Title: Grants Manager
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Term: Limited full-time, 2-yr contract with option to extend, based on available funding
Company Background
The Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) is an international members-based NGO working to develop, support, and mainstream climate resilience through the medium of water resources via both technical programs and policy processes. AGWA is made up of over 2500 members, largely professionals from the water and climate communities representing utilities, academia, development banks, NGOs, government agencies, financial institutions, and the private sector. A small secretariat runs the daily operations of AGWA, while many of its initiatives are crowd-sourced across the network. AGWA’s headquarters are based in Oregon, USA, but activities occur globally.
AGWA’s work culture is dynamic and fast moving and requires an independent, self-motivated and self-directed approach, with the flexibility to work across time zones, levels of formality, and culture. Every day is a trust fall at AGWA – we are a small but hard-working, innovative, and deeply collaborative team, and our organization punches well over its weight. We may have more in common with a high-tech startup in our work culture than a more traditional NGO or think tank. You will leverage and enhance your own network of resources and partners over the course of this project. We expect staff to communicate progress, problems, and solutions early and often in a deeply collaborative, practical, and (if possible) humble and even humorous way. We find that investigation, creativity, and learning are critical for successful outcomes for most of our projects. AGWA will stretch you! We hope you will stretch us in turn. Given our small size, the ability to troubleshoot is essential. So is the ability to ask for and receive help.
Job Summary
As Grants Manager at AGWA, you will play a key role in overseeing the administration of AGWA’s grant agreements. Most of our portfolio of work is funded by a mix of institutional donors, foundations, government agencies, and other grant-making entities. You will work closely with AGWA’s various project leads, an external bookkeeping team, project partners, and external funders while reporting to the Chief Operating Officer.
The role will be split among different projects, but a significant portion of your time will be dedicated to a large, multi-year initiative called the Water Resilience Tracker for National Climate Planning, which we see as a flagship project to successfully mainstream water resilience within national and subnational planning processes.
You will be responsible for general grants management, particularly around elements of administration, reporting, and finances. This will include financial tracking and forecasting, preparing financial reports, contributing to technical progress reports, and supporting the tracking of indicators for grant progress. More generally, you will play an essential role within a growing nonprofit organization as it seeks to find diverse, long-term funding opportunities and to enable the internal mechanisms to support its smooth operation. Examples of expected tasks include supporting proposal and EOI development, seeking out and tracking upcoming opportunities, advising on budget structures, and advising on staffing and financial management.
Many of AGWA’s grants are carried out as part of a consortium. You will be expected to liaise with external project partners (individuals or organizations), donors, and AGWA’s various consultants around aspects of contracting, invoicing, and activity reporting.
Job Responsibilities
Grants Management
- Working with all AGWA staff to track and report all grant-related expenses. This will include activities such as quarterly donor reports and completion reports.
- Managing budgets by tracking burn rate, spend-down, and forecasted expenditures based on grant activity.
- Ensuring prompt reporting and compliance with grant terms and conditions.
- Working with the COO, overseeing contracts and agreements. This will include preparing and managing subawards to partners and consultants responsible for carrying out project activities and ensuring compliance with relevant tax authorities.
- Participating in post-award reviews or audits and addressing any issues.
Grants Development
- Spearheading or coordinating the organization’s grant development processes.
- Working with other AGWA staff to prepare, review, and submit compelling grant proposals and letters of inquiry to donor agencies, paying close attention to timelines, deadlines, and submission requirements.
- Working with the COO to develop budgets that incorporate the organizational forecasts and overhead needed prior to approaching donors.
- Researching funding opportunities aligned with the nonprofit’s mission.
Collaboration and Coordination
- Participating in conversations with project leads and donors, clarifying, interpreting, and resolving grant-related issues.
- Support project leads in their administrative interactions with consultants, subawardees, and external partners.
Internal Financial Support
- Coordinating with project staff and support staff to ensure accurate and timely expense reporting and receipt tracking, particularly around travel.
- Liaising with AGWA’s COO around grant-related expenses associated with staff payroll.
- Supporting AGWA’s COO and external bookkeepers as they prepare organizational financial reports by providing them with any necessary grant-related information.
- Coordinating with AGWA’s COO to ensure prompt payment for consultants and subawards.
- Working with the COO to submit and track invoices (Accounts Receivable) as part of grant payments.
- Helping to identify the policies, procedures, and resources needed to help AGWA grow as a nonprofit organization, optimizing the grant administration process.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., nonprofit management, public administration, finance).
- Minimum of 4 years of proven experience in nonprofit grant development, management, and compliance, ideally dealing with international grant agreements or foreign currency issues. Experience managing grants from diverse sources, including foundations, corporations, and government agencies is preferred.
- Extremely strong attention to detail, particularly around financial reporting.
- Ability to work effectively across a number of grant agreements and projects with varying requirements and reporting processes.
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to work effectively in a remote setting.
- Experience and familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workplace. Experience with grant management software is a bonus.
- Fluency in English is required; fluency in other languages is an advantage.
Location
This position can be carried out remotely from within the U.S. but will require regular in-person meetings and close coordination with some members of the AGWA Secretariat. Strong preference will be given to candidates who are located in the U.S. Pacific Northwest region or Northwest Arkansas where existing AGWA staff are based.
Benefits
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
- Generous benefits package, including healthcare stipend, retirement plan, remote work support, and paid time off.
- Support for ongoing learning and growth.
- Meaningful work with a dedicated team committed to making a difference in efforts to build climate resilience at local, national, and global levels.
How to Apply
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample (grant proposal or report) to Alex Mauroner: amauroner@alliance4water.org.
