DESCRIPTION

UC San Diego’s School of Social Sciences (SoSS) includes a diverse group of outstanding departments, programs, centers and research units engaged in increasing opportunities for interdisciplinary study and research.

Comprised of 16 academic departments and programs, and a wide range of interdisciplinary research units, Social Sciences is the largest academic School at UCSD in terms of numbers of faculty and undergraduate students. More than 40 percent of all bachelor degrees awarded at UCSD are in the social sciences. Four of the top ten majors, Psychology, Economics, Communication, Political Science are Social Science disciplines. Social Sciences is home to nationally and internationally recognized faculty, including three Nobel Laureates and four MacArthur "genius" Grant recipients. Virtually all of the School's programs rank in the top 20 nationally and many rank in the top 10.

Social Sciences has over 260 full-time faculty; 750 graduate students; and approximately one third of the campus' undergraduate majors (13,000) with a total annual course enrollment exceeding 103,000 students. In addition, there are more than 300 staff and 240 student employees housed in 11 buildings across the main campus.

Reporting to the Assistant Dean, the Research Grant Program Officer uses advanced contracts and grants concepts to develop large, multi-investigator, inter-disciplinary research proposals and supports research development activities and research priorities with the goal of increasing contract and grant support for the School of Social Sciences under the Accelerators Initiative.

The incumbent is responsible for grant development, researching grant opportunities, analyzing grant-making trends, stewarding the proposal process, and general writing and concept development. Works directly with Social Sciences faculty and granting agencies, assigning tasks and timelines to multiple PIs, often from outside academic and industry partners, to ensure that proposal development needs are met. The incumbent is independently responsible for managing all aspects of proposal development to increase competitiveness and the likelihood of success. The incumbent must be knowledgeable about requirements from a variety of agencies including NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, as well as private foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation. In addition to expert management skills and knowledge of complex funding source requirements, the incumbent must be knowledgeable about the technical areas encompassed by the research activities proposed. Such knowledge is necessary to establish interdisciplinary research groups and match PIs to available funding opportunities. The incumbent participates in detailed technical discussions, and must be able to attend to the subject matter with sufficient understanding to move a proposal to successful completion.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, "people" skills, organizational skills, as well as the ability to work creatively, independently, and confidentially to reach specific goals without a well-defined pathway, are required.

Participates in short- and long-term strategic planning with School leadership including the Dean, Associate Deans, and Assistant Dean, for grant-making and research strategies. The incumbent performs other activities in support of building infrastructure within the School to scale research development, including developing and organizing events, conferences, and other public forums to raise the profile of UC San Diego Social Sciences researchers.

Works independently to assess complex grant, contract and subcontract transactions where analysis requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors. Serves as a technical specialist in federal contracts, state contracts, subcontracts or information systems.

• Ability to work flexible schedule, occasional evenings/nights, weekends and holidays, potentially on short notice to meet operational needs.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Proven experience with grant development, researching grant opportunities, analyzing grant-making trends, and stewarding the proposal process.

• Knowledge of requirements from a variety of agencies including NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, as well as private foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation.

• Proven experience planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating projects with the ability to prioritize multiple and complex responsibilities and to work effectively with frequent interruptions and changing priorities. Ability to create work plans and timelines to ensure timely completion of projects.

• Excellent project management skills and a background in research coordination including resource allocation, fiscal, personnel, and management of grants/gifts and contracts.

• Academic background and experience in selected area of research required. Advanced degree in related area and /or equivalent experience / training.

• Strong oral and written communication skills.

• Strong ability to think creatively and independently on concepts requiring advanced analytical skills.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse groups to achieve results.

• Proven program planning and management of projects.

• Strong ability to work collaboratively with internal and external peers, managers and teams.

• Commitment to advancing institutional strategies for equity, diversity, and inclusion through implementation of effective practices in area of responsibility.

• Ability to handle multiple projects and priorities with exceptional organization and time management skills. Proven experience managing multiple tasks, often with competing deadlines including problem solving, negotiating, decision- making research and analysis, and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to write interesting and succinct copy for correspondence, brochures, and other public relations material.

• Exceptional presentation skills. Must be able to represent UCSD in policy and strategy discussions.

PREFERRED

• Advanced degree of Arts/Science in Social Science or related scientific discipline with 6 years relevant experience.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on Background Check results.