The Departments of Student Health & Wellness (SHW) and Emergency Medicine Research (EMED) are seeking a Grant Writing Specialist to provide administrative support for grant development and other related activities for their dynamic research teams, including the Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG). This positions may be eligible for flex-work in a hybrid environment with an option to work remotely for up to 2 days per week. Specialists will be required to report on-site full time until all onboarding and training has been completed and the candidate is able to work independently.
The UVA Department of Student Health and Wellness (SHW) includes Care and Support Services (CASS), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Medical Services, Well-being Services, and the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC). SHW at UVA is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of all students, supporting their academic and personal success. SHW provides high-quality, integrated, and affordable care across primary health, counseling and mental health, well-being, and disability access services. The team is committed to creating accessible and inclusive evaluation, treatment, education, and outreach that empower students to make positive choices and embrace lifelong healthy practices. Through mentoring and training at every level, advancing professional excellence, and contributing leadership and research in the field of college health, SHW works to define best practices and advocate for student health issues locally, regionally, and nationally. SHW houses the Student Health Office of Research Excellence (SHORE).
The Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) is an interdisciplinary program within the University of Virginia School of Medicine dedicated to the systematic analysis of critical incidents—including firearm injury, suicide, community and interpersonal violence, and other events with significant public health impact. CIAG conducts rigorous qualitative and quantitative research, develops community-based intervention frameworks, works with threat assessment teams, and translates findings into actionable policy and practice recommendations across clinical, public health, and justice-involved settings. Current CIAG initiatives include a federally funded rural Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) targeting firearm injury and suicide prevention across high-burden Virginia health districts, collaborative projects with the UVA Gun Violence Solutions Project (GVSP), and a growing portfolio of state and federal grant opportunities spanning the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).
Grant Writing Specialists are independent contributors and should have excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. They will be expected to collaborate and contribute to the strategic planning of grant opportunities while providing administrative support for both submission and post-award tracking for each area the support. Specialists must be organized and able to handle multiple simultaneous and competing priorities effectively.
Responsibilities
Grant Development and Writing (60%)
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Lead the preparation of grant applications across all phases—specific aims, research strategy, budget and budget justification, biosketches, letters of support, and all required attachments—for federal, state, and private foundation funding mechanisms.
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Translate scientific concepts from investigators into clear, compelling narratives tailored to sponsor priorities and review criteria.
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Develop and maintain grant timelines and submission checklists; coordinate internal deadlines with UVA Sponsored Programs (SPA), SHW leadership, and CIAG leadership.
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Conduct pre-submission reviews to ensure responsiveness to program announcements (PAs, RFAs, NOFOs) and compliance with sponsor guidelines.
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Draft and revise resubmission applications incorporating reviewer feedback (Summary Statements/critiques), with particular attention to structured rebuttals.
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Write contract proposals, cooperative agreement applications, and sub-award narratives as required.
Opportunity Identification and Strategic Planning (20%)
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Proactively monitor federal and foundation funding landscapes (e.g., NIH, CDC, HRSA, DOJ/BJA, SAMHSA, PCORI, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Arnold Ventures, and others) to identify opportunities aligned with both SHW’s and CIAG's mission as this position will be split between the Departments of Student Health & Wellness (0.60) and Emergency Medicine (0.40).
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Conduct sponsor research and prepare briefing summaries for SHW and CIAG leadership, including analysis of funding priorities, award history, and competitive landscape.
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Support the development of both SHW and CIAG's multi-year research development strategy, fostering both focused and collaborative research with SHW and CIAG.
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Identify and cultivate partnerships with external investigators, community organizations, and health systems to strengthen grant applications.
Post-Award Support and Reporting (10%)
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Draft progress reports, continuation applications, and no-cost extension requests for active awards.
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Support the preparation of annual reports to funders, including narrative sections describing accomplishments, outputs, and challenges.
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Assist with IRB correspondence and research protocol narratives as needed.
Administrative and Collaborative Support (10%)
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Maintain a grants calendar and pipeline tracker for all SHW and CIAG submissions and active awards.
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Coordinate with UVA's Office of Sponsored Programs, Office of Research, and the departmental research business administrators to ensure timely and compliant submissions.
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Support preparation of manuscripts, white papers, policy briefs, and presentations that grow from funded work.
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Contribute to SHW and CIAG communications, including website content and annual reports, to strengthen the program's public profile and grant credibility.
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Other functions and duties as assigned.
This position will consider candidates with varying levels of experience, and will assess final role assignment according to the finalist's qualifications.
Minimum Qualifications:
Grants and Contracts Professional 2
Education: Associate's degree.
Experience: At least two years of relevant experience required. A combination of education and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Grants and Contracts Professional 3
Education: Bachelor's degree
Experience: At least three years of relevant experience required. A combination of education and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Grants and Contracts Professional 4
Education: Bachelor's degree
Experience: At least five years of relevant grant and contract or research administration experience required. Four additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of degree.
Physical Demands: This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.
Preferred Qualifications:
Education: A Bachelor's or Master's degree in public health, health sciences, social sciences, communications, or a related field.
Experience: Work experience in a Grants and Contracts or Research Administration role within a university medical system and/or higher education environment.
Licensure: Research Administrator certification (CRA, CGMS, or equivalent) or willingness to pursue certification.
Additional Preferred Skills
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Experience with violence prevention, threat assessment, trauma, behavioral health, student health, or emergency medicine research portfolios.
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Demonstrated experience writing and coordinating grant applications; strong scientific writing and editing skills along with ability to write clearly for both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
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Exceptional project management and organizational skills; ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously without sacrificing quality.
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Demonstrated ability to synthesize large volumes of scientific literature into coherent grant narratives.
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Familiarity with qualitative and mixed-methods research designs and their presentation in grant applications.
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Experience with IRB protocol preparation and research compliance documentation.
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Proficiency with electronic submission systems (Grants.gov, NIH eRA Commons, Workspace).
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Proficiency with federal grant mechanisms, such as NIH (R01, R21, R34, SBIR/STTR), CDC (cooperative agreements), HRSA, SAMHSA, and/or DOJ/BJA application processes.
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Knowledge of Virginia-specific funding agencies, including DCJS, VDOH, Virginia Catalyst, and the Virginia Commission on Youth.
Anticipated salary is $65k for Professional 2 Specialists, $77k for Professional 3 Specialists, or $92k for Professional 4 Specialists commensurate with education and experiences.
This is a restricted position and has a term limit of two (2) years, after which continued employment is contingent upon department need and availability of funding.
This is an exempt-level, benefited position. For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits.
This position is located in Charlottesville, VA, and provides an option to work in a hybrid environment after completing all required onboarding and training.
For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/.
This position will not be able to provide consideration for candidates who require sponsorship at this time. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.
Application review will begin after July 19.
How to Apply
Please apply online, and search for R0085291. Complete an application online with the following documents:
Upload all materials into the resume submission field; multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.
Internal applicants: Search and apply for jobs on the UVA Internal Careers website.
References will be completed via UVA’s standardized process SkillSurvey. A total of five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process. A minimum of three is required.
For information regarding the position or the application process, please contact Lyndsay Thaxton at [email protected].
