Senior Coordinator, Research Proposals

RMIT Vietnam is seeking a Senior Coordinator, Research Proposals leads and coordinates RMIT Vietnam’s pre-award research funding activities, including managing the Vietnam Research Grants scheme, supporting researchers in identifying and applying for external funding opportunities, and ensuring all proposals meet institutional, compliance, and funding requirements before submission. The role serves as a key liaison between researchers and internal stakeholders, providing expert guidance on grant processes, maintaining accurate proposal records, and contributing to research funding growth, reporting, training, and continuous improvement initiatives across RMIT Vietnam.

WHY JOIN RMIT VIETNAM?

At RMIT Vietnam, international exposure meets real-world impact through strong industry and government collaboration. Working at RMIT means building a meaningful career while creating impact in a high-performing environment.

Further insight into our mission, impact and global connections is available in the RMIT Vietnam Profile.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive remuneration VND package for Vietnamese candidates.

• 13th month Tet bonus

• Private Health insurance for you and your family, plus Personal Accident Insurance

Other benefits

• Generous annual leave, sick leave, volunteer leave and public holidays (Christmas and Tet Holidays)

• Professional development and career advancement

• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources

• A vibrant and diverse campus life and more!

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Coordinator, Research Proposals leads the pre-award coordination and administration of RMIT Vietnam’s internal and external research funding activities. The role coordinates the pre-award administration of the Vietnam Research Grants (VRG) scheme and supports researchers to identify and pursue external funding opportunities. This includes providing advice on eligibility, funding requirements and proposal submission processes; coordinating internal proposal routing and approvals; and ensuring that all required institutional documentation, signatories and certifications are secured in accordance with the University Delegation of Authority before submission.  The role also uses Elements, RMIT’s research grant management system, to maintain accurate proposal records and data, supporting reporting, compliance and audit requirements.
The Senior Coordinator builds and maintains effective relationships with researchers, Schools and professional service units across RMIT Vietnam, including Finance, Accounting and Legal, to resolve complex pre-award matters and promote a consistent, institution-wide approach to research proposal administration. The role works with the R&I Research Proposals team, RMIT Europe and other relevant teams on collaborative bids, ensuring alignment with RMIT policies, procedures and funding requirements.
Reporting to the Manager, Research Grants & Partnerships, the Senior Coordinator works closely with researchers, School Deans, Deputy Deans Research & Innovation, and relevant RMIT teams to provide timely and accurate advice and support. The role also contributes to research funding reporting, training and orientation activities, and other initiatives that strengthen pre-award administration and support research growth at RMIT Vietnam.
 

Key Accountabilities Summary

• Lead the pre-award coordination of RMIT Vietnam’s internal Vietnam Research Grants (VRG) scheme, including developing and updating the scheme timeline, guidelines, application templates and related documentation; reviewing submitted proposals for compliance with scheme requirements; coordinating and consolidating panel feedback; and communicating outcomes to research teams. Collaborate with the Senior Coordinator, Awards Management to ensure a seamless handover of successful proposals for post-award management.
• Identify, assess and promote external research funding opportunities, advising researchers on eligibility and alignment with RMIT Vietnam research priorities. Interpret funding opportunity announcements and funder guidelines to identify administrative and compliance requirements, submission risks and institutional obligations. Support researchers with external grant proposal development and submission by communicating requirements, reviewing proposals for administrative compliance and completeness, and coordinating required institutional documentation. Maintains RMIT Vietnam's institutional account on external funding systems.
• Coordinate the internal routing and approval of research proposals in accordance with University procedures, ensuring required institutional approvals, signatories and certifications are secured prior to submission. Maintain accurate proposal records and data to support reporting, compliance and audit requirements.
• In close collaboration with the Manager, Research Grants and Partnerships, manage stakeholder relationships across RMIT Vietnam, including Finance, Accounting, Legal and School administration, to resolve complex research proposal issues. Ensure alignment of pre-award administration with RMIT policies and procedures, including through engagement with R&I Research Proposals and RMIT Europe on joint proposal applications.
• Maintain current knowledge of evolving national regulations, funding policies, and University research administration procedures.
• Help develop, document, and maintain standard operating procedures, training materials, templates, and campus communications that improve service to Principal Investigators and Schools.  Provide support and organise training sessions for both internal and external proposal processes.
• Serve as backup to Senior Coordinator Awards Management as needed.
• Perform other duties as required within the Office for Research & Innovation to support research at RMIT Vietnam

Key Selection Criteria

• Bachelor degree or above;
• At least 3 years’ experience in a relevant field. Knowledge of research services and/or experience in administration or coordination support of grants or international development projects is preferable;
• Highly developed interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to confidently engage with a diverse range of academic and professional stakeholders to handle a range of situations;
• Experience in the interpretation of complex guidelines, identifying key information required and a high level of attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to independently while contributing effectively within a collaborative team environment;
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple tasks and reprioritise workloads to meet competing deadlines;
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to contribute to continuous improvement projects.
• Demonstrated high level of proficiency in the use of MS Office suite; online systems and information management systems. Experience in working with Elements or other similar research management software is preferred.
• Well-developed skills in providing secretariat support, including the preparation of templates, minutes, agendas, reports and other related documents.
• Appointment to this position is subject to passing Working with Children check.
• Ability to display appropriate behaviours in line with the position, RMIT Values and RMIT Leadership Model.

More information is available in the Job Description .

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered for this role, it is mandatory to submit both a resume and a cover letter. Please click on the 'Apply' link provided in this Job Ads to initiate the application process.

Please note that we will be running a rolling recruitment process, so please apply as soon as possible.

Compliance Requirements

All academic appointments at RMIT Vietnam must meet University and local regulatory requirements, including English proficiency, background checks, and (for international candidates) eligibility for a work permit.

English is the language of teaching and communication at RMIT Vietnam. For this role, the minimum requirement is IELTS (General) with a score of at least 6.0 (or equivalent, as outlined in the Recruitment, Selection and Onboarding Guidelines).

Further guidance will be provided during the recruitment process.

RMIT UNIVERSITY COMMITMENT

RMIT is committed to the rights of students and staff to be safe, respected, valued, and treated as an equal in their place of study and work. All staff are expected to share this commitment and contribute to a safer community. While carrying out their role, staff are in a position of trust with students. Staff have a duty of care to report wellbeing concerns about students through the designated channels and uphold the code of conduct. RMIT Vietnam expects all staff members to comply with its Code of Conduct, policies and procedures, which relate to legal and regulatory requirements and our ways of working.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

• Please ensure that your application is submitted through our Workday system on the RMIT Careers page. We do not accept applications through other means.

• RMIT Vietnam will never request any fees or payments during the application process. Be vigilant about scams asking for payment to apply.

• For any questions or support, feel free to reach out to our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected]

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