Research Development Specialist

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Job Title :

Research Development Specialist

Department :

ERIK Research Development Office

The Research Development Specialist leads the development and implementation of research strategies designed to grow and diversify The Ohio State University’s externally sponsored research portfolio, with an emphasis on growing federally sponsored, large-scale, interdisciplinary research grants and contracts.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Strategic Research Development within the Office of Knowledge Enterprise, the Research Development Specialist works with assigned Associate Deans for Research, Center and Institute Directors, faculty researchers, and other University leaders to identify target areas of strength and emerging opportunity and develop proposals that align with University, State, and Federal priorities.

Duties :

Direct strategic positioning and sponsored program capture planning activities :

Develop and implement targeted strategies to grow Ohio State’s research portfolio with assigned federal agencies through : scaffolding and managing processes to characterize current and envisioned states for Ohio State in targeted growth areas through data analysis, landscape mapping via agency or industry reports / roadmaps and focus group processes with Ohio State researchers;

and preparing reports and recommendations to inform strategic actions needed to achieve agency-specific or topical research development objectives, including gap analyses to inform hiring plans and ERIK investment decisions.

• Catalyze and push forward medium- and long-range (multiple year) plans to capture large-scale ($5million or more) sponsored programs awards through : identifying and tracking new or recurring opportunities within assigned, targeted research topical areas;
• facilitating researcher and leadership engagement to develop teams and establish prerequisite infrastructure; providing competitive intelligence analysis;
• advising on partnership development and sustainment; liaising with the appropriate central and unit administrators early for possible central institutional support requests;

and equipping decision-makers with data and analysis necessary to make go / no go decisions.

Guide large-scale proposal development in areas of strength and targeted growth :

• Orchestrate RDO proposal development support for teams pursuing strategically significant funding opportunities by : developing partnership agreements with proposal teams to clarify roles, responsibilities and timelines across participating units;
• providing input and advice regarding win strategies, team and proposal organization / structure, and budgeting strategy;
• working with Research Development Coordinators to compile or develop templates, samples, and competitive intelligence for team use and provide overarching project management for proposal development;
• organizing and managing color team reviews; providing comments on compliance and persuasiveness for proposal documents; coordinating central institutional support documents;

assisting with responses to post-submission agency questions; and coaching teams for site visits and reverse site visits.

Manage internal solicitation and selection for limited competitions in assigned topical or agency areas.

Support unit-based capacity building and faculty leadership development programming :

Increase general researcher familiarity with the priorities, programs, funding opportunities, operational structures and informal culture of assigned federal agencies through : small and / or large group technical assistance workshops / videos;

contribution to the development, maintenance and promotion of agency-specific resource toolkits maintained by RDO; collaborations with assigned college leadership to build capacity among a particular researcher population for specific agency goals.

Coordinate with OKE Talent Development as needed / appropriate.

Contribute to a collegial community of practice among staff of the Research Development Office, colleagues across the Enterprise for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge (ERIK) organization, as well as counterparts in related roles across the university to advance the functional cohesiveness of the extended RD community at Ohio State.

Successful candidates will be intellectually curious, self-motivated, and able to exercise considerable independent judgement with limited supervision.

In addition, successful candidates will have proven ability to manage stressful situations that arise while managing multiple priorities under deadline pressure and be able to effectively interact with and guide diverse teams comprised of faculty, students, and staff from multiple technical and academic areas.

Requirements :

Bachelor’s Degree plus 4 years of experience in positions requiring grant writing / editing; sponsored program proposal assistance;

sponsored program administration (pre- or post- award); and / or sponsored program management.

• Knowledge of Federal Agency R&D grant and contract mechanisms and proposal requirements.
• Familiarity with research funding search engines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Competence with Microsoft Office suite of software tools (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Working knowledge and experience with project management tools, teaming platforms (e.g. Microsoft Teams), and virtual meeting tools.

Preferred Qualifications :

• Advanced Degree with 4-8 years related experience.
• Domain expertise and academic experience in the climate change and energy space
• A minimum of 3 years of experience working in university research development
• Experience with R&D competitive intelligence tools including such tools as Academic Analytics, USA Spending, and federal agency databases.

Position Mapping :

• Function : Research Administration
• Sub-function : Research Development Partnerships
• Career Level : S3

Explore our extensive benefits

Work-life : Flexible and remote work arrangement opportunities where applicable, childcare program, and access to educational, athletic and cultural events.

Retirement : State pension and alternative options with competitive employer contributions, as well as optional supplemental plans.

Health : Medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage, life insurance, flexible spending accounts and wellness programming.

Time off : Paid vacation and sick time, parental and medical leave plus 11 paid holidays. Short and long-term disability options also available.

Financial : Tuition assistance for employees and their dependents, adoption assistance and discounts with preferred vendors and university partners.

Wellness : Lifestyle spending account, employee assistance program, health reimbursement account, and employee wellness program.