Technical Senior Proposal Manager

asu; Tempe (AZ); On-site; USD 72,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Arizona State University seeks a collaborative, strategic Technical Senior Proposal Manager to support competitive health research proposals.

You will work with ASU's Knowledge Enterprise and Health Strategy teams to advance interdisciplinary health research and develop proposals for externally funded initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and five (5) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field
• OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved

Responsibilities

• Strategic Proposal Development: develop competitive proposals from concept to submission
• Serve as proposal manager and strategic writing partner to strengthen narratives
• Draft and revise sections including Specific Aims, Summary, and Research Strategies
• Provide scientific editing to improve clarity, organization, and persuasiveness
• Translate complex concepts into compelling narratives for diverse reviewers
• Maintain knowledge of federal and philanthropic funding landscapes
• Advise faculty on sponsor priorities and health research investments
• Partner with leadership to develop proposals for strategic opportunities

Skills

Proposal development

Scientific writing

Editorial editing

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

5 years experience in relevant field

Job description

Job Profile

Research Development Specialist 3

Job Family

Research Development

Time Type

Full time

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and five (5) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field
• OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved

Job Profile Summary

Takes a lead role in facilitating capacity-building activities, collaborating with central research administrations to develop and implement strategic initiatives that elevate the institution's overall competitiveness for extramural research funding.

Job Description

Salary Range: $71,500 - $110,000 per year; DOE

Job Description

The Knowledge Enterprise (KE) Research Development Office (RD) at Arizona State University seeks a collaborative, strategic, and highly skilled Technical Senior Proposal Manager to support the development of competitive research proposals that advance ASU's growing health research enterprise.

As a member of the Research Development Proposal Management team, this position will work in close partnership with the Assistant Vice President for Research, Health Strategy, and the Director of Health Strategy to advance interdisciplinary health research across the university. The Proposal Manager will provide comprehensive support for proposal development to faculty pursuing externally funded research in health-related fields, including clinical research, serving as both a strategic proposal manager and a writing partner throughout the proposal development lifecycle. As institutional priorities evolve, the position will flex between health-focused initiatives and broader proposal development efforts supporting faculty across ASU.

The Proposal Manager will collaborate extensively with colleagues across the Office of the Vice President for Research, Knowledge Enterprise, ASU Health, and the broader ASU research community to deliver integrated research development services. This includes partnering with Capture Management, Faculty Development and Outreach, Opportunity Management, Research Editing, Graphic Design, the Research Development Project Management Office (RD PMO), fellow Proposal Managers, Research Administrators, and other institutional stakeholders to strengthen proposal competitiveness and support strategic research initiatives.

This position reports administratively to the Director of Proposal Management within Research Development and maintains a strategic, matrixed partnership with the Assistant Vice President for Research, Health Strategy and the Director of Health Strategy to advance ASU’s institutional health research priorities.

Essential Duties

Strategic Proposal Development

• Partner with faculty to develop highly competitive research proposals from concept development through submission.
• Serve as both proposal manager and strategic writing partner, helping investigators strengthen project narratives, articulate innovation, and communicate scientific impact.
• Collaborate with faculty to develop compelling research strategies aligned with sponsor priorities and institutional strengths.
• Draft, edit, and substantially revise proposal sections including Specific Aims, Project Summaries, Research Strategies, Facilities and Resources, Letters of Support, Management Plans, Executive Summaries, and concept papers.
• Provide scientific editing that improves clarity, organization, responsiveness, and persuasiveness while maintaining the investigators' scientific voice.
• Translate complex scientific concepts into compelling narratives appropriate for both technical and non-technical reviewers.
• Maintain current knowledge of the evolving federal and philanthropic funding landscape for health research.
• Advise faculty on sponsor priorities and emerging investments in areas including, but not limited to: Clinical Research, Food is Medicine, Chronic disease prevention and management, Healthy aging and lifespan health, Metabolic health, Precision health and personalized medicine, Biomedical and translational research, Clinical and implementation research, Population health and healthcare delivery, Rural and community health, Mental and behavioral health, Digital health and artificial intelligence, Biomedical data science and health informatics, Women's health, Maternal and child health, Environmental health.
• Partner with institutional leadership to develop proposals for strategic opportunities that advance ASU's health research portfolio and increase institutional competitiveness for large-scale federal and philanthropic funding.

Proposal Management

• Interpret sponsor solicitations and funding announcements and translate requirements into actionable proposal development plans, communication strategies, and submission workflows.
• Coordinate with other Proposal Managers to share workload, leverage expertise, and ensure consistent proposal develo