Research Development Specialist II

The Opportunity:

Are you passionate about advancing research that makes a real impact? Join the University of Central Florida (UCF) Office of Research as a Research Development Specialist II, where you’ll play a pivotal role in helping faculty and research teams turn bold ideas into competitive, fundable projects. In this program coordination–focused role, you will provide support to advance research in the areas of funding opportunities, institutional programs, and competitive grant proposals. This is an exciting opportunity to combine your organizational skills and research development expertise to directly support groundbreaking discoveries and advance innovation at one of the nation’s largest and most dynamic universities.

Primary responsibility is to provide help advance research in the areas of funding opportunities, institutional programs, and competitive grant proposals. This role supports the Research Strategies and Proposal Development pillars in the Research Development team and involves working with the EARLIER program to enhance research success. Responsibilities include but are not limited to guidance and support with proposal planning and preparation, reviewing supplemental documents, and facilitating ideation and project management throughout the proposal process.

Responsibilities:

• Support internal programs through planning, coordination, and strategic implementation. Provide clear reporting and logistics to guide next steps and maximize impact.

• Interpret and apply university/college policies, recommend and help develop improvements in research administration procedures, and ensure confidentiality of sensitive information.

• Advance research success by identifying and sharing funding opportunities while facilitating strategic matchmaking.

• Support proposal development by drafting and refining nontechnical components such as institutional boilerplates, visual models, and infographic elements.

• Ensure key documents like GANTT charts, logic models, and org charts are clear and compelling. Contribute relevant UCF data/information to strengthen submissions.

• Review and refine draft proposals for alignment with sponsor guidelines and strong grant writing practices. Provide clear, actionable feedback to improve narrative quality, supporting documents, and overall strategy.

• Support faculty in strengthening proposals and identifying areas for improvement. Analyze declined submissions and Proposal Library materials to inform future planning.

• Collaborate with PIs and teams to support kickoff, planning, and progress tracking to meet proposal deadlines. Facilitate ideation and help shape a unified vision. Apply project management to guide timelines, roles, and deliverables. 

• Provide strategic support for competitive grant proposals through curated information, resources, and writing tools. Lead workshops to build proposal development skills. 

• Support high-impact research initiatives by collaborating with EARLIER team members on complex, multi-institutional proposal submissions. Monitor outcomes for future reporting, highlighting success stories, resubmissions, and strategic retooling for upcoming opportunities.

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's or Master's degree and 2+ years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219(6).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Program coordination experience with a proven ability to oversee research initiatives, manage multiple concurrent projects, and consistently meet deadlines.

• Strong understanding of funding landscapes (federal, state, foundation, and industry) and familiarity with sponsor guidelines and review processes.

• Demonstrated expertise in supporting scientific/academic writing and editing, with a track record of strengthening grant proposals by improving clarity, organization, and persuasiveness.

• Experience developing research capacity-building programs, workshops, or training related to grant writing and research development.

• Advanced Degree (Master’s or PhD) in a research-related field, communications, or public administration.

• Experience facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations, including coordination of large multi-PI or multi-institutional projects.

• Proficiency with research administration tools and platforms, such as (InfoReady, Pivot) or similar grant management systems.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interface effectively with faculty, administrators, and external stakeholders.

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As a Florida public university, the University of Central Florida makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request.  

UCF is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer. 

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 407-823-1336 or email onac@ucf.edu.

For general application or posting questions, please email talent@ucf.edu.