Grants Manager

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Position description

Foundation for a Just Society (FJS) envisions a world where all people are equally valued and lead self-determined lives. FJS advances the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people and promotes gender and racial justice by ensuring those most affected by injustice have the resources they need to cultivate the leadership and solutions that transform our world.

 

FJS makes grants to local, national, regional, and global organizations and networks with an emphasis on Francophone West Africa, Mesoamerica, South and Southeast Asia, and the US Southeast. FJS supports efforts that advance long-term, structural change and meet immediate needs that enable women, girls, and LGBTQI people most affected by injustice to be leaders, strategists, and agents of change.

 

POSITION SUMMARY

The grants manager will report to the head of grants management and will potentially supervise a grants associate. The position will be structurally integrated within the program team. This deliberate cross-functional structure is designed to allow the grants manager to have a general understanding of the programmatic direction, be aware of priorities, be alerted to developing plans that might be complex from a grants management perspective, and build relationships with Foundation staff and grantee partners, all while implementing best practices in grants management and compliance.

The grants manager is responsible for overseeing and ensuring the smooth, timely and compliant administration of a subset of FJS’s grantmaking portfolios. The grants manager is required to have an understanding of OFAC regulations, the ability to structure expenditure responsibility grants with grantee partners based outside of the US, and the expertise to evaluate domestic grants that require sensitivity to US Treasury rules concerning lobbying and maintenance of strict non-partisanship in civic engagement activities. The grants manager will be supported by a grants associate within an overall five to six person grants management team. 

The ideal candidate for this position is someone with a strong background in grantmaking regulations for private foundations, who thrives on keeping processes organized and moving, and finds satisfaction in supporting others to successfully navigate and understand procedures.

Some domestic and international travel.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Grants Administration:

• Assure the timely and smooth flow of proposal processing throughout the grant cycle, from Application to closeout. Monitor grants process, identifying potential delays, and work to proactively resolve issues.
• Monitor budget progress and grants planning for assigned portfolios, and work with program staff to ensure clear grants plans have been developed.  Work with program team to modify grantmaking plan as needed, and ensure changes are reflected in the GivingData grants management system.
• Provide technical assistance to grantee partners and applicants regarding compliance and the foundation’s grantmaking procedures. 
• Review correspondence prepared by grants associate, including award letters and amendment letters.
• Oversee grant modification and amendment process including no-cost extensions, changes in fiscal sponsorship status, etc.
• Respond to grantee audit confirmation letters, renewal awards, and annual and pledged gift agreements.
• Recommend policies and procedures for ensuring the integrity of the grants database, including data validation checks, maintenance of coding consistency, periodic analyses to verify the completeness of data, and the establishment of protocols for identifying and editing missing or inaccurate data.
• Identify and develop strategies to optimize the grants administration process according to the operational and financial needs of the organization.
• Represent the foundation at the PEAK Grantmaking conference and in other meetings and forums.

Compliance:

• Conduct legal compliance review, interact with program officers and grantee partners, to ensure that all grantee proposals and reports and supporting documentation are complete, accurate, and consistent with IRS regulations and foundation policies. 
• Facilitate requests for equivalency determination via NGO Source for qualified international grantee partners, including conducting initial screening grantee partners for likelihood of qualification.
• Work with fellow grants manager and program team to ensure grantee partners with equivalency determination status remain active and are renewed as needed and in a timely manner.
• Work with head of grants management and fellow grants manager to make modifications to compliance procedures or documentation as new recommendations, needs or information arise.
• Communicate with grantees when there are questions regarding grant materials, including compliance questions, budget issues, grant amendment-related needs, etc., and keep program staff informed of open issues.
• With the support of the grants associate, follow up with grantees regarding any missing or incomplete compliance documentation and data.
• Stay abreast of funding trends and compliance issues and attend relevant professional meetings and activities.

Systems and Training:

• With fellow grants manager, serve as primary administrator for the GivingData grants management system, including user management and system configuration updates.
• Recommend changes in the grants management process and technology to improve efficiency, transparency, compliance, and applicant experience.
• Provide recommendations and support in the development, implementation, and staff training of policies and procedures related to grants document management, due diligence requirements, risk management, grants management best practices, and database coding.  
• Provide periodic trainings for staff and grantees on compliance and grants process related topics.
• Identify grantmaking professional development and training opportunities for self and grants associate.
• Serve as backup support to enter grant payments into JP Morgan Chase Access, review payments for accuracy, and coordinate with the FJS management team to release wire payments.

Other Related Duties:

• Accompany program officers on site visits, as needed, to provide technical assistance to grantee partners and assess their stated use of grant funds.
• Provide support to the head of grants management and finance team with the annual audit and Form 990PF preparation.
• Provide leadership on special projects for the grants management team and in collaboration with program and operations teams, as needed.
• Support the annual budget process for the program team and help inform development of the grants management team budget within the grants management team. 
• Assign grants management-related tasks to the grants associate.

Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a private foundation setting with international grantmaking, including expenditure responsibility, equivalency determination, and OFAC compliance.
• Deep experience understanding of IRS rules and regulations governing private foundations and all related activity and supporting staff and grantees in ensuring full compliance with all grantmaking regulations.
• Experience using and managing a grants management database, preferably experience with GivingData, including experience building and running reports.
• Experience developing and implementing policies and procedures.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with people management preferred.

Related Skills & Other Requirements:

• Demonstrated commitment to women’s, girls’ and LGBTQI rights, and alignment with the foundation’s values.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent speaking, writing and research skills; ability to define objectives and consistently meet deadlines.  
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, and spearhead initiatives.
• Ability to create and refine systems to ensure good grantmaking.
• Solid judgment and critical thinking skills.
• Positive attitude, sense of humor and a commitment to being a part of an energetic, demanding work environment.
• Minimal overnight travel to participate in staff retreats is required. 
• Must have eligibility to work in the United States.

PREFERRED ASSETS

• Finance experience
• Fluency in Spanish and/or French

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on geopolist.com