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Grants Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes - Remote

 

Summary

The Grants Manager position is a new role on the Operations team that will assume the operational grant management responsibilities from our Senior Foundation & Corporate Giving Manager.  They will be tasked with building on our existing grants management processes to formalize administration of complex grant requirements.

A large initial portion of the manager’s time will be managing a $5.5M Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant to implement the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in environmental justice communities in the southern Lake Michigan watershed. This project is expected to run through October 2030 contingent on federal appropriations and other federal actions. The manager will be involved in the planning and implementation of funded activities, programs, and a sub-award granting process, and responsible for full compliance with all terms of the EPA grant.

The duties in the first year of this newly created position will include prioritization of and focus on managing the EPA grant. Within the first year, the manager will:

• Develop documented grant management and compliance policies and procedures and ensure the “Stakeholders” listed below are trained and supported on all pertinent parts.
• Utilize Asana (or similar tool) to detail tasks and subtasks with owners and deadlines.
• Ensure all contracts and other documentation are accurate and fully executed.
• Accurately complete all required reporting and invoicing on time.
• Identify any gaps in tools, controls, or other areas critical to successfully managing the grant and recommend solutions to be implemented.

This position will also be responsible for taking over management of our grants administration structure for the entire organization. Within the first year, the manager will:

• Work closely with colleagues to fully learn their roles in the grants management process, from proposal development through final reports, and complete transition of relevant duties to this role by year end.
• Meet with all lead program staff for current grants to understand the deliverables, budgets, relationships, and any other key information about the grants.
• Establish a monthly meeting to review details of grant expenditures with the Finance Manager and ensure detailed tracking and forecasting of grant expenditures.
• Work with the Director of Communications to develop strategies to generate language that can be used in proposals and reports with the intention of having initial drafting start with this role once that language is available.
  
  

This position reports to the Vice President of Finance & Operations. This position works closely with:

• Alliance program, development, finance and operations staff
• Program/project managers and finance staff at external organizations
• Contractors or consultants assisting with the work outlined in the grant
• Auditors

Specific to the EPA grant, this position works with all the above and:

• Organizations serving as co-administrators of this grant
• Environmental justice and community organizations
• All applicants and recipients of the sub-grants of this EPA funding
• EPA officials

• Responsibilities

  General Administration & Compliance

• Maintain accurate grants calendar utilizing existing tools like Office 365, Asana and Salesforce to track projects and help maintain organizational records, while also identifying tools or process improvements to build the Alliance’s grant management capacity.
• Project-manage proposal development, assembly and submission, ensuring key staff are involved and informed throughout.
• Schedule and conduct meetings as necessary to ensure all relevant staff are aware of grant requirements, updated on progress, and included in assessing any issues/barriers to completing the terms of the grant.
• Using Alliance tools and in collaboration with Finance staff, monitor grant expenditures and expenditure forecasts to ensure compliance, and flag potential issues of meeting deliverables or financial expenditure requirements within the grant period to relevant staff.
• Work with Alliance Finance Manager to ensure that expenditures are assigned correctly in the Alliance’s chart of accounts, that all expenses posted to an incorrect general ledger line are moved by Finance Manager, and adequate documentation of the change request is maintained.
• Manage all contractor and sub-awardee contracts, ensuring compliance with terms, receipt of required documentation, and deadline management.
• Complete and submit all required project and expenditure reports via grant-specified reporting methods and frequency as stipulated in grant terms.
• Support Development and Finance staff in developing financial forecasts and budgets.
• Attend trainings to stay current on grant management best practices and changes to federal regulations.
• Actively manage all work throughout the year to be prepared for annual audit and single audit, focusing on thorough grant and GAAP compliance, documentation, and reporting.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge/Skills

• At least five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in grants management experience at non-profits, state or local governments, colleges or universities, or other industries that receive federal funding directly.
• Experience managing large and/or multi-year federal grants (EPA experience preferred), major private foundations, and fund accounting.
• Managerial experience of grant administration, administrative requirements, cost principles and state and federal regulation compliance.
• Knowledge of and experience applying Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and best practices of financial management.
• Strength at writing and editing complex technical narrative information to fit within the needs of funders.
• Experienced in reading, preparing and presenting comprehensive, concise, clear oral and written reports to diverse audiences.
• Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions; interpret a variety of federal statutes and regulations, and technical instructions; and deal with multiple abstract and concrete variables.
• Experience in developing and maintaining authentic, reciprocal partnerships, especially with partners working with less capacity than the granting organization.
• Deep commitment to and understanding of environmental justice, climate justice, and the intersection with community resiliency and ecological restoration
• Unwavering commitment to diversity, equity inclusion and justice. Adhere to and exemplify these principles in addition to our values of community, relationships, courage, integrity, and optimism in everyday practice.
• Innovative, creative, resourceful and independent thinker.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
• Self-motivated, disciplined, and reliable.

