The Proposal Development Office (PDO) is a shared service for Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (Chobanian & Avedisian SOM). PDO supports the majority of all departments in submission of their federal and non-federal grant applications, averaging a total of ~650 applications year. This involves working with faculty for months in advance in budgeting and preparation, collaborating with outside institutions, facilitating institutional support, and ultimately interfacing with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) to compliance review and submission. This position will manage a portfolio of Chobanian & Avedisian SOM departments, and thus would be responsible for overseeing a portion of the yearly submissions. In addition to the daily tasks of grant submission management, this position will also interface with the PDO Director and other institutional leadership to better develop grant resources and support for faculty, as well as tracking and reporting submission trends to various Deans at BUSM
Depending on project, duties will include:
1. Serve as the administrative lead in the development of all components of a grant proposal, including:
a. Negotiations and correspondence with outside institutions,
b. Communications with the review officers as needed, and
c. Interfacing with Sponsored Programs for accurate and timely submission
2. Provide guidance and submission for external funding in the range of ~$72M - ~$159M amounts, and be responsible for developing budgets consistent with sponsor requirements and Boston University policies
3. Interpret and document proposal requirements for faculty investigators and create timeline and action plan to ensure submission will be compliant with University submission policy, including:
a. Obtaining, preparing and organizing required proposal documents (e.g. biosketches, letters of support, subawards, facilities descriptions, budget justification, etc.)
4. Coordinate institutional approvals and submission information at Boston University and across partner institutions, ensuring compliance with federal and university policy, including:
a. Identifying the need for and assisting in obtaining institutional support letters when required
b. Obtaining all applicable compliance forms and documentation of internal approvals (e.g. cost sharing, F&A waiver/reduction, internal forms) required for University authorization to submit proposal
5. Interface with sponsor application systems and coordinate appropriate account access for PIs.
6. Serve as a Pre-Award resource to all Chobanian & Avedisian SOM faculty and staff.
7. Assist in development of training resources for faculty and staff on funding mechanisms, grant review, and other research development topics needs
8. Special projects as assigned by Director and Associate Director
The Grant Specialist will report the Director of the Proposal Development Office and work in collaboration with departmental administrators, Foundation Relations, the Office for Research Compliance and the Office of Sponsored Programs as required. This position will also interact with faculty and staff across and outside the BU campus.
Skills
Bachelor’s degree required; 5-8 years’ relevant experience, Master’s degree preferred. Other preferred skills: knowledge of grant/contract regulations and standard proposal requirements; familiarity with the process of developing grant proposals, including those for large, complex, multi-investigator and/or multi-institutional projects. Applicants with relevant/transferrable experience are welcome to apply.
Individual must be organized, detail oriented, able to multitask, have strong communication and customer service skills, work independently but also serve as a productive member of the PDO team, and trustworthy to handle sensitive grant related documents and keep information confidential.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.
