Associate Director of Proposal Development

As an integral member of the Corporate and Foundation Relations team, the Associate Director of Proposal Development is responsible for the writing, editing and production of proposals to secure external funding from individuals, corporations and foundations. The successful candidate will work closely with the Director of Grant Writing and faculty/staff from across campus to help implement a successful grant and major gift proposal program focused on holistic, strategic external relationships and value-added, transparent internal relationships. The Associate Director of Proposal Development must be highly organized and will utilize superior writing, research and project management skills in executing campus-wide strategies for seeking external funding from individuals, companies and foundations in support of the mission of Miami University. The successful candidate will be a self-motivated leader with impeccable work ethic who crafts compelling stories that effectively translate the priorities of campus stakeholders in timely, successful funding proposals.

The Associate Director of Proposal Development must be highly organized and will utilize superior writing, research and project management skills in executing campus-wide strategies for seeking external funding from individuals, companies and foundations in support of the mission of Miami University. The successful candidate will be a self-motivated leader with impeccable work ethic who crafts compelling stories that effectively translate the priorities of campus stakeholders in timely, successful funding proposals.

While reporting directly to the Director of Grant Writing, this person will work in close collaboration with the Senior Associate Vice President of Development, Office of University Advancement Communications, Marketing and Events to ensure alignment and consistency with brand standards, and the Office of Research and Innovation to ensure compliance with grant timelines and policies.

Duties/Physical Demands:         

• Collaborating with senior administration, faculty and staff on crafting and editing grant and major gift proposals.
• Gathering information and background research for proposals crossing a broad range of academic disciplines, including interviewing constituents.
• Working with development staff to set expectations, provide timelines and coordinate proposal submissions.
• Ensuring proposals are delivered by deadline.
• Developing and maintaining proposal templates.
• Serving as primary foundation researcher, including learning and utilizing grant funder search tools.
• Serving as liaison to the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI), including learning ORI processes and managing/scheduling grant processes per ORI timelines.
• Tracking/inputting project status in Wrike project management software.

Minimum Qualifications:           

• Bachelor's degree and at least three years of progressively responsible writing and project management experience OR an equivalent of 7 years combination of education, training, and experience.

Desired Qualifications: 

• 5-8 years of progressively responsible professional writing and project management experience in a nonprofit or higher education setting with a consistent increase in responsibility, including leadership, management or supervisory experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Familiarity with AP and Chicago style conventions.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Excellent editing skills, including technical knowledge, grammar, and format.
• Good organizational skills including the ability to simultaneously manage and prioritize a large variety of tasks and campus clients.
• A commitment to strong customer service is essential.
• Must be able to deal with deadline pressure.
• Ability to work and contribute as a member of a team.
• Proficient in PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Excel.