Sr. Proposal Development Specialist

Responsibilities

• Facilitate the preparation of sponsored research proposals including complex and multi-institutional grants on behalf of Children's National faculty and staff.
• Develop budgets and supporting documentation, and ensure that proposal is compliant with sponsor requirements and internal policies and timelines.
• Support investigators by answering questions regarding sponsors, funding opportunities, and the proposal development process.
• Manage pre-award activities for assigned proposals using knowledge of grant management rules and regulations, technical expertise, and analytical skills.
• Review funding announcements in detail. Ensure that Investigators are aware of any unique/unusual requirements.
• Complete responsibilities matrices and communicate deadlines and required deliverables to all members of the team.
• Develop budgets and budget justifications which includes proofing budgets for inconsistencies and ensuring accuracy. Ensure that budgets are consistent with sponsor and CRI requirements; verify all financial information.
• Collaborate with investigators and pre-award staff at external institutions to secure necessary sub-award documents for proposal.
• Ensure proposals are entered correctly into CRI systems (BearGrants) and grant proposal portals or application systems.
• Facilitate and monitor proposals through the routing and approval process in compliance with CRI procedures and securing appropriate sign-offs.
• Monitor proposal statuses and advise Principal Investigators on requirements and deadlines. Escalate to Manager if deadlines are not met.
• Facilitate Just-In-Time requests including development of other support documents.
• Support Initiates pre-application meetings with Principal Investigators to discuss Funding Opportunity Announcements and creates proposal specific timelines for complex/large grant submissions or for new/junior faculty who may need additional support.
• Acts as liaison between the Proposal Development team, Grants and Contracts Pre-Award team and Principal Investigators to ensure that all requirements and deadlines are met.
• Collaborates with other Proposal Development team members to ensure exceptional and uniform support of all CRI proposals.
• Ensures the smooth transition of awarded proposals to post-award team through communication and detailed record keeping.
• Verifies compliance training for COI and other required certificates are up to date for faculty.
• Mentorship for junior team members.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Minimum 2 years of Grants, contracts, finance, and budget-related experience in an academic or academic-medical center setting.
• Preferred 3 years of Grants, contracts, finance, and budget-related experience in an academic or academic-medical center setting.

Skills

• Use of computers and web-based applications in a security-focused environment.
• Use of Microsoft Office tools (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams), Adobe, and internal application systems used to support research operations.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Gives attention to detail and is highly organized.
• Ability to analyze and interpret various funding opportunity announcements (RFA, RFP, FOA) from sponsor agencies including NIH, FDA, DoD, State and local government agencies, and foundations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team including working well with faculty, staff and across multiple teams to accomplish goals.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and work independently with minimal supervision.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, prescription, infertility, and transgender health services.
• Generous paid time off, including vacation accrual from day one, sick leave, holidays, and a personal day.
• Financial wellness support, including a 401(k) plan and healthcare and dependent care spending accounts.
• Employer-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage, with optional supplemental plans.
• Additional perks, including tuition assistance, fitness resources, employee assistance, commuter benefits, and more.