Research Development and Analytics Specialist

About the Role

Reporting to the Director of Research Development and working collaboratively with other members of the Research Development team, the Research Development and Analytics Specialist supports the development, management, and implementation of programs and services that enhance the competitiveness of Yale's research enterprise and strengthen the university's strategic research planning.

Of primary importance in this position is leadership of the Office of Research Development's research analytics, intelligence, and reporting functions. The position plays a central role in gathering, integrating, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative research data to support evidence-based decision-making and strategic planning for the Office of Research Development and the Vice Provost for Research.

Responsibilities

• Leads the identification and evaluation of potential funding sources for the development of large grants (>$1M).
• Assists researchers/principal investigators in interpreting grant solicitations, evaluating appropriateness of projects for opportunities, identifying necessary proposal components, developing project timelines, and managing the proposal preparation from concept to submission, ensuring that internal and external deadlines are met.
• Initiates and manages program communications and collaboration among team members and provides document management support, ensuring that team members have access to up-to-date materials.
• In collaboration with researchers/principal investigators, develops, writes, and provides comprehensive editorial review of research proposals including drafting non-scientific/scholarly sections as well as providing significant input into the content, organization, wording, and tone of the full document; may provide assistance with formatting and editing of figures and other graphical elements.
• Catalyzes the development of proposals for strategically important large grant mechanisms (> $1M per year), monitoring opportunities and timelines, working with leadership, schools, and RD colleagues to identify and encourage potential PIs, and supports the development of competitive teams in advance of submission dates.
• Maintains and implements a calendar of potential funding activities and monitors/tracks opportunities and timelines.
• Collaborates with other proposal development staff, department/college fiscal and administrative staff, and staff in Sponsored Programs Services.
• Collects, manages, and analyzes institutional and external research data; conducts research landscape, funding, and competitive intelligence analyses; identifies trends and opportunities; tracks research performance metrics and award outcomes, reporting quarterly and annually on submissions, support, and wins.
• Prepares reports, dashboards, presentations, graphics, and technical documents communicating complex information in clear and meaningful ways.
• Collaborates with functional and technical partners across the university to obtain, validate, and integrate data from multiple sources, facilitate cross-campus collaborations, and provide strategic guidance on research analytics and reporting.
• Organizes and executes research-related events, workshops, and sponsor engagement activities that foster collaboration and build institutional research capacity.
• Manages logistics for both virtual and in-person events, provides operational support during programs, develops educational materials, and delivers workshops that promote best practices in research development.
• Manages peer and red team review processes, cultivates relationships with external consultants and reviewers, maintains research development resources and toolkit, provides advanced editing and technical writing support for proposal materials, and shepherds proposals through to completion and submission.
• Coordinates internal and external partnerships, and develops systems and workflows that enhance office efficiency.
• Supports communications, website management, funding opportunity dissemination, and the creation of infrastructure that enables effective research development services across the institution.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Advanced degree with a minimum of five (5) years related professional/managerial work experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Skills

• Advanced proficiency in Excel, including pivot tables, formulas, VBA, and other advanced functionality, with demonstrated skill in developing and optimizing routine reporting.
• Proficiency with business intelligence and database technologies, including Power BI, Excel, R, Python, Microsoft Office products, institutional databases, and federal funding data sources, with skills in querying, manipulating, visualizing, and interpreting data.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with others’ written materials and transition seamlessly between faculty-facing work, data analysis, and high-level strategic support.
• Knowledge of sponsor-funded environments and federal agencies, including federal sponsor guidelines and requirements. Strong written communication, editing, proofreading, proposal development, and grant management skills.
• Strong meeting coordination, scheduling, event planning, logistics, vendor and consultant management, and project management skills. Proficiency with collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, with strong attention to detail, organization, and follow-through.
• Strong data gathering, research, and analytical skills, including the ability to work across a complex organization to obtain and synthesize data and institutional knowledge to inform reports and decision-making.

Preferred Qualifications

Doctoral degree in a relevant discipline.

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing, and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements.