Employment Opportunities

UDRI is a national leader in scientific and engineering research, serving government, industry, and nonprofit customers. UDRI contributes to the fulfillment of the University's commitments to education, research, and public service through the involvement of students, faculty and external partners. Established as the research arm of the University of Dayton in 1956, UDRI achieved $2.75 billion in cumulative sponsored research in 2020. Sponsored research for 2023 alone exceeded $230 million. UDRI is ranked first in the nation among all colleges and universities for sponsored materials research, according to the National Science Foundation. In Ohio, UDRI is number one among colleges and universities receiving contracts and grants from the Department of Defense.

The Institute has a tradition of research excellence with an uncompromising commitment to providing customers with quality products while maintaining the highest ethical standards. It is keenly aware that compliance with applicable laws and regulations is an essential condition for performing its business. Its commitment to compliance is based on providing a supportive environment, the integrity of its employees, and their support of the University's policies and applicable laws and regulations of the United States.

The Principal Proposal Manager is responsible for leading the development and writing of best-in-class proposals and coordinates/leads all aspects of the proposal process for major, multi-divisional proposals within UDRI. This position serves as the primary interface for proposals with internal and external contacts and provides leadership and direction to diverse, cross-functional teams. The Principal Proposal Manager will develop compliant, compelling, and competitive proposals and ensures proposals are completed and delivered to the Government within the prescribed times.

The Principal Proposal Manager collaborates with UDRI technical and business development leads to develop the strategy, customer solutions, and win themes; establishes the proposal development timeline; builds proposal templates, outlines, and data calls; lead’s effective storyboarding team meetings; schedules and leads color team reviews and compliance reviews; position provides detailed guidance to proposal writers, contributors, and teammates; and manages all proposal documents.

In addition, the Principal Proposal Manager is responsible for the UDRI internal proposal process, including development of standardized processes, templates, compliance, and timelines, and implementing actions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposal process including implementing training to improve UDRI proposal writing and submission. Finally, the Senior Proposal Manager will work with the Executive Director and the Associate Director for Business Development to develop and implement broad proposal strategies to improve the win rate of UDRI submitted proposals

1. Bachelor's degree plus a minimum of 10 years of experience, OR a master's degree plus a minimum of nine years of experience is required.
2. Five (5) years of successful experience leading academic, small business, and DOD contractor proposal teams in a dynamic, fast-paced environment on highly complex proposals.
3. Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, including the ability to lead in a team environment and effectively interface with others team members.
4. Self-motivated, with the ability to exercise a high degree of independent judgment in resolving complex management and technical problems as well as the ability to interpret and explain unusually complex issues.
5. Thorough comprehension of the proposal leadership, management, and development lifecycle, including organizing, planning, scheduling, and coordinating workloads to meet established deadlines or milestones.
6. Must demonstrate extensive and detailed knowledge in the development, coordination and application of proposal principles, concepts, regulations, and practices; comprehensive project leadership skills including organizing, planning.
7. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to author and edit proposal content.
8. Experience with Microsoft Word, including outlines, headers, footers, TOCs, styles, etc.
9. Due to the requirements of our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be a U.S. person (i.e., a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, asylee, or refugee).
10. Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

While not everyone may possess all of the preferred qualifications, the ideal candidate will bring many of the following:

1. Master’s degree plus a minimum of 15 years of experience.
2. Ten (10) years of experience leading successful DoD proposal management teams.
3. Demonstrated successful win rate of proposals that the candidate has managed in the past.
4. Deep understanding of Government procurement policies related to Requests for Proposals, Request for Information, and other solicitation documents to develop solicitation-compliant outlines, compliance matrices, and writing plans.
5. Knowledge of Other Transactional Agencies and their solicitation and selection processes.
6. Experience with GovWinIQ, SAM.gov, and Grants.gov.
7. APMP or Shipley proposal certification.
8. Active Secret clearance or higher with an in-scope investigation (within the last six years).
9. No known inhibitors to obtaining access to Special Access Programs (SAP) clearance.

Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity, achieve equitable outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. As an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, we will not discriminate against minorities, women, protected veterans, individuals with disabilities, or on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.