Come work with UCSB's Office of Research - Proposal Review and Editing Assistant

UCSB's Office of Research is seeking a postdoc or graduate student who is interested in learning more about the grant writing and proposal development process. This as an excellent opportunity for the successful candidate to gain an understanding of research administration, funding agencies, and grant writing. In addition to performing vital tasks for the office, this will be a unique professional development opportunity that will prepare the person for an academic STEM role.

Working title: Proposal Review & Editing Assistant
Department: Office of Research
% of time + working hours: up to 50% (Hours flexible)
Duration: 2-3 months
Start date: ASAP
Interested candidates are asked to send a copy of their CV, a letter of interest, and the names of two references to Andrea Stith.

Brief description of duties:

Assists faculty in securing extramural research funding. Through guidance and training from the Research Development Director:

1. Provides detailed critical feedback on proposal narratives to increase the competitiveness of proposals, including: the fit with agency mission, responsiveness to the guidelines, strategic presentation, style and clarity, and mechanics;

2. Review sponsor agency websites, guidelines, and requests for proposals (RFPs) to assess fit with faculty research projects and proposals;

3. Meets with faculty to discuss potential funding opportunity targets and iteratively discuss proposal drafts and revisions;

4. Coordinates with contracts and grants departmental staff to ensure that proposals are submitted in compliance with university policies and in a timely manner;

5. Assists with organizing faculty workshops

Knowledge/Skills/Qualifications:

1. Strong science or engineering background

2. Thorough analytical and critical thinking skills.

3. Thorough attention to detail, project management and organizational skills.

4. Thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of writing, grammar, syntax, style, and punctuation.

5. Ability to maintain independent judgment; strong organization and communication skills; and a customer service focus across broad and diverse subject areas.

6. Strong writing skills in a variety of styles to draft persuasive text for a variety of audiences while ensuring adherence to funding sponsor's guidelines.

7. Proficient knowledge of managing Zoom meetings, scheduling polls, Google forms/sheets and Google calendar

8. Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel

9. Familiarity with Overleaf (preferred)

10. Basic knowledge of federal funding agencies

11. Basic knowledge of evaluation tools and mechanisms (preferred)