Research Dev Associate III

About the Role

The University of Utah Vice President's Clinical and Translational (VPCAT) Research Scholars Program is seeking an experienced Research Development Associate III (RDA) to support the research and career development of early‑career faculty scholars. VPCAT is a two‑year faculty mentoring and career development program that provides integrated support in scientific career development, grant writing and management, and leadership development through a Matrix Mentoring Model.

Core Responsibilities

• Perform individualized grantsmanship review and substantive editing of faculty scholars’ research proposal narratives for organization, clarity, logical flow, thematic consistency, and responsiveness to sponsor requirements.
• Provide constructive feedback to help scholars strengthen applications and develop grant‑writing skills.
• Review and interpret funding opportunities, sponsor instructions, and review criteria; assist scholars in translating requirements into an application strategy.
• Lead grant submission consultations with faculty scholars and, when appropriate, departmental pre‑award staff and other research‑support personnel.
• Identify application needs, gaps, resources, and realistic submission timelines; connect scholars with appropriate institutional, sponsor, scientific, regulatory, or administrative resources.
• Collaborate with VPCAT personnel to develop, refine, and evaluate curriculum related to grant writing, research development, and grant preparation and management.
• Develop educational tools and resources that translate sponsor requirements and grantsmanship principles into practical guidance.
• Teach or facilitate curriculum sessions within areas of expertise.
• Identify and communicate relevant funding opportunities, sponsor announcements, policy changes, and research resources.
• Help scholars navigate VPCAT and institutional resources; develop and maintain practical grant‑development tools, examples, and guidance.
• Work collaboratively with VPCAT staff, faculty mentors, scholars, institutional partners, and research‑support personnel while maintaining clear role boundaries.
• Contribute research‑development expertise to VPCAT partnerships and collaborative initiatives.
• Identify recurring scholar needs, grant development challenges, and funding changes that may warrant new resources or program approaches.
• Serve as institutional representative to external visitors and interact with political and corporate partners related to research initiatives.
• Coordinate pre‑submission peer reviews of proposal drafts, particularly multi‑PI and large/complex proposals.
• Develop and execute communication strategies to inform internal and external stakeholders of research operations.
• Build competitive proposal teams for multi‑PI applications.
• Make independent decisions on complex problems and recommend improvements.

What This Role Does NOT Do

• Write scientific proposals or replace scientific mentors or content experts.
• Replace departmental pre‑award or budget development functions.
• Manage submission systems (e.g., Cayuse).

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree, or Bachelor’s degree plus four years of related experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the job as outlined in the position description.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in grant development, research development, scientific writing, or a related area.
• Strong substantive editing and writing skills, with ability to improve organization, clarity, consistency, and narrative flow.
• Ability to interpret funding opportunities, sponsor instructions, and review criteria and translate them into practical guidance.
• Experience providing consultation, education, or constructive feedback to faculty or other professionals.
• Strong organizational and communication skills, including managing multiple projects and deadlines independently.
• Familiarity with federal research funding mechanisms, requirements, and peer review.
• Analytical judgment to identify priorities, gaps, and high‑priority concerns.
• Experience working in an academic research environment and understanding of roles of investigators, mentors, research development professionals, and administrators.
• Curiosity and adaptability to learn unfamiliar research areas, funding mechanisms, and sponsor requirements.
• Consultative approach to faculty development: asking good questions, offering constructive recommendations, and recognizing when additional expertise is needed.

Pay

Salary range: $78,300 to $91,000 per year.

Schedule

Full‑time position following a Monday‑Friday schedule during standard business hours. Hybrid work model with some required days in the office. Occasional evenings and weekends may be required depending on business needs.