Assistant Director of Research Development

Job Description

Study everything . Do anything .

Find your passion. Create knowledge. Serve the common good. Prepare for life.

This is what the College of Arts & Letters stands for. We play an integral role in Notre Dame’s mission to serve as the world’s preeminent Catholic research university. We are searching for someone who shares the same passion and mission to join our dynamic team.

The Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good seeks an Assistant Director of Research Development to lead the development and maintenance of programs supporting faculty funding proposals in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Assistant Director will work closely with faculty to identify and target funding opportunities, offer feedback on proposals, provide training and resources, and collaborate with campus partners to advance research in the liberal arts. This is a remote position that may require occasional travel to campus.

About The Institute

After 40 years of supporting faculty research, hosting compelling speakers, fostering student research, and convening interdisciplinary conferences, the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts ( ISLA ) at the University of Notre Dame is being reimagined as the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good. This transformation presents a unique opportunity to leverage Notre Dame’s strengths in the humanities and build a dynamic connection with South Bend and the surrounding region, while continuing its commitment to excellence in the liberal arts. The Institute’s new direction aims to create a hub for public engagement and academic collaboration, setting a model for higher education institutions more broadly.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Proposal Development: Provide direct assistance to faculty with grant writing, including consultations and critiques of draft proposals. Help faculty identify suitable funding opportunities, connect with collaborators, prepare competitive proposals, and interpret sponsor feedback.
• Training and Communications: Develop resources such as libraries of successful proposals and application resource kits. Coordinate and lead workshops on grant-writing, share information about funding programs, and disseminate information about funding opportunities, deadlines, and faculty awards.
• On-Campus Collaboration: Partner with internal stakeholders such as Notre Dame Research, the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations, and academic departments to identify candidates for external grants, awards, and prepare proposals.
• Internal Funding Programs & Limited Submissions: Review proposals for internal funding programs offered through the Franco Institute. Help identify candidates for limited submission opportunities and disseminate calls for these opportunities.
• Reporting: Stay current with trends at external funding agencies and peer institutions. Assist in data collection and analysis to support strategic planning and benchmarking.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D., J.D., Ed.D.)
• 3-4 years of related experience
  
  

Skills

• Familiarity with external sponsors that support scholarship in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, including NSF , NEH , ACLS , and the J. S. Guggenheim Foundation.
• Experience with external funding proposals as a researcher, research development professional, or both.
• Strong organizational, planning, and project management skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work productively both independently and in a collaborative environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing scholarship in the liberal arts.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Academic background in humanities
  
  

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please note: This is a remote position that may require occasional travel to campus.

Department Inst for Scholarship in Liberal Art (30102)

Department Website https://isla.nd.edu/

Family / Sub-Family Academic Aff / Grant Admin/Proposals

Career Stream/Level EIC 2 Professional

FLSA Status S1 - FT Exempt