Proposal Specialist

UDRI is a national leader in scientific and engineering research, serving government, industry, and nonprofit customers. UDRI contributes to the fulfillment of the University’s commitments to education, research, and public service through the involvement of students, faculty, and external partners. Established as the research arm of the University of Dayton in 1956, UDRI achieved $2.75 billion in cumulative sponsored research in 2020. Sponsored research for 2023 alone exceeded $235 million. Join our Contracts and Grants team as a Proposal Specialist!

The Proposal Specialist will manage proposal activities including reviewing RFPs, coordinating proposal activity, developing cost proposals, advising technical staff on proposal requirements, and overseeing preparation and submission of compliant proposals. Provide direction, training, and assistance to researchers in the development of proposals, including but not limited to budgeting, interpretation of sponsor terms and policies, and University policies and procedures; obtain all necessary approvals and authorization prior to submission. Provides guidance on and reviews proposal budgets, and ensures allowability and accuracy of requested costs per sponsor and University guidelines. The Proposal Specialist will also manage the proposal schedule and establish timelines for proposal activities. This position will provide back-up support to the post-award activities, including but not limited to project set-up and system entry as needed.

• Bachelor's degree and three (3) years of relevant experience.
• Proficient with the Microsoft Office suite, especially Excel and Word.
• Ability to meet deadlines, strong attention to detail, and a focus on superior customer service.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, planning, problem-solving, analytical, project management and customer service skills.
• Must be able to manage a consistent workload in a deadline driven environment.
• Ability to build effective relationships among a diverse workforce at all levels.
• Experience with proposal pricing or financial budgets.
• Due to the requirements of our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be a U.S. citizen.

While not everyone may possess all of the preferred qualifications, the ideal candidate will bring many of the following:

• Bachelor's in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• Two years of experience developing proposal pricing or financial budgets.
• Working knowledge of support functions within a government contracting environment.
• Experience with various federal government contracting agencies, including DOD and GSA.

Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity, achieve equitable outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. As an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, we will not discriminate against minorities, women, protected veterans, individuals with disabilities, or on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.