Research Development Associate, Information Science

The University of Arizona's College of Information Science invites you to apply for the role of Research Development Associate. The Research Development Associate position will provide proposal development support for faculty and staff within the College of Information Science. Activities will include strategic proposal planning, team development, and proposal review for alignment with solicitations. The successful candidate will have demonstrated knowledge of and familiarity with various federal sponsoring agencies, prior experience in research development related roles, including identifying funding sources and solicitations, proposal development, and/or proposal editing or writing, and the ability to review and interpret funding opportunity goals and guidelines to ensure alignment with the sponsor.

This role requires an attitude for excellence, a forward-thinking approach to anticipating funding opportunities, excellent interpersonal and verbal and written communication skills, and a collaborative approach to working with individuals and groups from various backgrounds and scientific disciplines.

This position supports and will report to the Research Director and may represent the College as needed by members of the leadership team (e.g., Associate Dean of Research, Director of the Center for Digital Society and Data Studies, Director of Research).

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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Funding Identification & Strategy

• Identifies funding opportunities and coordinates college needs with funding officers.
• Continually broaden knowledge of national and international funding trends and opportunities to actively engage in complex projects and sophisticated efforts toward securing external funding.
• Mentor the faculty and other researchers to continually engage with and reflect on those funding trends; informs staff of program direction.
• Supports the college strategic plan by ensuring funding is integrated into college initiatives that align with the college's strategic plan.

Proposal Development & Support

• Support faculty in proposal development efforts including identifying funding sources and solicitations, managing the collection of documents from the team as needed in support of new proposals (e.g., biosketches, conflict of interest forms); ensuring alignment of proposals with the solicitation and funder's research priorities; editing proposals to create compelling narratives, ensure sufficient emphasis on scientific rigor and the integration of scientific/technical proposal content; and facilitating research team interactions and progress for large, complex and strategic proposals.
• Support the writing and make recommendations for documents such as Requests for Information, Dear Colleague Letters, Letters of Intent, pre-proposals, white papers, management plans, etc.
• Provide consultation and assistance with design, graphics, and other illustrative materials during proposal preparation.
• Coordinate with the Director of Partnerships in the college and research teams for successful proposal submission.
• Write proposals for instructional funding or other non-scholarly proposals in coordination with the Director of Partnerships to generate new kinds of funding for the College.

Compliance and Institutional Coordination

• Review all IRB materials for scholarly and college-leadership required approvals.
• Collect, manage, and maintain faculty data, including research activity records, to ensure accurate reporting and compliance.

Training & Capacity Building

• Provide workshops (e.g., for faculty, staff, and students) related to proposal development.
• Develop tools and guidance to support proposal development.
• Conduct workshops and training to assist UA faculty in interpreting funding agency and institutional requirements and in crafting competitive proposals.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Exceptional writing skills.
• Strong ability to cultivate and sustain positive and productive working relationships internal and external to the college and university.
• Ability to effectively facilitate large group meetings.
• Ability to understand and interpret complex technical details.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills to ensure good collaborative working relationships with fellow staff, faculty, students, and other partners.
• A forward-thinking approach to anticipating funding opportunities.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Experience with various federal sponsoring agencies.
  
• Prior experience in research development related roles, including identifying funding sources and solicitations, as well as proposal development and/or proposal editing or writing.
  
• Experience with reviewing and interpreting funding opportunity goals and guidelines to ensure alignment with the sponsor.
  
• Experience with LaTeX and editors (such as Overleaf).
  
• Educational background in data science, library science, or a related field is a plus.