Manager Research Proposal Development

Job Description

Job Description

About ETS:

ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners worldwide to be future-ready. For more than 80 years, we've been advancing the science of measurement to build benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment across cultures and borders. Our worldwide impact extends through our renowned assessments including TOEFL®, TOEIC®, GRE® and Praxis® tests, serving millions of learners in more than 200 countries and territories. Through strategic acquisitions, we've expanded our global capabilities: PSI strengthens our workforce assessment solutions, ACT solidifies our impact in higher Ed and Workskills while Edusoft enhances our educational technology and assessment platforms across critical markets worldwide.

Through ETS Research Institute and ETS Solutions, we're partnering with educational institutions, governments, and organizations globally to promote skill proficiency, empower upward mobility, and unlock opportunities for everyone, everywhere. With offices and partners across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, we deliver nearly 50 million tests annually. Join us in our journey of measuring progress to power human progress worldwide.

ETS Research Institute is the research and social impact arm of ETS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the science of measurement and education and expanding opportunity for learners worldwide. The Institute conducts rigorous research, develops evidence-based solutions, and partners with philanthropy, government, education, and industry to translate research into practice and measurable impact.

These roles support the Institute’s mission by helping secure and steward external funding, build strategic partnerships, strengthen research infrastructure, and expand the reach and impact of ETS research.

The Manager, Research Proposal Development leads proposal development and pipeline management for ETS Strategic Research Alliances, primarily supporting the Research Institute, but also initiatives across ETS, in securing external funding to advance its research mission and strategic priorities. The Manager coordinates a high-volume portfolio of federal, foundation, corporate, and other institutional funding opportunities and works closely with researchers and organizational leaders to translate research priorities into compelling, fundable initiatives.

The individual will bring a strong understanding of federal and philanthropic funding programs, including funder missions, priorities, program structures, and review processes, and use this knowledge to strengthen ETS’s competitiveness and build meaningful relationships with funding partners. Responsibilities include identifying and assessing funding opportunities; managing proposal development timelines; supporting proposal narratives and developing budgets; ensuring compliance with funder requirements; and tracking proposal outcomes and funded work.

The Manager reports to the Associate Vice President of Strategic Research Alliances and works closely with colleagues across the Research Institute and ETS. This is a pre-award role responsible for supporting opportunities from early funding intelligence and pre-RFP planning through proposal development, submission, and award transition. The position coordinates closely with Finance and other post award functions to ensure a smooth handoff offering award. 

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Funding and Funder Engagement

• Serve as a strategic advisor to researchers and leaders on funder engagement, funding strategy, proposal positioning, and regulatory requirements, with particular expertise in NSF, IES, other federal agencies, private foundations, corporations, and institutional funders.
• Interpret and communicate funder priorities, program strategies, funding trends, and review processes to help researchers position mission-aligned work for external support.
• Build and maintain knowledge of the external funding landscape and identify opportunities that align with ETS Research Institute priorities and areas of impact.
• Facilitate collaboration across the Research Institute and with external partners to develop strong proposals and funding partnerships.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the Strategic Research Alliances strategy.
• Stay current on emerging trends in philanthropy, sponsored research, federal funding, regulations, and best practices.

Proposal Development and Pipeline Management 

• Identify and assess funding opportunities and share relevant opportunities with researchers, encouraging proposal development where there is strong strategic and mission alignment.
• Provide strategic insight into funding opportunities, solicitations, and funding cycles to align ETS research priorities with external support.
• Manage an annual pipeline of approximately 40–60 proposals, maintaining accurate opportunity and activity records in Salesforce and the grants management database.
• Develop and manage proposal calendars, milestones, and internal review processes.
• Coordinate proposal teams and writing assignments based on subject-matter expertise, workload, and deadlines.
• Guide researchers and proposal writers through pre-award workflows, from pre-RFP planning through proposal development, submission, and award handoff, ensuring timely completion of required activities and strong alignment with funder expectations.
• Draft and adapt proposal materials—including organizational background, staffing information, budgets and budget narratives, and other supporting content—as needed.
• Leverage strong existing research and proposal content for appropriate future funding opportunities.

