Grants Manager

Key Responsibilities

Strategy

• Support a comprehensive and shared vision for the future of grants management that strategically advises and collaborates with the Director of Grants Management and another Grants Manager, programmatic staff, and administrative functions across the foundation.
• Audits and assesses existing grants management processes, tools, and capacities to inform strategic planning and implementation.
• Lead aspects of grants management planning, evaluation, and improvement efforts.

Grants Management and Systems

• Manage all aspects of the grant workflow and infrastructure (processes, policies, guidelines, systems); proactively identify and propose workflow improvements ensuring updates and documentation is shared across the foundation.
• Maintain and update grantmaking templates (e.g., application, agreement letters, reporting requirements) in partnership with the General Counsel and senior leadership.
• Collaborate with program staff to ensure an accessible grants application process, effective administration of funds, and equitable grantee partnerships; train program staff on Grants Management System (GMS) and grants management.
• Serve a primary point of contact in partnership with external GMS vendor and internal staff to manage database; plan any future systems changes to improve grants management.

Continuous Improvement and Compliance

• Lead with a continuous improvement orientation by integrating feedback mechanisms (with internal staff and grantee partners) for early detection of problems and responsive operational improvements.
• Collaborate with WSF’s Learning and Evaluation Directors to develop and manage a framework for collection and use of data to advance learning, leadership decision making and strategic goals.
• Promote and create a culture of learning and knowledge sharing around grants and grants practices to support program staff across the foundation.
• Partner with the legal and finance staff to ensure compliance with U.S. and international regulations and institutional policies across all grantmaking activities and manage risk assessment.

Ideal Candidate

The Grants Manager will be motivated by WSF’s mission to advance equitable and transformative solutions to the climate crisis. This person will have experience with international and domestic grants management along with GMS platforms. They will be an advisor, project manager, analyst, and problem solver who centers innovation and has a key eye for details. As an advisor to the ongoing development of internal infrastructure and systems, the successful candidate will be data driven and systems thinker. Experience supporting GMS development and implementation is a distinct advantage.

This Grants Manager will have a background in successfully building internal and external partnerships in order to create and implement strategies that advance the foundation’s goal of a highly effective and equitable grants management. As WSF continues to evolve and expand its staff and impact, it will be critical for this person to be an exceptional communicator (written and oral), active listener, and teammate who values teaching and learning. A comfort with ambiguity and competing priorities is vital.

Qualifications

With the understanding that no one person will offer every desired skill and characteristic outlined below, compelling candidates will offer much of the following:

• 5+ years of grants management experience at a philanthropic organization with international and domestic programmatic strategies.
• A deep understanding of international and domestic compliance and financial regulations.
• A strong systems orientation with a background of successfully improving and enhancing existing approaches and developing new solutions.
• A demonstrated ability to develop and implement complex projects and/or formulate institutional-level policy and practice, preferably within a philanthropic or social sector institution.
• A client-service orientation and ability to seamlessly engage across internal functions and external partners.
• Skilled at project management, setting and meeting deadlines, time management, and prioritization.
• Excellent cross-cultural skills, including the ability to communicate with people at all levels and from various backgrounds.
• An approachable expert—someone who leads with warmth and humility, speaks with confidence, enjoys sharing knowledge and is patient in bringing others along.
• Skilled at leading through influence, a natural collaborator, and possess a strong team orientation.
• A high capacity for working, building, and collaborating in a rapidly evolving organization.