Limited Submissions Specialist

Stony Brook University • Stony Brook, NY

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Working within the research development team in the Office of Proposal Development (OPD) in the Office for Research and Innovation (OR&I), the Limited Submissions Specialist will provide strategic support for research development services at Stony Brook University. We seek a solution-driven professional who has strong project management or research administration experience and knowledge of externally sponsored awards. The successful incumbent will be proactive and creative with a strong customer service ethic and possess excellent oral/written communication skills. Essential for this role is the adeptness to work independently as well as part of a team with a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
The Office of Proposal Development's primary focus is on large-scale and/or complex proposals involving multiple departments and external collaborators. OPD also supports early career investigators in launching or bolstering funding for their research program(s). OPD provides comprehensive assistance to Stony Brook researchers and their staff in finding funding opportunities, supporting the proposal development process, and serving as a conduit for processes and communications during the development of their grant application. The Limited Submissions Specialist will work closely with the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Office for Strategic Research Initiatives, and will collaborate with campus constituencies involved in grant-funding activities. Therefore, having experience effectively multitasking in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with a high degree of accuracy and organization is imperative for success in this role.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (foreign equivalent or higher) in a relevant field.
• Four (4) years of full-time, progressive experience in research development, pre-award research administration, or grant/project management within a research-intensive institution, federal funding agency, or research enterprise.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to write clear institutional guidelines and correspondence.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), including data compilation and reporting.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (foreign equivalent or higher) in a STEM, Social Sciences, or related academic/administrative discipline.
• Additional years of full-time, progressive experience in research development, pre-award research administration, or grant/project management within a research-intensive institution, federal funding agency, or research enterprise.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex internal review processes, limited submission competitions, or seed grant programs from program identification through final nominee selection and external award status.
• Hands-on expertise administering web-based competition management software (e.g. InfoReady Review, REDCap, or similar institutional submission platforms).
• Proficiency with major funding search databases and research intelligence tools (e.g. Pivot-RP, GrantForward, NIH RePORTER, NSF Award Search).

Responsibilities

• Analyze institutional research strengths and historical submission success to strategically select, prioritize, and advertise limited submission opportunities.
• Oversee the end-to-end management of internal competitions for limited submission funding opportunities across all academic disciplines.
• Maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date schedule of recurring and emerging limited submissions using university management software (e.g. InfoReady).
• Develop and issue internal calls for proposals, track intent-to-apply submissions, and verify applicant eligibility and compliance.
• Recruit and manage peer review panels, maintain a database of volunteer faculty reviewers, compile review scoring/feedback, and facilitate review committee meetings.
• Establish, evaluate, and update institutional policies and workflows for limited submissions to ensure equitable, transparent, and rigorous peer review processes.
• Draft and send institutional nomination and non-selection letters, providing constructive reviewer feedback to applicants.
• Keep the OPD Limited Submissions web portal and internal dashboards updated with current guidelines, deadlines, and selected nominees.
• Interact with all stakeholders, including SBU faculty, academic deans, department chairs, and sponsor program officers, to maintain effective project/program operations and ensure selected candidates submit full proposals by sponsor deadlines.
• Help to build relationships with other SBU units, including the Office of Foundation Relations.
• Develop metrics and track outcomes (e.g. internal-to-external conversion rates, total funding captured via limited submissions) to deliver quarterly/annual strategic reports to the OR&I and university leadership.
• Maintain and update competition management software (e.g. InfoReady) on a regular basis to efficiently utilize new functionalities as they are released. Meet quarterly with software representatives to stay up-to-date on new releases and to discuss questions as they arise.
• Develop and collect boilerplates, grant writing templates, sample proposals, and other resources for the central OPD resource repository by requesting materials from successful submissions.
• Prepare these materials to be uploaded into the repository (e.g. redacting sensitive/proprietary information and ensuring compliance with sponsor sharing permissions).
• Work with other offices/groups on campus (e.g. Core Facilities, IT, Libraries, Diversity Office) to gather and update standardized institutional data and facility descriptions to be included in the repository.
• Assist in coordinating OPD workshops, funding webinars, and early-career faculty research orientation events.
• Manage external engagement with consultants (e.g. external grant editors, technical writers, subject matter reviewers), support the administrative and procurement transactions that support the consultants, and ensure services are appropriately rendered.
• Track usage, budgets, and deliverables associated with external grant support contracts.
• Draft and prepare all correspondence, presentations, meeting minutes, and other types of communication for various OPD activities and strategic initiatives.
• Support leadership with calendar management, scheduling of strategic research meetings, conferences, and special events.
• Assist with problem-solving of issues or implementing new projects that arise, and follow up as appropriate while maintaining strict confidentiality.
• Backstop and assist with the management of the Office for Research and Innovation’s seed grant funding opportunities and funding opportunities, including: Disseminating details of the opportunity to relevant groups on campus. Maintaining the submission portal. Responding to questions about eligibility and the application process. Reviewing submissions for compliance and organizing the review process. Handling award notifications and all related administrative responsibilities.
• Other duties or projects as assigned.

Benefits

• The starting salary range (or hiring range) to be offered for this position is noted below, it represents SBU’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level