Research Development Specialist

The Research Development Specialist will support faculty in identifying and pursuing external funding opportunities and developing competitive grant proposals. This position provides strategic funding guidance, proposal development support, editorial review, and project coordination for individual and multi-investigator submissions. The specialist serves as a key partner to faculty throughout the proposal lifecycle, helping investigators identify funding opportunities, strengthen proposal narratives, coordinate interdisciplinary teams, and navigate complex proposal development processes.

Key Responsibilities:

Funding Opportunity Identification

• Conduct proactive searches for federal, state, foundation, and industry funding opportunities
• Stay up-to-date on the latest trends in funding opportunities and shifts in federal and non-federal agency priorities
• Match funding opportunities to faculty expertise and strategic institutional priorities
• Provide targeted funding recommendations
• Facilitate interactions with Program Officers

Proposal Development

• Consult with faculty on proposal strategy and competitiveness
• Review proposal drafts and provide substantive feedback
• Assist with development of project narratives, broader impacts, significance statements, and commercialization sections
• Facilitate proposal planning meetings and timelines
• Support resubmissions based on reviewer feedback
• Participate in review of limited submission proposals

Multi-PI and Large Proposal Coordination

• Coordinate multidisciplinary proposal teams
• Organize planning meetings and proposal development schedules
• Track contributions, deadlines, and required documents
• Facilitate communication among investigators and administrative offices
• Support center-scale, consortium, and institutional proposals

Faculty Development

• Provide one-on-one proposal coaching
• Conduct workshops on grantsmanship
• Develop proposal templates, guides, and best practices
• Assist new faculty with establishing funding strategies

 

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (Master's degree or higher in a relevant field preferred)
• Experience in research development, grant writing, sponsored programs, research administration, or related field
• Demonstrated experience identifying funding opportunities
• Strong writing, editing, and proposal review skills
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills
• Ability to work effectively with faculty from diverse disciplines

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum three years experience supporting proposals to NSF, NIH, DoD, DOE, NASA, or major foundations
• Familiarity with federal sponsor requirements
• Experience coordinating interdisciplinary and multi-investigator proposals
• Certification from NORDP, NCURA, SRAI, or related organizations

Equal Opportunity

Florida Institute of Technology does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics in its activities and programs. In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Florida Tech does not discriminate on the basis of sex.  Inquiries concerning the application of the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policy may be directed to the Equal Opportunity Director and Investigator at 150 West University Blvd, Melbourne, FL 32901, or email equalopp@fit.edu, or +1 321-674-7153; or to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Please notify us at least five days in advance if a reasonable accommodation for a disability is needed by calling the Office of Human Resources at 321-674-8100.

Annual Security & Fire Safety Report

The federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) requires colleges and universities, both public and private, participating in federal student aid programs to disclose campus safety information, and imposes certain basic requirements for handling incidents of sexual violence and emergency situations.

Florida Tech’s 2026 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Florida Tech; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus.
 
The numbers provided include crime statistics that were reported to local law enforcement agencies, campus security and other Campus Security Authorities.
 
The report also includes institutional policy statements regarding campus safety and security measures; descriptions of prevention and awareness programs; related university procedures and important guidance; and other essential safety information.

You can obtain a printed copy of this report at the Department of Security Welcome Center located at 3126 Panther Place, during normal business hours, or by accessing the following web site 2026 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

Official Transcripts

Official transcripts of all collegiate work must be sent directly from the attended institution to the Office of Human Resources prior to the first day of employment. All international degrees must have a course-by-course official evaluation and translation sent to the Human Resources Office directly from an evaluation company affiliated with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES).

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