Research Project Management III

Title: Research Project Management III- Full time- Henry Ford Health & Michigan State University Research

Location: Troy, Michigan

Job Description:

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be included as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should convey your specific interest in and fit for the position, detailing your relevant experience and accomplishments related to this position.

 

About Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences: The enduring partnership between Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University Health Sciences (Henry Ford + MSU) is focused on discovering and advancing a new standard of health to transform life. Together, we are a catalyst for change, reimagining how we think about, innovate, and deliver health and wellness. Through a joint research enterprise, a premier cancer center, and a focus on academic medical and health education of the future, this partnership is working to fight the health disparities that plague our most vulnerable communities, rural and urban. We attract, train, and develop world-class experts whose diversity of expertise, backgrounds, identities, and talents unleash the creativity needed to solve the health challenges of our communities and make life better for the residents of Michigan and beyond. Learn more at henryfordmsu.org.

Job Summary:

The Research Project Manager III/Research Development Specialist (RDS) Lead plays a pivotal role in advancing the research enterprise within the partnership of Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences. This position focuses on enhancing faculty success in securing extramural funding by providing expert support in proposal development, strategic planning, and capacity building. The RDS Lead partners with investigators across clinical, translational, health services, and basic sciences disciplines to develop competitive proposals that align with institutional priorities and funder missions.

This position can perform duties in a hybrid work setting, with a blend of in-office and remote work schedule as determined by the supervisor. The primary office location is Henry Ford Health, Detroit but may require occasional travel between Henry Ford locations and to Michigan State University, East Lansing, which will be considered the work location for that day and is not reimbursable mileage.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Research Planning

·Provide leadership and strategy for research development priorities, especially related to connecting researchers to resources to increase their competitiveness in obtaining extramural funding and increasing our research portfolio across all sponsor types.

·Monitor and disseminate targeted funding opportunities based on investigator interests and institutional priorities.

·Conducts prospecting of research funders and initiatives relevant to Henry Ford Health +  Michigan State University Health Sciences strategic areas.

·Facilitates “team science” by connecting investigators with complementary expertise for collaborative proposals.

·Serves as a liaison to funding agencies, especially foundations, to understand sponsor priorities and submission requirements; to inform Henry Ford + MSU overall extramural funding strategies; and advises faculty on the development of responsive applications.

Proposal Development and Grant Support

·Coordinates and manages the development of complex, multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary proposals, especially between Henry Ford and MSU, including center grants, program projects, and training grants.

·Provides comprehensive grant development support to faculty preparing grant applications, with an emphasis on assisting junior faculty and large teams.

·Assists faculty in preparing compelling narratives, particularly for Specific Aims, Significance, Innovation, and broader impact statements.

·Provides writing and editing support for administrative components such as biosketches, facilities/resources, data management plans, and letters of support.

·Collaborates with faculty to establish proposal timelines and ensure timely completion of required components.

·Guides applicants in aligning proposals with the priorities of NIH, NSF, DoD, foundation, and corporate sponsors.

Capacity Building, Education and Training

·Designs and leads workshops on grant writing, team science, and early career development.

·Coordinates internal peer review processes, mock study sections, and proposal feedback mechanisms.

·Develops mentoring networks and program(s) designed to prepare early-career faculty to submit a strong R01 proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as to competitively renew their funding.

·Creates toolkits and templates to assist faculty in developing common grant components that meet high quality standards.

·Designs and implements a “research in progress” seminar series for Henry Ford + MSU.

·Working in collaboration with Henry Ford + MSU leadership and committee chairs, creates avenues to promote new collaborations and catalyze research interests within and beyond Henry Ford and MSU.

Data Analytics, Program Evaluation, and Institutional Reporting

·Analyzes internal and external funding trends to inform research strategies.

·Maintains databases tracking proposal submissions, outcomes, and performance metrics.

·Prepares reports, dashboards, and success stories for leadership and stakeholders to support continuous improvement.

·Contributes to process improvement efforts within HFH and MSU partnership units and leaders.

 

Communication, Outreach, and Engagement

·Serve as liaison between investigators and research administration, sponsored programs, compliance, and finance teams.

·Partner with departmental administrators to ensure alignment between project scopes and budgets.

·Facilitate strategic planning sessions with departments or divisions to enhance competitiveness and research readiness.

·Actively participate in Research Development communities locally and nationally.

·Develops online resources, tools, and templates to facilitate best practices to build research capacity.

·Brings innovative new ideas to grow support for research initiatives and priorities.

·Acts as a change agent, promoting adoption of new programs, processes, and initiatives across the partnership.

·Ensures open communication, transparency of information exchange, and fosters a culture of one team across Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in biomedical sciences, health sciences, or a related field.
• At least 2 years of relevant experience in research development, grant writing, sponsored research, or research administration.
• Experience supporting large, collaborative, or interdisciplinary research proposals.
• Familiarity with academic medical or health system research environments.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD degree in biomedical sciences, health sciences, or a related field.
• Background in science communication, editing, or academic writing.
• Proficiency with systems such as eRA Commons, Grants.gov, etc.
• Understanding of federal and non-federal funding mechanisms and sponsor priorities (e.g., NIH R01, NSF CAREER, DoD CDMRP, foundations).

Additional Information

• Organization: Corporate Services
• Department: Other Research Admin
• Shift: Day Job
• Union Code: Not Applicable