Grants Specialist
Start Date: Summer 2026
What we do: Early Charm converts science into revenue using a unique business model that avoids the ‘Valley of Death’ and the need for venture capital. First, we license undervalued intellectual property from the pool of thousands of inventions that sit on large institutions’ shelves because it does not fit the venture capital investment model. Second, we create, own , and operate a separate venture for every license we undertake for the same fundamental reasons that a real estate developer creates an LLC for each property they own. It provides liability protection, and enables ownership and financing tied to specific intellectual property . Third, we only start new ventures that have strong synergy with our existing ventures . This lowers our startup costs both in understanding the technology and in knowing the markets. Fourth, our subsidiary ventures have zero employees. Everyone works for Early Charm so we maximize expertise, optimize cost and are never in a position to lose people on the ups and downs of a given venture. Fifth, we leverage the federal government’s SBIR and related programs, state governments’ translational research funding, and other mission driven funders to efficiently finance our commercialization efforts. Thus, we don’t focus on getting to market fast, but rather on being highly capital efficient enabling us to be profitable in smaller (unattractive to venture capital) markets.
Why we do it: We believe that unleashing the power of science to improve the human condition should not be limited strictly to the economics of venture capital and large institutions . We are demonstrating to the world not only that our business model works well at scale, but that it often provides superior solutions in a more capital efficient manner.
What you will do: We are seeking a highly organized and detail - oriented Grants Specialist to manage grant development and submission efforts across a portfolio of innovative companies. This role is responsible for coordinating the preparation of grant application materials, managing submission timelines, and ensuring proposals are complete, compliant, and effectively communicate technical and scientific work to funding organizations.
The ideal candidate is a strong writer and editor with the ability to work closely with technical teams and key stakeholders to gather required submission materials, refine proposal narratives, and translate complex scientific and technical concepts into clear, compelling funding applications. Success in this role requires exceptional attention to detail, strong project coordination skills, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines across concurrent grant opportunities.
In addition to supporting pre-award submissions, this individual will help track awarded grants by monitoring reporting requirements, deliverable timelines, compliance obligations, and key post-award documentation. This role requires someone who is highly process-oriented, comfortable managing complex documentation workflows, and capable of coordinating across multiple teams to ensure grant opportunities are successfully submitted and managed throughout the full funding lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities Include: Grant Development & Submission Management
- Lead preparation and coordination of grant applications across Early Charm portfolio companies and related funding opportunities.
- Review and interpret funding solicitations, application guidelines, and submission requirements to ensure complete and compliant proposals.
- Manage the development of grant application content by consolidating technical contributions, editing for quality and consistency, and preparing final submission materials.
- Manage grant submission timelines, internal deadlines, and application workflows to ensure timely and accurate submission of all required materials.
- Coordinate collection of supporting documentation, budgets, attachment s, letters of support, and other required submission materials from internal and external stakeholders.
- Independently navigate grant submission portals and oversee final application packaging and submission processes.
Cross - Functional Coordination & Proposal Development
- Collaborate with technical teams, leadership, external partners, universities, and research collaborators to gather information required for proposal development.
- Serve as the central coordinator across all contributors to ensure application components are completed accurately and delivered on schedule.
- Review application materials for technical accuracy, consistency, formatting requirements, and overall proposal quality prior to submission.
- Maintain clear communication across teams throughout the grant development process and proactively manage follow - up on outstanding deliverables.
Post-Award Grant Administration & Process Management
- Track awarded grants by monitoring reporting deadlines, project deliverables, compliance requirements, and funding milestones.
- Support preparation and submission of required progress reports, post-award documentation, and funder reporting requirements.
- Maintain organized grant records, application templates, submission archives, and internal tracking systems.
- Build and improve internal grant development processes to increase efficiency, organization, and long-term submission success rates.
- Manage multiple concurrent grant opportunities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail, organization, and deadline management.
What you need to be successful:
- Bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related field, including science, engineering, life sciences, biotechnology, or a related technical discipline.
- 2+ years of professional experience in grant writing, grant administration, proposal coordination, research administration, or related funding support roles.
- Experience reviewing grant solicitations, application requirements, and coordinating submission materials across multiple stakeholders.
- Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills with the ability to review technical content for clarity, consistency, and completeness.
- Ability to work with scientists, engineers, and technical teams to coordinate proposal materials and prepare high-quality submission documents.
- Exceptional organizational skills with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Familiarity with federal, state, or private grant funding programs, including SBIR/STTR, NSF, NIH, DOE, DoD, or similar research funding mechanisms.
- Experience managing grant submission portals, proposal documentation, compliance requirements, and reporting deadlines.
- Ability to identify missing information, inconsistencies, or gaps in proposal materials and proactively coordinate follow-up with internal stakeholders.
- Comfortable managing multiple projects across fast-paced and highly technical organizations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to coordinate effectively across internal teams and external collaborators.
Bonus Qualifications
- Experience working with startups, research institutions, universities, or innovation-driven organizations
- Familiarity with post-award grant management, reporting requirements, and deliverable tracking
- Experience managing collaborative document systems, grant archives, and internal proposal tracking processes
What we will do for you:
Career development is our top priority. While we love the idea of people joining Early Charm forever, we are realistic to understand that we may be a steppingstone to other opportunities or a way for you to explore career options. Regardless of your reasons for joining us, our commitment is to help you while you are helping us.
Where you will work: We are at the center of Baltimore’s entrepreneurial renaissance, giving you the opportunity to interact with some of the nation’s most exciting technology companies. You’ll work at our headquarters at 1300 Bayard St., Baltimore, MD 21230 in Pigtown, where our labs, production space, and offices are intermingled with firms doing engineering design, software development, specialty textiles, robotics, and more.
Our Culture is Our Business: Creativity is at the core of Early Charm. We believe innovation comes from bringing together people with different backgrounds, experiences, skills, and perspectives. By encouraging curiosity, open dialogue, and independent thinking, we create an environment where new ideas can emerge and thrive. Action and collaboration drive our success. We treat one another with respect, provide opportunities for growth and development, and recognize contributions based on performance and impact. We encourage teamwork by valuing constructive debate, listening to different viewpoints, and supporting one another in achieving shared goals. This commitment to mutual respect, personal accountability, and collaboration is fundamental to how we work and succeed together.
Salary: $55,000-$70,000+ benefits, commensurate with experience.
Benefits:
- Name your own holidays
- Paid vacation and sick leave
- Medical, Life, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- 401K with matching
How to Join Us: Please send your resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Pay: $55,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
