Sr. Research Development Specialist, Basic Science & Transitional Research (Galveston)

UTMB Health; Galveston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

UTMB Health seeks a Senior Research Development Specialist to guide faculty researchers in grant strategy and proposal development for NIH and Health & Human Services funding. Responsibilities include coordinating major multi-PI grants, mentoring rising investigators, and providing edits and templates for strong proposals.

The role emphasizes leadership in grantsmanship, strategic review of faculty proposals, and collaboration with grant specialists within a standard office environment.

Qualifications

• Education: Master’s degree in STEM, Social Science, or Public Health.
• Experience: Five years’ experience developing or writing proposals for federal, state, or local agencies.
• Preferred: PhD, MD, or equivalent with five years’ demonstrated success.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional development and proposal coordination for faculty researchers.
• Develop strategies to create competitive proposals for federal biomedical funding.
• Lead and coordinate large multi-PI grants and center grants.
• Mentor early-stage investigators on grantsmanship and long‑term funding.
• Offer analytical and editorial support for proposal sections and hypotheses.

Skills

Excellent communication

Independent decision making

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

Master's degree in STEM/SS or Public Health

PhD or MD (preferred)

Job description

++EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE++

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: Master’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM), Social Science, or Public Health.

Experience: Five years’ experience developing or writing proposals to/for federal, state, or local agencies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD, MD, or equivalent and five years’ demonstrated success in the field.

++JOB DESCRIPTION++

The Senior Research Development Specialist will be responsible for providing professional development and proposal coordination for faculty researchers and for providing strategies to develop competitive proposals for biomedical and life science research funding from federal agencies, specifically those under Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health.

++ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS++

• Provides faculty and professional development by participating in seminars and other training programs as needed for UTMB researchers.
• Develops and updates templates, tools and guidance documents for use by researchers and other research development staff.
• Leads and coordinates strategic review of faculty driven proposals.
• Leads and coordinates large multi-PI, programmatic grants, center grants or other specialty grants.
• Provides mentoring to early-stage investigators on grant best practices and strategy for long-term funding.
• Provides strategic, proactive, catalytic, and capacity-building proposal writing expertise to faculty members and researchers.
• Provides analytical, technical, and professional support in writing funding proposals, including development of hypotheses, aims, and objectives, grantsmanship and limited scientific review.
• Proposal development duties include obtaining competitive intelligence on funding programs; facilitating PI team building; substantive editing of proposal sections. Work cooperatively with grant/contract specialists, and other Research Development team members in pursuit of these objectives.
• Identifies and maintains research alliances with potential collaborative partners and funding agencies to formulate and implement specific research projects.
• Monitors funding agency changes and priorities and identifies funding opportunities suited for faculty member(s) based upon their research expertise.
• Serves as proposal development expert to staff and researchers.

Marginal or Periodic Functions:

• Adheres to internal controls and reporting structure.
• Performs related duties as required.

++KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES++

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, particularly the capacity for the integration and synthesis of written text that represents a melding of multidisciplinary research.
• Demonstrated capacity for independent decision making, research development, and working on multidisciplinary teams on project and proposal development.
• Knowledge of grant application processes for NIH.
• Requires ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.

++SALARY++

Commensurate with experience.

++SUPERVISION++

Received:

This position Reports directly to a department Vice-Chair for Research, Chair, Center Director, Institute Director, or a suitable research development or research administration title such as Operations Manager, Associate Director, Director, or Executive Director.

Given:

Directly reporting to this position includes Research Development Officer, Research Development Strategist, or research administration titles such as pre-award analysist.

++WORKING ENVIRONMENT/EQUIPMENT++

Standard office environment. May require travel to conferences or meetings with funding agencies or professional development. Standard office equipment.

*Official Regulatory Statement for Healthcare jobs’ Job Descriptions:*

May be exposed to such occupational hazards as communicable diseases, blood borne pathogens, ionizing & non-ionizing radiation, hazardous medications and disoriented or combative patients or others

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:

UTMB Health strives to provide equal opportunity employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. As a Federal Contractor, UTMB Health takes affirmative action to hire and advance protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Compensation