Proposal Developer

Diné College; Tsaile (AZ); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Diné College in the Navajo Nation seeks a Proposal Developer for the Office of Research, Innovation, and Practice on the Tsaile/Shiprock Campus. Under supervision, you identify funding sources, write and coordinate large proposals, and collaborate with the Pre-Award Coordinator to ensure timely submission.

You will edit narratives, develop budgets, review sponsor guidelines, and support faculty and researchers throughout the proposal process, ensuring compliance with institutional and federal

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field is required.
• Two years of grant writing/proposal development experience.
• Master's degree is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Write, edit, and format comprehensive proposal narratives, budgets, and justifications.
• Coordinate team formation, drafting, and revision of major grant proposals.
• Ensure timely submission with the Pre-Award Coordinator and supporting documents.
• Identify funding opportunities from governmental, foundation, and other sponsors.
• Review RFPs and sponsor guidelines; summarize requirements and deadlines.

Skills

Strong written communication

Editing

Organizing information

Researching funding opportunities

Collaboration

Attention to detail

Deadline management

Education

Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Public Administration, or related field

Master's degree in English, Communications, Public Administration, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Proposal Developer

Office of Research, Innovation, and Practice

Office of Finance and Administration

Tsaile/Shiprock Campus

Duty Schedule:

Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Flex hours to include evenings and weekends as needed.

Summary/Objective of Position:

Under the general supervision, identifies funding sources, provides grant writing, and facilitates proposal development. Develops, writes, and coordinates with the Pre-Award Coordinator to submit large (sometimes multidisciplinary, multi-collaborative) proposals. Works with faculty and staff in the design, content, and preparation of sponsored project proposals in accordance with sponsor standards and requirements. Participates in writing narrative sections and edits narrative drafts, particularly those that require technical expertise and awareness in area of proposal.

Description of Essential Functions of the Position

• Write, edit, and format comprehensive proposal narratives, budgets, and budget justifications to ensure stylistic consistency, clarity, and alignment with funding organization requirements.
• Facilitate proposal development by coordinating team formation, conceptualization, drafting, review, and revision of major grant and research proposals.
• Work collaboratively with the Pre-Award Coordinator to ensure timely submission of complete and competitive proposals, including all required supporting documents, attachments, and letters of support.
• Research and identify new funding opportunities from governmental agencies, foundations, and other external organizations.
• Review requests for proposals, funding announcements, and sponsor guidelines; summarize key requirements, deadlines, and submission expectations, and disseminate this information to appropriate faculty, staff, or researchers.
• Assist faculty and research staff in preparing proposal narratives and related documents in compliance with Diné College, sponsor, and federal guidelines, policies, and deadlines.
• Review proposal narratives and supporting documents, provide editorial and substantive feedback, and ensure consistency, completeness, and quality throughout the submission package.
• Conduct research to resolve proposal development questions and issues, or refer matters to appropriate team members with subject matter expertise.
• Provide consultation, guidance, and research-based strategies, tactics, tools, and best practices to support grant and proposal development efforts, as requested.
• Coordinate multiple complex projects with fixed deadlines while maintaining progress tracking, communication, and responsiveness across concurrent assignments.
• Maintain a grant calendar, proposal log, and activity records to track submission status, proposal progress, and related follow-up actions.
• Gather, organize, and maintain information related to proposal development activities to support reporting, planning, and continuity.
• Maintain consistency of writing style across multiple contributors and throughout proposal materials.
• Create and maintain templates, boilerplate language, and proposal support documents to strengthen the proposal development infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain a knowledge base containing project descriptions, research personnel biographies, and professional profile documents for use in proposal development.

Disclaimer: This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements, or working conditions associated with the job. While this list is intended to accurately reflect the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

Minimum:

• Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Business, Public Administration, Education, Research Administration, or a closely related field.
• Two (2) years of experience in grant writing, proposal development, higher education, research administration, program support, or a related field.

Preferred:

• Master's degree in English, Communications, Business, Public Administration, Education, Research Administration, or a closely related field.
• Experience with proposal packages, supporting documentation, and submission processes preferred.

Knowledge:

• Proposal development processes, including narrative development, budget justifications, supporting documentation, and submission procedures.
• General grant writing practices and funding source research from federal, state, foundation, corporate, and nonprofit sponsors.
• Basic research administration concepts, pre-award processes, and proposal routing.
• Formatting, editing, and document control practices.
• Institutional, sponsor, and federal requirements related to proposal preparation and submission.
• Knowledge of higher education environments and, preferably, an understanding of tribal college missions and community-focused grant development.

Skills:

• Strong written communication and editing skills.
• Organizing and synthesizing information from multiple sources into clear, concise, and persuasive proposal language.
• Researching funding opportunities and interpreting sponsor guidelines.
• Using Microsoft Office applications, especially Word, Excel, and Outlook, and other common document management tools.
• Managing calendars, deadlines, logs, and proposal tracking systems.
• Collaborating with faculty, staff, administrators, and external partners.
• Maintaining consistency in style, tone, and formatting across multiple documents and contributors.
• Strong proofreading, formatting, and attention-to-detail skills.

Abilities:

• Managing multiple projects with competing deadlines.
• Work independently while also contributing effectively in a team setting.
• Communicate professionally with faculty, administrators, and external funding agencies.
• Ability to analyze sponsor requirements and identify needed proposal components.
• Prioritize tasks and maintain accuracy under time constraints.
• Ability to learn institutional procedures and apply them consistently.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment with sensitive information.
• Support a diverse academic and community-based environment in a culturally respectful manner.

Physical Requirements, Work Environment & Travel:

• The position requires prolonged periods of sitting, typing, reading, and reviewing documents.
• Occasional standing, walking, lifting, bending, or carrying light materials such as files or proposal packets may be required.
• The work environment may include interruptions, multiple deadlines, and periods of concentrated work.
• Occasional travel may be required for meetings, trainings, workshops, conferences, campus events, or related grant activities.

Other Requirement(s):

• Commitment to the mission of Diné College and the ability to work respectfully within a tribal college environment.
• Valid driver's license may be required if travel is expected.