The Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC), based in Austin, Texas, is seeking a Proposal Development Specialist to report to the TIEC Director of Global Education and Impact to support the growth of TIEC’s mission, leadership and revenue.

Background: TIEC is a “Texas-Based, Globally Engaged” membership organization based in Austin, Texas. As a nonprofit organization, TIEC fulfills its mission to do good in the world, and to serve our global higher education community thanks to revenue generated through membership, fee-for-service projects, partnerships, and grants. Founded in 1985, TIEC is a unique organization that brings together 42 public and private universities in Texas and globally with the shared goal and mission to create strong international educational opportunities for students and faculty in addition to markedly advancing the globalization of their institutions. Over its history, TIEC has provided a diverse array of consulting services to the global educational community. TIEC’s ability to call upon the knowledge and experience of more than 60,000 faculty and administrators from its consortium universities provides TIEC access to a breadth and depth of expertise and potential that few can match. TIEC facilitates and implements international partnerships and is well known for its broad programmatic experience. TIEC has successfully completed international development projects in 40 countries around the world funded by U.S Government funders, foreign governments, and private institutions. We host a staff of 10 full-time professionals and recruit additional faculty expertise to serve client needs in higher education development. TIEC is a thought leader in the industry, and aims to serve its membership with valuable offerings and opportunities, and ultimately to grow in size and activity. See www.tiec.org for further information.

The role: This new role will be central to TIEC’s success in developing winning proposals for grant-funded opportunities, as well as scopes of work/contracts for fee-for-service projects. This role will also be instrumental in expanding TIEC’s collaboration with corporations and foundations, and in ensuring all TIEC’s proposals utilize the most strategic and effective methods and approaches. Under the guidance of the Director of Global Education and Impact (DGEI), and in close coordination with the Programs team and the Global Partnerships Unit, the PDS will work collaboratively across the organization to develop proposal ideas, to research and engage new and existing partners, and will be the organizational lead on drafting and submitting proposals. The PDS will stay abreast of notices of funding opportunities and will utilize a system of analysis to recommend the pursuit of a particular opportunity. The PDS will work closely and in conjunction with TIEC staff to identify and prioritize proposal opportunities – solicited, unsolicited, public and private – in support of strategic initiatives, objectives, and goals. The PDS will interface with funders and partners in the development and drafting of proposals, and will often liaise with faculty and external experts. Subject matter expertise is helpful, but we are seeking someone with a demonstrated track record of successful proposal development.

This position is envisioned as a strategic tactic to take TIEC’s work to the next level. As such, this role is of particular interest to the TIEC President and CEO.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities Include:

● Interpreting Requests for Proposals, Notices of Funding Opportunities, and project funder/sponsor guidelines;

● Leading the drafting and submission process, including: facilitating planning meetings, developing documents checklist, drafting, proofreading, and editing technical proposals, creating visual layout, producing graphics and charts and/or and collaborating with graphics support, assisting with budget preparation and budget justifications, facilitating institutional letters of commitment, reviewing sub-award proposal documents for compliance and other post-award issues, and assigning risk levels when needed;

● Tracking grant applications and awards, and following up with funding agency as appropriate; preparing a variety of periodic status reports;

● Maintaining funding opportunity information to identify and solicit grants;

● Maintaining a comprehensive list of federal and private funding agencies, including public and private foundations and corporate donors, and leading promotion, outreach, and engagement efforts;

● Coordinating with TIEC member institutions, other institutions of higher education, or funding agencies in connection with notices of funding opportunities;

● Transforming development and fundraising efforts into proposals or scopes of work/contracts;

● Developing templates and institutional language to create efficiencies in the process;

● Under the guidance of the Director of Programs and DGEI, coordinating teams responsible for program implementation and client relationship management to ensure all proposals are realistic and answer the needs of the funder;

● Facilitating workshops for and providing technical assistance to TIEC staff (and potentially member institutions) in the area of grant writing and development to ensure understanding of competitive grant requirements, application process, and compliance with award requirements;

● Researching, reviewing, and interpreting requests for proposals and funding guidelines from government agencies and foundations to determine if appropriate and optimal response format; and

● Other duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

● Experience leading proposal development, including leading collaboration with internal and external contributors;

● A track record of successfully funded grant/contract proposals;

● Experience working internationally, and/or with government/corporate funders, and/or with educational institutions and initiatives;

● Understanding of and success raising funds for projects funded by federal agencies and corporate foundations;

● Knowledge of international education and higher education;

● Initiative and self-direction, with an ability to prioritize competing responsibilities and deadline-driven work;

● Specific instances of bringing to an organization new opportunities and funders;

● Experience effectively representing an organization with external stakeholders and networking to build a contact list;

● Ability to balance individual perspectives and goals against institutional mission and parameters;

● Evidence of excellent verbal and written communication skills, specifically use of proper grammar and excellence with persuasive communication;

● Comfort engaging and communicating with colleagues and partners at all levels;

● Experience establishing processes through project management applications and standard operating procedures institutionalize efficiency and reduce errors; and

● Excellence in teamwork and cooperative and collaborative working relationships with colleagues.

Required Qualifications and Experience

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to excel at each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Applicants whose years of experience do not meet the minimum requirements, but who, nonetheless, demonstrate extraordinary experience in the areas below should proceed to application.

● An undergraduate degree (required)

● Five+ years of demonstrated experience coordinating (required) or leading (preferred) proposal-drafting for government and/or private foundation funding

● Five+ years of demonstrated experience in writing, researching, and/or development positions (required)

● A minimum of three years of demonstrated experience developing/submitting proposals on behalf of/alongside/for funding specifically relating to higher education and/or international education (required)

● Five+ years of experience developing, coordinating, implementing and/or monitoring funded higher education programs (required)

● Excellent verbal and written communication skills: ability to articulate ideas clearly and concisely; write, edit, produce communications for external stakeholders and audiences; create and conduct presentations; organize and run meetings with external stakeholders and audiences (required)

● Demonstrated ability to work as a part of a business development team, along with the ability to conceptualize and strategize with staff, external experts, and contractors (required)

● Strong organizational skills with particular attention to detail and capacity to multitask under pressure (required)

● Demonstrated proficiency and comfort with online tools and applications (required)

● Demonstrated experience developing/submitting proposals for funding from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (preferred)

● Demonstrated experience working within an international education organization (preferred)

Compensation

TIEC is offering an annual salary of $65,000 - $75,000 depending on skills, competencies, experience, salary history, successful track record, and commitment to the role and the organization. TIEC offers an attractive benefits package to all full-time employees.

Submitting an Application

Please send your cover letter, resume, and bulleted list of previous proposals developed and drafted - noting which were individual efforts and which were part of a team - to TIECSearch@TIEC.org with the subject Proposal Development Specialist Search. Written recommendations are not required at the initial stage, but welcome. Applications will be accepted and reviewed until the position is filled. Please note that TIEC will only respond to those invited for an interview.

Texas International Education Consortium

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