Partnerships & Foundations Proposal Writer

Posted on 12/03/2022

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

The Partnerships and Foundations Proposal Writer will collaborate with members of LINK, Advancement, Colleges, and external partners to support proposal writing from the identification of opportunities through to development and submission. This position is key to the ambitious plans Virginia Tech is making to be a leading 21st century land grant university that delivers innovative solutions to the most pressing global challenges of our time.
Reporting to the Director of Strategic Engagement and Partnerships , this individual will work with engagement and business development directors to develop high-quality partner-facing engagement materials, common set of proposal materials and capabilities documents, and impact reports to support the stewardship of strategic relationships. All efforts will be designed to support strategic growth and partnerships at a pivotal time in the history of Virginia Tech.
This position requires strong writing and oral communication skills, critical thinking and analytic skills, scientific knowledge if possible, and a high degree of competence and creativity. Must be able to work well managing multiple priorities and deadlines, strong organization skills and the ability to perform independently and as a team member.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Work with the corporate development team to understand portfolio objectives, key messages, and target audiences in order to inform content creation.
  • Work closely with the leadership team and faculty stakeholders to bring their vision to life, with copy that’s engaging and bold.
  • Interview subject matter experts with curiosity and focus to develop priority marketing assets.
  • Research, prepare, submit, and manage a consistent, year-round pipeline of LOIs, proposals, presentations, briefings, and progress/impact reports to local, state, federal, individual, corporate, and foundation funding sources.
  • Authors and manages updates of a wide range of proposal materials, including those in response to RFPs and grant-making institutions, industry partner discussions, thematic and strategic initiatives and for influential stakeholders.
  • Develops content around technical domains, partnership outcomes, engagement topics, thematic efforts (including inclusion and diversity); proposals and reports may be in longform narrative and visual documents and digital platforms.
  • Collaborates with other LINK staff and relevant grant stakeholders to prepare grant proposals, including analyzing grant RFPs, determining concept, gathering and formatting information, writing drafts, and obtaining appropriate approvals.
  • Supports the grant concept development by identifying and clarifying opportunities and needs, studying requests for proposal (RFPs) and attending strategy meetings.
  • Meets proposal deadlines by establishing priorities and target dates for information gathering, writing, review, approval, and transmittal.
  • Enters and monitors tracking data.
  • Coordinates requirements with contributors; provides proposal status updates at review meetings.
  • Gathers proposal information by identifying sources, coordinating submissions and collections, and identifying and communicating risks associated with proposals.
  • Develops and submits proposals by assembling information including project nature, objectives/outcomes/deliverables, implementation, methods, timetable, biographies, budget, standards of performance, and evaluation.
  • Writes, revises, and edits drafts including executive summaries, conclusions, and organization credentials.
  • Maintains quality results by using templates; following proposal-writing standards including readability, consistency, and tone; maintaining proposal support databases.
  • Obtains approvals by reviewing proposals with key providers and project managers.
  • Improves proposal-writing results by evaluating and re-designing processes, approaches, coordination, and boilerplates as needed.
  • Accomplishes organizational goals by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests and exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments and grants efforts.

Job note: Availability to regularly work in person on Blacksburg’s main campus, and to travel if necessary to the university’s other Virginia campuses under special circumstances.

Required Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, Science, Engineering, English, or related field
  • Experience in grant and technical writing, prospect research, general fundraising or comparable and transferable skills acquired in a professional setting
  • Dynamic communication skills
  • Ability to analyze, understand and execute complex instructions

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • Graduate degree in a related field to the position.
  • Experience with federal, corporate, or foundations grant writing within the higher education sector or nonprofit preferred.
  • Experience with fundraising writing for higher education.
  • Demonstrated record of producing successful fundraising proposals.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Advancement HR at [email protected] during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

To apply for this job please visit careers.pageuppeople.com.