Research Development Officer, Physical Sciences and Engineering, Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Endeavors

Job Details

General Notes

The mission of the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors (OVPR) is to foster the expansion of the scale, quality, and impact of scholarly endeavors at UT Austin.

We are committed to building capacity, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and lowering the barriers and burden involved in scientific and creative inquiry through the development of an investigator-focused infrastructure that supports the needs of UT Austin's research enterprise.

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes :

100% employer-paid basic medical coverage

Retirement contributions

Paid vacation and sick time

Paid holidays

Purpose

Assists the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors (OVPR) portfolio, colleges and organized research units across the University with identifying, developing and acquiring external funding for research, scholarship and creative activity in the physical sciences and engineering.

Develops strategies to increase external funding from key sponsors to the University.

Responsibilities

As a member of the OVPR Research Development team, reporting to the Executive Director for Research Development, provides comprehensive proposal development service to small or large teams of principal investigators (PIs) pursuing external research funding.

Special emphasis is placed on U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Transportation, and other major STEM sponsors.

Proposal development duties include obtaining competitive intelligence on funding programs; facilitating PI team building and ideation;

substantive editing of proposal sections; and organizing external reviews of proposals. Works cooperatively with grant / contract specialists, a competitive intelligence officer, graphic design support and other members of the OVPR Research Development team in pursuit of these objectives.

Produces content for and leads periodic proposal development lectures or workshops that provide strategic guidance to PIs pursuing physical sciences and engineering funding.

Maps UT’s historical successes with sponsors using agency and university sponsored projects data. Leverage these data, combined with input from relevant PIs and colleges, to identify and implement strategies for increasing PIs’ competitiveness in pursuing external funding.

Contributes to the overall success of the OVPR Research Development team by performing other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Advanced degree in an academic discipline and 3 years’ post-degree experience in research development.

Strong writing and editing skills with attention to detail.

Experience managing complex proposal teams involving multiple principal investigators, including substantive contribution to the proposals’ content.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs.

Preferred Qualifications

Ph.D. in a physical science or engineering discipline with a track record of developing or writing successfully funded research grants for NSF, DOE or other STEM sponsors.

5 years’ experience in research development.

Demonstrated ability to coordinate and manage program delivery involving university faculty participants.

Ability to distill complex research and scholarly concepts into simple terms that convey impact to general audiences.

Experience with Microsoft SharePoint platform.

Salary Range

$115,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

May work around standard office conditions

Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

Use of manual dexterity

Required Materials

Please mark "yes" on the application for required materials. Failure to attach all additional materials listed may affect candidates being considered for the position.

Resume / CV

3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor.

Letter of interest

A writing sample will be required of applicants who pass the initial phone screening.

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers : You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications.

Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section;

you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.

Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers : As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs.

If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply.

This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume.

In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.

that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility :

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers.

Staff who are promotion / transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility :

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks :

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.