Grants Manager

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Job Overview:

The Grants Team at IRC in Sacramento works to leverage public and private funding opportunities through prospecting, proposal development, grants, and subaward contract management. The Grants Manager is primarily responsible for overseeing the full range of pre- and post-award activities required to prepare concept notes, proposals, and budgets, comply with internal approval processes, and align with compliance requirements of public agencies and private foundations. Work is performed under the supervision of a Development Director and in collaboration with IRC Sacramento’s leadership, finance, programs, as well as headquarters’ technical team, and awards and business development units.

Major Responsibilities:

Development and Grants Management

Prospecting

• Represent Sacramento office in all regional opportunities, particularly for restricted funding, in close coordination with Site Directors, Development Director, Technical Advisors, relevant program leads, and grant coordinators.
• Collaborate with the Development Director in prospecting efforts, utilizing an internal standard operating procedure to support both restricted and unrestricted fundraising needs.
• In collaboration with IRC Sacramento Development Director, work with the Site Director to develop a funding strategy and timeline and perform prospective research on potential public and private funders.

Proposal Development (Pre-Award)

• Develop and manage the Sacramento region’s proposal calendar.
• Lead concepts note, proposal, and budget development, including ensuring log frames, program design, and narrative meet high quality standards in coordination with Programs/Site director, Finance Director, and headquarters’ Resource Acquisition and Management (RAM), and ensure all supporting documentation in the applications are up to date.
• Provide pre-award support and coverage when needed to the local offices.
• Lead negotiation and agreements stage with donors and ensure contract terms are communicated with Finance and Programs through grant kick off meetings and recorded in Asana project tracking.
• Coordinate grant opening and closing meetings for every funded opportunity across the Sacramento office portfolio.

Grants Management (Post-Award)

• Modify final budgets as requested by donor and Site Director/program lead and communicate with Finance and RAM to ensure incoming restricted funds will be tracked.
• Lead negotiation and agreements stage with donors and ensure contract terms are communicated with Finance and Programs through grant kick off meetings and recorded in Asana project tracking.
• Provide support with reports, including copy-editing, coordinating report timelines with headquarters, and submission.
• Serve as a main point of contact for donors across Sacramento office to ensure communication adheres to IRC policy and best practices.
• Develop and ensure the effective maintenance of contract and grant files for each funded program with consistent documentation standards.
• Be a local subject expert for IRC’s Business Development Standards.
• Be a local subject expert for IRC’s internal grants systems (PEERS and OTIS).

Partnerships

• Be a local subject expert in IRC’s internal partnership process, PEERS, to provide technical support to the Partnership Grants Coordinator to ensure subawardees’ contracts are drafted with detailed information on scope of work, deliverables, fund disbursement, and monitoring plans in coordination with the partners and program staff, and in compliance with Finance and RAM.

Supervision & training:

• Provide leadership and management of the Grant Coordinator in Turlock, to ensure all tasks are covered and team workload is managed in a way that respects and promotes work life balance and professional growth.
• Provide training and support to new hires ensuring staff meet the expectations of their role and meet responsibilities in a timely manner.
• Be a local subject expert in OTIS and IRC’ RAM’s Business Development processes, and the local Sacramento/Turlock Business Development workflow.

Systems & Accountability:

• Maintain proposal calendar, pipelines, grants tracking, and regularly update senior management with up-to-date data
• Ensure the go/no-go review process of opportunities are consistently applied and strengthened by working with senior management to ensure proposals are of high quality and grants staff are at capacity
• Ensure continuous improvement on the utilization of Asana to track opportunity pipelines, award management, and reporting in coordination with senior management, Finance, and program staff
• Establish and continuously update a Standard of Practice (SOP) for Grants staff in coordination with the Finance team and headquarters’ Resource Acquisition and Management (RAM
• Leverage regular communications with Finance, RAM, and the Sacramento office to improve SOP and workflow

Secondary duties:

• Work closely with site leads and program staff to prepare interim and final reports to grantors.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Development Director
• Position Supervises: Grants Coordinator (in Turlock office)
• Indirect Reporting: Site Director
  Other Internal and/or External Contacts:
• Internal: Director of Finance, Sacramento/Turlock Executive Director, Sacramento Program Managers & Coordinators, Technical Advisors, HQ Resource Acquisition and Management department
• External: Foundations and public funders at city, county, state, and federal levels

Job Requirements:

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree required in nonprofit management, community development, social sciences, social work, or related fields, or demonstrated work experience of similar knowledge. Master’s degree a plus.
• Certification or continuing education in project management, proposal development and/or fundraising a strong plus.

Work Experience:

• Five+ years of nonprofit or public sector experience in development and grants.
• Five+ years of experience in a supervisory role.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent writing, research, and organizational skills.
• Familiarity with grants process of government funding agency(ies) (federal, state, or county/city level)
• Familiarity with the Sacramento non-profit/philanthropy environment a plus
• Familiarity and comfort working with budgets and finance departments
• Ability to work autonomously in their scheduling and prioritizing within tight deadlines and focused on the work product.
• Self-directed but with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well within a team
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel, Outlook, and project management tools, e.g. Asana
• Experience in IRC systems of PEERS and OTIS a plus (for IRC internal candidates)
• Valid driver’s license and access to a personal, insured vehicle.

Language Skills: 

• Excellence in written and spoken English

Working Environment:

• Standard hybrid office environment (this is not a fully remote position)
• Occasional travel to Turlock office site as needed

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation: ($84,872-$91,137 - Annually). Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget.  Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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Benefits: IRC offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package. Highlights include 10 paid sick leave, 10 U.S. holidays, 20-25 generous paid time off based on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $163/month, dental starting at $6.50/month, and vision starting at $5/month, flexible spending accounts (healthcare, dependent care, and commuter), a 403(b) retirement savings plan with employer match (immediate vesting) along with a non-elective employer contribution based on age and years of service (3-year vesting), disability and life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering confidential counseling and support services for employees and their families.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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