Proposal Development Manager, Research

About ETS:

ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners worldwide to be future-ready. For more than 75 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, while Edusoft, Kira Talent, Pipplet, Vericant, and Wheebox enhance 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.

About the role

ETS is seeking a dynamic and strategic Manager of Research Proposal Development to lead the end-to-end proposal process for federal and non-federal funding opportunities. This role is central to advancing ETS's mission by securing resources that fuel innovation across the ETS Research Institute and enterprise-wide initiatives.

You'll manage a high-volume pipeline of proposals, guide researchers through complex funding landscapes, and ensure every submission meets the highest standards of quality, compliance, and impact.

What you'll do

Strategic leadership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to researchers, guiding engagement with program officers and navigating regulatory requirements-especially with NSF, IES, and other key agencies and foundations.

• Interpret funding structures and review cultures to align proposals with agency priorities and long-term trends.

• Foster collaboration across ETS and with external partners to support proposal and budget development.

• Contribute to the evolution of Strategic Research Alliances' strategy and stay informed on emerging trends and best practices.

Proposal development & pipeline management

• Identify and share relevant funding opportunities, encouraging timely and strategic proposal submissions.

• Provide insights into funding cycles and program structures to align ETS initiatives with external opportunities.

• Maintain proposal calendars and assign writers based on expertise and capacity.

• Manage a pipeline of 40-60 proposals annually using Salesforce and grants management tools.

• Support proposal drafting, including boilerplate content, staffing charts, budget justifications, and organizational materials.

• Repurpose technical documentation for future opportunities when appropriate.

Quality control & compliance

• Review and edit proposals for clarity, consistency, and alignment with funder requirements.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional guidelines, including FAR and agency-specific standards.

• Proactively identify and resolve compliance issues, keeping leadership informed of risks and solutions.

Monitoring & reporting

• Track proposal outcomes and lead post-submission reviews to drive continuous improvement.

• Provide regular status updates and maintain RFP distribution lists.

Budget & grant managementDraft proposal budgets and narratives aligned with ETS best practices.

• Implement process improvements, including external proposal platforms.

• Advise leadership on budgetary risks and collaborate with finance teams to monitor project expenses.

What success looks like

• Seamless management of a multimillion-dollar portfolio of research grants.

• Formation of high-performing proposal teams.

• Proposals meet ETS's editorial and technical standards and are recognized as "best in class."

• Grants are implemented effectively and aligned with funder priorities.

• ETS intellectual property is protected and aligned with mission-driven goals.

• Funders are informed and satisfied with grant progress and outcomes.

Why this role matters

This is a high-impact, high-visibility position. You'll work with confidential materials, lead strategic initiatives, and represent ETS to government agencies and private foundations. Your leadership ensures ETS secures the funding needed to advance research that powers human progress.

Reporting structure

This role reports to the Associate Vice President of Strategic Research Alliances and works closely with the Strategic Research Alliances team, ETS General Counsel, and Finance.

#LI-NK1

• Position requires a Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of directly relevant experience.

• Much of the work of the Manager, Research Proposal Development is self-directed. The position reports to the Associate Vice President for Strategic Research Alliances, and by extension to the Senior Vice President, Global Research.

• Requires strong writing, interpersonal, and organizational skills, as well as the ability to work effectively as part of a team.

• Requires the ability to exercise a significant amount of judgement, technical expertise, professionalism, and experience.

• Must be knowledgeable of the policies and procedures of federal funding agencies, private foundations and corporations and other funding bodies.

• Must have some knowledge of the electronic proposal submission and project management systems.

• Must be able to communicate effectively with ETS researchers and the representatives of federal funding agencies, private foundations and corporations and other funding bodies.

• Requires not only operational knowledge but also a scholarly understanding of the evolving funding landscape-including agency missions, program call structures, and peer-review practices-to anticipate shifts in priorities and guide ETS researchers accordingly.

• Stakeholders include senior management, departmental professional and support staff and other ETS researchers, external clients, external boards, councils and committees, government organizations and other external agencies.

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. Â 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. Â At ETS you may qualify for up to an additional 8 hours of PTO for volunteer work on causes that are important to you

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.