Proposal Quality and Compliance

• Review and edit proposals to ensure clarity, quality, competitiveness, and alignment with funder requirements and ETS standards.
• Oversee pre-award compliance for sponsored research proposals, ensuring submissions meet federal, state, funder, and institutional requirements.
• Identify potential compliance or regulatory issues early and work collaboratively with researchers, leadership, Finance, Legal, and other colleagues to resolve them.
• Ensure proposals appropriately balance funder requirements, research objectives, organizational priorities, and protection of ETS intellectual property.

Grants Monitoring, Stewardship, and Learning

• Track and report on proposal activity, funding outcomes, and portfolio performance.
• Lead post-submission and lessons-learned processes to strengthen future proposals and continuously improve grant-development practices.
• Maintain clear reporting on proposal status, upcoming opportunities, and funding priorities.
• Support effective funder stewardship, helping ensure funding partners receive timely information on the progress, outcomes, and impact of supported work. 

Proposal Budget Development & Pre-Award Administration

• Develop and support proposal budgets and budget narratives in partnership with researchers, Finance, and other internal stakeholders.
• Help ensure proposed budgets appropriately reflect programmatic needs, funder requirements, and organizational policies.
• Advise leadership on potential budget issues and collaborate with internal partners to identify solutions.
• Identify and implement process and systems improvements that strengthen proposal development.

Process Outputs and Deliverables 

• Effective management of a multimillion-dollar pipeline of externally funded research supported by federal agencies, foundations, corporations, and other funding partners.
• Manage collaborative proposal teams that bring together the appropriate research, programmatic, financial, and organizational expertise.
• High-quality, competitive proposals that meet funder requirements and clearly communicate ETS’s research capabilities, intended impact, and value.
• Funded projects that are implemented in alignment with grant requirements, funder priorities, agreed-upon outcomes, and ETS’s mission.
• Proposed use of ETS intellectual property and related terms are reviewed and appropriately addressed before submission or award acceptance.
• Successful proposals transition smoothly from pre-award development to award setup and post-award administration.
• Continuous learning from proposal and grant outcomes that strengthens ETS’s external funding strategy over time.

Criticality 

• Confidentiality and Organizational Responsibility. The Manager works with confidential and sensitive information, including personnel costs, intellectual property, funding strategies, and emerging research initiatives. The role requires sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to represent ETS professionally with external funding partners.
• Accountability. The Manager is accountable to the Associate Vice President, Strategic Research Alliances and serves as an important point of contact with government agencies, foundations, corporations, and other institutional funders. The Manager leads and coordinates funding proposals, develops budgets and budget narratives, and works closely with Finance, Legal, researchers, and organizational leadership.
• Responsibility for Deliverables/Outputs . The Manager helps secure the external resources needed to advance ETS Research Institute priorities and ensures proposed budgets, staffing, timelines, and other resources are appropriately developed to support successful execution of proposed work if funded. The Manager also helps ensure that staff understand and follow policies and procedures governing federal and non-federal grant activity.

Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and manage multiple complex funding opportunities simultaneously.
• Strong writing, editing, interpersonal, project-management, and organizational skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
• Strong knowledge of federal funding agencies, private foundations, corporate philanthropy, and other institutional funding sources.
• Ability to understand funder priorities and translate complex research ideas into clear, compelling proposals for external audiences.
• Experience with electronic proposal submission, grants management, CRM, and project-management systems.
• Ability to communicate effectively and build productive relationships with researchers, organizational leaders, program officers, foundations, corporations, government agencies, and other external partners.
• Strong understanding of the evolving funding landscape—including agency and foundation priorities, program structures, peer-review practices, and philanthropic trends—to anticipate opportunities and guide researchers accordingly.
• Ability to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders, including senior leadership, researchers, professional and administrative staff, funders, partners, government agencies, boards, councils, and committees.

Education and Experience

• Position requires a Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of directly relevant experience. 

#LI-NK1

ETS is mission driven and action oriented

• We are passionate about hiring innovative thinkers who believe in the promise of education and lifelong learning.
• We are energized by cultivating growth, innovation, and continuous transformation for the next generation of rising professionals as leaders.  In support of this ETS offers multiple Business Resource Groups (BRG) for you to learn and advance your career growth!
• As a not-for-profit organization we will encourage you to lean in to your passion for volunteering.  At ETS you may qualify for up to an additional 8 hours of PTO for volunteer work on causes that are important to you!
• The base salary range advertised represents the low and high end of the anticipated salary range for this position. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. The base pay is only one aspect of the Total Rewards Package that will be offered to the successful candidate.

ETS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law. We believe in creating a work environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.