Research Development Specialist

University of Arkansas System•Little Rock, AR

About The Position

The Research Development Specialist in the Science Communication Group (SciCom) supports the growth and sustainability of the institutional research enterprise. This role involves partnering with faculty, staff, and administrators to develop high-quality grant proposals, secure extramural research funding, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations. The specialist provides strategic advice throughout the entire proposal development lifecycle, with a focus on large-scale, complex, and multidisciplinary applications.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree, preferably in a science field, with 2 years of experience in research development, technical writing, or proposal development and willingness to seek certification as an Editor in the Life Sciences by the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences. OR PhD in a science field in lieu of experience.
Applicant should have willingness to obtain a UAMS Grants Management Certification.
Must have the ability to work with personnel across multiple levels of the UAMS system, including administrators, financial personnel, junior and senior faculty, and deans or department or center directors.
Knowledge of: English grammar, syntax, and usage public speaking and presentation best-practices medical biology and chemistry, biostatistics, experimental design, clinical trial data analysis, and research laboratory protocol requirements style, content, format requirements, and references used in grants and medical journals journal publication process, peer-review process, sources of grant funding, and guidelines for grant procurement organizational, visual, and textual factors that promote readability, as well as the ways in which numerical data are appropriately presented grant writing for federal and foundation sources
Demonstrable skills in: effective communication in written and spoken English grammatical and rhetorical accuracy, clarity, and economy in editing and rewriting scientific texts and visuals mastery of word processing and a working knowledge of desktop publishing developing and delivering seminars/workshops
Ability to: work closely with investigators in preparing grant applications to effectively communicate scientific research ideas and data prepare and deliver clear written or spoken presentations and educational materials work both independently and as part of a team think critically respond to changing priorities

Responsibilities

Proposal development and management: Coordinate and support investigators in preparing single-project, as well as complex, center-level grant proposals. Write high-quality drafts of non-technical proposal components. Review, edit, and format technical and non-technical proposal documents to ensure they meet high-quality standards and sponsor requirements; specifically, work with investigators to critique, revise, copy-edit (e.g., correct errors in grammar, syntax, spelling), and format grant applications, progress reports, etc. Manage the lifecycle of proposal development; specifically, participate in the intellectual development of research grant proposals by attending and/or facilitating and planning organizational meetings and providing feedback on the feasibility of a project. Develop and/or maintain professional knowledge and skills by participating in continuing education activities and professional organizations.
Strategic planning and funding outreach: Identify and distribute relevant funding opportunities through personalized searches and data mining. Analyze sponsor funding priorities and provide actionable recommendations to position investigators for future success. Manage limited submission funding opportunities and internal competitions as needed.
Capacity building and training: Train and support junior faculty preparing their first major research grant proposals. Develop and teach grant-writing workshops and seminars. Create proposal development resources, such as guides, checklists, best practices, and template text. Develop and/or maintain professional knowledge and skills by participating in continuing education activities and professional organizations.
Relationship management and collaboration: Foster interdisciplinary research and facilitate partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. Plan and execute networking events or sponsor information sessions. Collaborate with university central offices and administrative teams to ensure proposal accuracy and internal consistency.
Other duties as assigned