The Research Grant Development Officer is responsible for crafting high-quality grant proposals and related materials to support research initiatives, focusing on securing funding from diverse sources. This role requires strong writing, research, and organizational skills to align proposals with the University’s research strategic priorities and funding agency requirements. The Research Grant Development Writer will collaborate with the University of Southern California (USC), the Institute for Inequality in Global Health (IIGH), AmIU faculty, researchers and partners to develop persuasive and competitive grant submissions.
Responsibilities
Pre-Positioning
- Collaborate with the University of Southern
California, Institute for Inequality in Global Health, AmIU, and Amref
Health Africa to scout for research funding aligned with university
priorities.
- Analyze and prioritize potential funding sources
and prepare recommendations based on AmIU-specific go/no-go decision
criteria.
Grant Proposal Writing and Development:
- Collaborate with the University of Southern
California’s Institute for Inequality in Global Health and AmIU faculty to
respond to research opportunities.
- Work closely with faculty and research teams to
identify and synthesize relevant research opportunities.
- Draft concept notes aligned with the identified
research goals and objectives.
- Develop and edit research grant proposals,
letters of intent, and supporting documents that effectively communicate
project objectives, significance, and methodologies.
- Tailor each grant proposal to meet individual
funding organization’s specific priorities and requirements, including
foundations, government agencies, and international donors. Conduct
literature reviews and synthesize findings to inform the study proposal.
Collaboration and Coordination
- Work closely with research teams, finance staff,
and other stakeholders to gather essential information for grant
applications, ensuring all data is accurate and complete.
- Coordinate with faculty to develop program
narratives, budgets, timelines, and other critical elements necessary for
compelling proposals.
- Support research teams by collecting relevant
country-specific and technical information to inform the proposal’s design
and content.
- Manage proposal development timeline and review
process, ensuring budget alignment, responsiveness, compliance with donor
guidelines and the specific requirements of each call for proposals.
- Compile and format all proposal components as
required by the funder, including obtaining letters of support and
collecting information from partners.
- Foster effective working relationships with
faculty and partners on proposal bids and support the management of
consultants involved in proposal development.
- Network with strategic donors, including
Ministries of Health, to gather intelligence on funding opportunities,
maintain an updated donor contact database, and coordinate with crucial
in-country and international donors.
Budgeting and reporting:
- Work closely with USC, IIGH, AMIU, and other
partners’ finance teams to draft budgets that align with funder
requirements.
- Ensure budgets comply with institutional and
funder guidelines and support realistic project implementation.
Compliance and Post-Award Support:
- Monitor and adhere to grant compliance
standards, ensuring all submissions meet funder requirements and
institutional policies.
- Support post-award activities by assisting with
report generation, milestone tracking, and grant amendment processes.
Capacity Building:
- Participate in capacity-building and training
sessions for researchers on grant writing in line with funder
expectations.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as
Public Health, Social Sciences, or a related discipline; Master’s degree
preferred.
- At least three years of experience within an
academic or research institution, including significant proposal and grant
writing involvement.
- At least two years of experience responding to
funding opportunities from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and
other funding agencies, including private foundations.
- Proven success in writing and developing
research grant proposals, demonstrated by a track record of funded
applications.
- Strong research, writing, and editing skills,
with the ability to effectively and persuasively communicate complex
ideas.
- Knowledge of budget development for grant
proposals and an understanding of grant compliance requirements.
- Excellent organizational skills, with the
ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks.
How to
Apply