Job Parameters

• This position is full-time and consistent with Alliance employment policy. The Alliance has defined salary ranges that are evaluated annually, and it is customary for candidates to join at the lower half of the range to leave room for learning and development in the role. It is uncommon for starting salaries to fall above the mid-point. This position is considered a senior level manager, and the salary range for this position begins at $80,000. A final salary will be based on the candidate’s experience in similar roles and expertise related to the qualifications.
• Benefits include medical, dental, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, FSA, 11 paid holidays plus the business days between 12/26 and 12/30 (staff who must work on any holidays may take those holidays at another time subject to the employee handbook). Employees start with 3 weeks’ vacation annually + 5 sick days; Fidelity 401(k) with match of up to 6% of salary after one month of employment.
• This position can work remotely from anywhere in the Great Lakes region, with a preference for the Chicagoland area. If located in the Chicagoland area, applicants can work from and host meetings at the Alliance’s downtown Chicago office. This position must have ability to attend evening and weekend meetings when necessary. Applicants must also be able to travel within the greater Chicagoland region regularly to meet with Stakeholders up to 6 times per year.

Application Process

Please e-mail a cover letter, resume, references and writing sample to: hr@greatlakes.org. Include job title in the subject line.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Materials should be compatible with Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. Applicants will receive confirmation of receipt of their materials and further guidance and updates about the hiring process by e-mail, with interviews provided for finalists. No phone inquiries please.

Original Posting/Learn More here!

Grants Manager, One Million Degrees

Who: One Million Degrees

What: One Million Degrees (OMD) is seeking an organized and analytical problem solver who loves Excel to lead our grant management practices. A new position reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Grants Manager will work collaboratively across fundraising and finance departments, playing a key role in helping to secure, manage, track, and report on our use of public and private funding to support OMD’s powerful mission.  

One Million Degrees is a friendly, diverse organization with ambitious goals and a relentless drive to achieve them. Join our dynamic team of talented, hard-working individuals who believe that a single degree can change the world. 

Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:  

Grants Management – Approximately 60% of the time 

Work across Development and Finance teams to: 

• Lead OMD’s restricted grant tracking, a matrix of public and private funding including multiple states, levels of government, individual, corporate and foundation donors 
• Strategically identify expenses suitable for future grant proposals and help develop budgets for potential donors 
• Prepare financial reporting for donors, OMD leadership, and compliance/audit purposes 

• Support OMD’s Program team in the completion of key programmatic milestones 
• Organize and maintain documentation needed for audit and compliance purposes 
• Create effective forecasting tools and decision aides to predict future funding needs 

Budget Management (Approximately 20% of the time) 

• Support COO with the annual development of OMD’s $5M+ budget  
• Partner with department heads and program leads on their individual budget requests and expense tracking 
• Assist COO and Finance Manager with budget reporting for OMD leadership and board including variance analyses 

Finance (Approximately 20% of the time) 

• Assist Finance Manager with revenue and expense reconciliation 
• Partner with COO and Finance Manager on creating allocations for staff salaries and other expenses 
• Liaise across Finance and Development teams to make sure that grants are correctly booked in both QuickBooks and Salesforce 

Qualifications and Requirements: 

Education: 

Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, finance, business, or relevant field preferred. Equivalent experience will be considered.  

Experience:

• In addition to a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, a minimum of 1-year accounting, budgeting, or grant/contracts management experience  
• Experience with restricted grants is a plus 
• Experience in the social sector, non-profit, government, or education is a plus 

Skills 

• Commitment to the mission of One Million Degrees 
• Advanced Excel skills are a must 
• Proficient technology skills, including Microsoft Office Suite 365, Google Suite, Zoom, and other online/virtual training and meeting platforms 

• Experience with QuickBooks or another accounting system is a plus 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills  
• Proven ability to effectively communicate with diverse audiences and the ability to give and receive direct and kind feedback 
• Proficient practice with issues of diversity, specifically around race, class, gender, ability, and equity in the workplace 

Compensation and Benefits for Full-time Employees: 

• Salary – $50-$60K 
• Health Benefits – Full health benefits provided for full-time employees, including medical, dental, and vision.  
• Retirement Benefits – For full-time employees, OMD offers a Simple IRA plan and matches retirement contributions up to 3% of the total salary.  

• Professional Learning Opportunities – OMD supports employees’ continued learning in areas relevant to their professional growth and organizational goals and will pay for training such as workshops and conferences as agreed to by employees and supervisors.  
• Paid Time Off –15 days PTO in the first year plus 11 paid holidays.  

Apply here.