Preferred: Experience in identifying, writing, and managing complex proposal development for large collaborative interdisciplinary research and scientific initiatives (>$1 million). Experience interacting with foundations and corporations. Experience in identifying new external funding opportunities. Experience in developing new initiatives for research mentoring and training of scholars and building collaborative programs with both research and outreach components. Experience engaging with Minority Serving Institutions. Strong knowledge of funding agency priorities especially related to engagement (Extension), participant training, scholarship programs, and workforce development. Experience as a Principal Investigator.
TRAINING, LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS: Preferred: Illinois Certified Research Administrator certification.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Understanding of Federal funding agencies, their programs, and objectives.

• Understanding the landscape and role of Minority Serving Institutions.

• . •Understanding of the landscape of the private foundations and endowments.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Excellent problem solving and multitasking skills.

• Proven leadership skills with a collaborative management style that will facilitate interaction with all levels in the organization (i.e. direct reports) as well as faculty and corporate partners.

Appointment Information
This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after 3/16/2023. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information
Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (CST) on February 15, 2023. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. Interviews may be conducted prior to the closing date; however, a hiring decision will not be made until after the closing date. Qualified candidates must upload a letter of which details qualifications noted above, resume and the names and contact information of three professional references. All requested information must be submitted for your application to be considered. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. For further information about this specific position, please contact Erica Hanson, HR Coordinator, OVCRI, at elhanson@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1015072
Job Category: Administrative
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu