Proposal Writer, LINK

Job Description

Virginia Tech’s LINK, Center for Advancing Partnerships, supports the university and its mission by engaging external partners through a market-centric, holistic approach that leads to strategic partnerships, sponsored research, philanthropy, and recruiting and career opportunities for students. To support the aims of LINK, we are seeking a Proposal Writer to provide proposal, grant, and report writing for the Center and our partners. This position is key to the ambitious plans Virginia Tech has to be a leading 21st century land grant university that delivers innovative solutions to the most pressing global challenges of our time.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President, this individual will collaborate with members of LINK, Advancement, Colleges, and external partners to support proposal writing from the identification of opportunities through development and submission. To support the stewardship of strategic relationships, this individual will work with engagement, business development directors, and foundation relations to create various engagement materials, proposals to secure philanthropic grants, a common set of materials and capabilities documents, and impact reports. All efforts will be designed to support strategic growth and partnerships at a pivotal time in the history of Virginia Tech. This position requires strong written and verbal communication skills, the ability to edit content for clarity and consistency, critical thinking and analytical skills, and a high degree of competence and creativity. Must be able to work well under the pressure of managing multiple priorities and adhere to numerous deadlines, and must possess strong organizational skills and the ability to perform independently and as the member of a team. Scientific knowledge is preferred.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Authors and manages updates of a wide range of proposal materials, including those in response to RFPs and grant-making institutions, industry partner discussions, thematic and strategic initiatives and for influential stakeholders.

Develops content around technical domains, partnership outcomes, engagement topics, thematic efforts (including inclusion and diversity); proposals and reports may be in longform narrative, visual documents, and/or digital platforms.

Collaborates with other LINK staff and relevant stakeholders to prepare grant proposals, including analyzing RFPs, conducting relevant research, determining concept, gathering and formatting information, writing drafts, and obtaining appropriate approvals.

Supports the grant concept development by identifying and clarifying opportunities and needs, studying requests for proposal (RFPs) and attending strategy meetings.

Meets proposal deadlines by establishing priorities and target dates for information gathering, writing, review, approval, and transmittal.

Enters and monitors tracking data.

Coordinates requirements with contributors; provides proposal status updates at review meetings.

Gathers proposal information by identifying sources, coordinating submissions and collections, and identifying and communicating risks associated with proposals.

Develops and submits proposals by assembling information including project nature, objectives/outcomes/deliverables, implementation, methods, timetable, biographies, budget, standards of performance, and evaluation.

Writes, revises, and edits drafts including executive summaries, conclusions, and organization credentials.

Maintains quality results by using templates; following proposal-writing standards including readability, consistency, and tone; maintaining proposal support databases.

Obtains approvals by reviewing proposals with key providers and project managers.

Improves proposal-writing results by evaluating and re-designing processes, approaches, coordination, and boilerplates as needed.

Accomplishes organizational goals by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests and exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments and grants efforts.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree and relevant experience or master’s degree.

Demonstrated experience in grant writing, prospect research, general fundraising or comparable and transferable skills acquired in a professional setting

Demonstrated experience with technical writing

Demonstrated experience in editing content for clarity and consistency

Dynamic communication skills

High degree of accuracy and attention to detail

Ability to analyze, understand and execute complex instructions

Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines

Excellent organizational skills

Ability to work independently and as a team member

Preferred Qualifications

Demonstrated experience with federal, corporate, or foundations grant writing within the higher education sector

Working level knowledge and experience with federal SBIR/STTR program policies and procedures

Advanced skills in graphic design, layout and technical documentation

Pay Band

N/A

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with Experience

Review Date

March 22, 2020

Additional Information

The successful Candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges , a school of medicine , a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School , and Honors College . The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers . A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Brandi Barnett at brandib@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

Advertised: February 18, 2021
Applications close: