Proposal Specialist, Kinder Institute for Urban Research

Special Instructions to Applicants: Applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in PDF format to the Supporting Documents section of the application.

About Rice

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston Texas Rice University is ranked among the nations top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system that supports students intellectually emotionally and culturally through social events intramural sports student plays lecture series courses and student government. Developing close-knit diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rices culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name RICE Responsibility Integrity Community and Excellence.

Position Summary

Kinder Institute of Urban Research (KIUR) is seeking a full-time Proposal Specialist to support multiple centers research portfolio funding strategies and facilitate both prospective grant identification and the full proposal development submission and reporting process. The Proposal Specialist works with KIUR executive leadership research center directors associate directors and the development team to establish funding priorities and goals for their respective research centers and teams. They will work with the Director of Grant Operations and the Lead Proposal Specialist to support faculty and research personnel in planning for developing and tracking grant proposals for highly competitive extramural research funding (e.g. federal agencies state agencies industry or foundations).

The Proposal Specialist supports the grants team in managing all aspects of the grants pipeline including writing preparing and submitting pre-proposals Letters of Interest (LOIs) and full grant applications; and supporting non-financial aspects of the post-award process including calendaring tracking and developing grant report narratives and other documents and project information required by funders. These functions require engagement with KIURs Research Operations and External Affairs teams; Rices central research administration and fundraising offices; and external organizations including funders and community partners.

The role requires:

• Autonomous analytical and process-oriented thinking to excel in a fast-paced deadline-driven setting.

• An exceptional level of organization and attention to detail as well as excellent writing and editing skills.

• Proficiency in interpreting and applying pertinent federal and state statutes regulations policies and procedures as well as those of sponsoring organizations.

• Effective and concise communication skills.

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research aims to improve lives through data research engagement and action. The institute iscurrently working to build out five research centersfocused on critical aspects shaping the social and cultural landscape of the Houston area. The five centers will researchhousingeducationcommunity andpublic healtheconomic mobility and inequality andpopulation dynamics. Each center will investigate its topic area and will work across achieve this each center is building interdisciplinary teams specializing in solutions-oriented research while using a partnership model of research. The partnership model work to jointly design develop and conduct research that values diversity inexpertiseand prioritizes the community inidentifyingand addressing the most pressing questions and challenges facing the Houston area. The goal is for the institutes research to inform decision-making and bring about systemic change.

Workplace Requirements

This position is offered as a hybrid role combining both in-office and remote work within Harris County and surrounding counties to provide flexibility and support Rice policy 440 work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range

This is a full-time benefits-eligible position and the offered salary will be $72000- $75000 commensurate with experience and qualifications. Exempt (salaried) positions underFLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelors degree

  • In lieu of the education requirement additional related experience above and beyond what is required on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

• 2 years of experience in pre-award research administration general research administration or grant administration experience

  • In lieu of the experience requirement additional related education above and beyond what is requiredon an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

Skills:

• Initiative and the ability to work independently and as a team member

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills both written and verbal

• Excellent administrative and organizational skills and the ability to prioritize ones own workload

• Strong critical thinking skills

• Excellent writing and editing skills

• Ability to work under deadline pressure

• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively across multiple teams and working styles

Preferences

• Bachelors degree in public policy business applied research or social sciences

• Experience in a university setting

• Cayuse SP experience

• Knowledge of federal agencies submission processes

• Commitment to learning and continuous improvement

• Adaptability and resilience

Essential Functions

• Support identification and evaluation of forthcoming funding opportunity announcements as well as development of related proposal preparation timelines templates checklists and tracking of proposal development efforts.

• Management and oversight of internal project management processes and platforms (e.g. ).

• Understand explain and clarify various agencies proposal requirements and review processes.

• Support faculty and research teams in preparing large-scale complex multidisciplinary proposals including collaborative opportunities across the Institute and the University.

• Research and assist in writing and reviewing non-technical content of proposals.

• Support review of the scientific technical and/or scholarly narrative sections of proposals to ensure compliance with sponsor requirements and University research policies.

• Support preparation and updates to proposal documents (budgets JIT documentation CVs etc.) as needed prior to execution of an award in accordance with sponsor guidelines and University research policies.

• Serve as a liaison with faculty administrators and Rices Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) to ensure timely and successful proposal submissions.

• Support professional written communications to sponsor agencies organizations and key stakeholders.

• Support interaction and collaboration with agencies faculty and departmental award management staff to support the successful life cycle of funded projects.

• Support training and development sessions designed for faculty staff postdocs graduate students and/or undergraduate students on topics related to the development of proposals for external grants.

• Assist in preparing ad hoc administrative projects such as proposal archives reports and proposal writing tips.

• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Additional Functions

• Inform the principal investigator (PI) of all proposal preparation requirements and ensure guidelines are followed for proposal formatting all required documents and submission requirements.

• Monitor compliance with agency and University regulations regarding submission; verify all financial information.

• Complete and verify Cayuse records and work with Rice OSP for submission to sponsors.

• Exemplify Kinder Institute team values and comply with strategic organizational culture initiatives.

Kinder Institute for Urban Research University HR Benefits: Mission and Values:Mission and Values Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race color religion age sex sexual orientation gender identity national or ethnic origin genetic information disability or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process please contact Rice Universitys Human Resources Office via email at for support.

If you have any additional questions please email us at . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.