Senior Grant Writer

The Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC seeks an experienced Senior Grant Writer to research, draft, and submit proposals to support clinical and translational mental health research activities.

The incumbent will write grant applications to study and evaluate the department’s Universal Screening (My Mental Health) Project. My Mental Health (MMH) is a landmark project that employs a validated, adaptive screening tool and process to identify students’ mental health and wellness needs and match them with appropriate services. In addition to grants related to the MMH project, the incumbent will draft other research and service grant applications as well as peer-reviewed publications to disseminate study findings.

The ideal candidate will have a history of training in research methods and publishing first-author scientific manuscripts, as a well as a history of submitting NIH grants as a principal investigator.

This position will report to the Operations & Special Projects Manager coordinating the MMH initiative and will work very closely with the department’s Vice Chair for Research, Department Chair, and other faculty/researchers.

This is a hybrid position with one or more onsite days per week, depending on business needs on a week-to-week basis.

Job duties include but are not limited to:

• Preparing, writing, editing, and assembling all sections (abstract, specific aims, background, research methods, facilities and organizational resources, budget justifications, etc.) of highly competitive, technical, and/or complex research grant proposals, including, but not limited to, grant applications to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Writing and editing peer-reviewed publications, philanthropic proposals, and other program content resulting from grants and research studies
• Formatting applications per sponsor guidelines. Preparing charts, graphs, timelines, etc.
• Working with the department’s contract and grants manager to submit applications on time

• Researching and identifying federal and private funding opportunities and requests for proposals (RFPs)
• Attending research strategy meetings
• Sourcing, collecting, and analyzing data, creating reports
• Depending upon skills and experience, may coach faculty and trainees on grant writing

Preferred Skills/Experience:

• History of training in research methods and publishing first-author scientific manuscripts
• Demonstrated experience pitching scientific propositions and submitting NIH grants as a principal investigator
• Advanced degree in mental health related field (e.g., PhD, MD, etc.)
• Demonstrated expertise in grant writing, academic writing, and research methods
• Commitment to promotion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Multi-tasking and time-management skills
• Effective communication skills
• Extremely strong organizational skills, accountability, and results-oriented
• Ability to develop and maintain working relationships with a variety of persons

This is a part-time (75%) position in the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Salary is competitive, and contingent on experience. A generous benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long-term care, disability, malpractice coverage and more (information about benefits can be found here https://employees.usc.edu/benefits-perks/); significant retirement benefits, for which you are eligible after the first year of employment; tuition assistance for you and your family; and generous paid time off.

The salary range for this position is $64,480 - $66,168. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

This position is a 1-year fixed-term position. At the end of the 1-year term, the candidate in this role may be converted to a permanent, full-time position or renewed for another 1-year term depending on need, performance, and/or funding.

Public Health Requirements

Candidates must be willing to comply with all department, university, city, county, and state COVID-19 requirements. Information about USC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Policy can be found here: https://policy.usc.edu/covid-19-vaccination-program/

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

USC strongly values diversity, equity, and inclusion and is committed to equal opportunity in employment. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status. All genders, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, veterans, bicultural/multicultural and bilingual/multilingual individuals are encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: Until position is filled

To apply, please submit:

• Cover letter that describes your experience and fit for the position
• 2 or more examples of grant proposals that you have personally drafted (prior to edits by others)

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
Minimum Experience: 3 years
Minimum Field of Expertise: Directly related experience with submitting grant applications and awards in specialty area. Experience in planning and developing written reports and grant proposals. Demonstrated experience writing effective technical materials of a scientific nature, working with scientific documents and advising/assisting authors. Ability to work both independently and as a team.

USC is a smoke-free environment

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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