Grant & Research Development Associate

Position Summary

The mission of the Columbia Climate School Office of Research is to facilitate the highest caliber of innovative research in the science, consequences, and human dimensions of climate change, including methods of achieving a more sustainable and just world for all. The Office works across divisions, centers, and institutes to foster interdisciplinary research collaborations, and supports efforts to secure funding for such collaborations. To fulfill this goal, the Office of Research is seeking a Grant & Research Development Associate, who will work closely with the Executive Director of Research to assist faculty and researcher in the writing, editing, and strategic planning of complex, multi-investigator, and multi-institutional grant proposals. This is an opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty and researchers, as well as in teams, to create compelling proposals that will further individual investigator studies and larger, school-wide initiatives. The ideal candidate will have science writing experience and extensive experience with writing grant proposals, particularly for NSF.

Responsibilities

• Manage the development of collaborative proposals (e.g., at the division-level, resubmission applications, etc.) and support the development of large-scale proposals: provide strategic guidance based on activity code and sponsor; project management across the entire application; coordinate with pre-award team and other offices; draft non-scientific components; review application for consistency across all components.
• Edit and improve the content, clarity, organization, and visual appeal of individual investigator grant proposal packages; interpret and provide guidance on sponsor agency requirements; ensuring strong elements of a grant proposal, problem solving grant-related questions and keeping investigators on task, etc.
• Update content pertaining to resources developed by the Research Development Unit (“RDU”) Team to aid faculty in submitting grants (e.g., Grant Starter Kit, Facilities & Resources Bank, etc.)
• Work on other projects related to research development activities in the Office of Research.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in environmental/earth sciences, engineering, or another relevant field of study, and four years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree, preferably in environmental/earth science, engineering, or another relevant field of study is preferred.
• Ph.D. in environmental/earth sciences, engineering, or another relevant field of study is a plus.
• History of related proposal development and/or grant writing experience and/or contract experience.

Other Requirements

• Experience in proposal writing at a higher education institution and/or in a research setting.
• Requires a highly organized, enthusiastic and personable individual with strong writing and presentation skills as well as previous grant writing/submission experience.
• Ability to organize, analyze, and interpret complex scientific or technical data is required.
• Requires flexibility and time-management skills, including the ability to prioritize among a large number of diverse responsibilities.
• Must be able to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment as well as work collaboratively and adapt to changing processes and procedures.
• Excellent communication (both verbal and written) and interpersonal skills required.
• Capability to work both independently and as a team member in-person and remotely, ability to multi-task and respond professionally in challenging situations is essential.
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications (i.e., Outlook, Excel, and Word)
• Cover letter, resume, and 2 scientific writing samples required to be considered.