Senior Proposal Manager

Position Introduction:

The University of Oklahoma's Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships is home to one of the most dynamic and growing research enterprises in the nation, driving discovery, fostering innovation, and building partnerships that create real impact across Oklahoma and beyond. Are you motivated by collaborative problem-solving and the chance to advance impact-centered research? Join a team that sits at the heart of OU's research mission to answer the question, Where Better Than Oklahoma? Why this is an exciting place to build your career: Broad impact. Your work will support faculty and researchers across disciplines, helping translate ideas into funded, compliant, and impactful programs. Collaborative culture. Work side by side with researchers, department leaders, external partners, and a dedicated administrative team committed to excellence. Room to grow. Join a mission-driven office that invests in its people and offers opportunities to develop expertise at the intersection of research, compliance, strategy, and partnership. This is more than an administrative role. It's a chance to be part of something larger. If you're ready to grow your career while helping OU researchers do their best work, we'd love to have you on our team.

Learn more at ou.edu/research

Senior Proposal Manager

The Senior Proposal Manager position specifically supports the submission of academic research proposals (aka grant proposals) on behalf of OU. A proposal manager is distinctly different, but complementary to, a research administrator. A proposal manager works collaboratively with research administrators to ensure the grant proposal is complete and compliant with all sponsor requirements, with the research administrator being ultimately responsible for obtaining institutional approvals and submitting the proposal on behalf of the institution. The Senior Proposal Manager focuses primarily on supporting the project team in developing content that will be exceptionally competitive, understanding sponsor needs beyond the RFP or NOFO. The Senior Proposal Manager may be called upon to assist with team formation, matching the needs of the sponsor to research strengths at OU, particularly during the pre-RFP or capture management phase. A proposal manager creates and manages a timeline of deliverables aligned to the specific RFP, leads a kick-off and sets/directs the meeting cadence for the project team, and arranges for reviews of drafts (pink, red, green, etc.). Useful skills include project management experience, academic grant writing experience, a familiarity with state and federal funding agencies engaged in funding university research, experience with scientific or technical proposal graphics, and exceptional cross-functional leadership skills to bridge communication gaps between technical researchers, external partners, and research support staff. Certification by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) is helpful, but not required.

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Required Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline relevant to the area of specialty.
• 6 years of related experience.

Equivalency/Substitution: Experience or a combination of education & related experience can be considered in lieu of degree. A one-to-one ratio is used to determine the number of years of experience required in place of a degree. 

Department Preferences:

• Project Management experience
• Grant writing experience
• Proposal graphics development experience
• Experience working with state and/or federal funding agencies
• Cross-functional leadership skills
• APMP certification