Manager, Proposal Development

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

15h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP) is a department within Harvard University’s Financial Administration (FAD) focused on providing high-quality administrative and financial assistance to faculty and other University affiliates performing sponsored research. OSP collaborates with researchers and schools across Harvard to facilitate award acquisition and negotiation, assist with grant proposal preparation, ensure compliance with federal regulations and University policies, provide financial support including reporting and billing, assist with audits, and promote knowledge of sponsored research administration through training and educational programs. This position reports to the Assistant Director of Proposal Development and leads one of three Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Proposal Development Teams, managing a team of three to five members. The role provides expert proposal development and Just In Time (JIT) support, guidance, strategy, and process development, while effectively resolving complex research administration issues with stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience
• Advanced knowledge of sponsored research regulations
• Supervisory experience

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrates advanced, specialized expertise with both depth and breadth in the field.
• Leads comprehensive operational activities and serves as a primary resource within the department or school.
• May also assume supervisory responsibilities.
• Apply broad and specialized knowledge to develop and refine practices, processes, and metrics.
• Serve as a subject matter expert or project lead.
• Lead large and complex projects, often crossing functional boundaries; develop solutions to complex challenges and advise on policy development and implementation.
• Responsible for advanced analysis and oversight of major initiatives.
• Develop methodologies for others, consult with senior management on project objectives, mentor colleagues, and deliver advanced research solutions.
• Recommend policy and process improvements.
• Facilitates broad, cross-functional dialogue on complex, sensitive, or high-impact issues; collaborates with stakeholders to drive matters to resolution; and provides expert guidance on the development of strategic plans and implementation approaches.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and supervision for a central-office based proposal development team (junior and senior staff) embedded within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, including workload planning, assignment of complex proposals, performance management, and professional development to ensure consistent, high-quality pre-award support across departments.
• Oversee the full pre-award proposal development lifecycle for the portfolio supported by the team, from opportunity identification and concept development through final submission and Just In Time (JIT), establishing standards, timelines, and review processes that ensure compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements.
• Serve as the primary central-office liaison to Divisional and Departmental Leadership, PIs, and other central units (Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP), compliance, finance, and legal), resolving escalated policy and risk issues, and supporting the aligning of departmental proposal strategies with institutional research priorities.
• Develop, implement, and continuously refine proposal development policies, templates, tools, and metrics; analyze proposal volume, turnaround times, and success rates to identify gaps and drive process improvements, training initiatives, and resource allocation decisions.
• Direct and coordinate the team’s management of JIT actions and other time-sensitive sponsor requests for complex and high-risk proposals, ensuring consistent interpretation of requirements, rigorous quality control, and timely, accurate submissions across all supported departments.
• Directly engage in proposal development and JIT related work for a portfolio of departments.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Associate degree