Senior Grant Specialist

We’re looking for an experienced, detail-oriented Senior Grants Specialist who’s a strong communicator and writer. In this position, you’ll lead a team working with local governments to coordinate the entire grant-writing process—from research to submission to post-award compliance. If you’re a self-starter who thrives on seeing a grant through from start to finish, this role is for you!  

You’ll have plenty of independence while also collaborating with clients, stakeholders, and our team to develop compelling, award-winning proposals. The ideal candidate is a leader who is client-focused, coachable, and enjoys continuously improving their craft. Candidates must live in Florida, and preference is given to those living in South Florida.  

This role is a senior position, providing leadership within the organization and acting as a trusted resource for our clients.  

Job Summary:

The Senior Grants Specialist plays a pivotal role in assisting local governments and higher education organizations in securing critical grant funding. Acting as the lead grant consultant and working with minimal oversight from the CEO, this role will be responsible for managing our clients’ grant needs. Drawing from experience and employing established grantsmanship strategies, this position will work alongside clients, stakeholders, and team members to uphold our legacy of crafting award-winning proposals and dedication to supporting projects that produce meaningful results. 

Essential Functions

• Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with clients, fund providers, and other key stakeholders; establish a reputation as a trusted advisor in the grant writing community through repeated and successful grant proposals resulting in secured project funding.
• Lead, manage, and coordinate client teams in supporting the full-cycle grant process; provide grant strategy, perform grant research, proposal development, grant readiness assessments, grant schedule management, grant writing, submission, and post-award compliance and reporting. 
• Study and understand the history, structure, objectives, programs, and financial needs of client organizations while engaging clients to share pertinent information to aid the development of a competitive grant proposal. 
• Research and identify available grant opportunities from government and non-government agencies that align with the client organization’s needs, mission, goals, and strategic plan; research funding sources to understand past initiatives that have been successfully funded and why; evaluate this information against grant requirements and criteria to determine client eligibility and feasibility in securing funding. 
• Prepare and present a summary of recommended grant opportunities to clients; respond to client suggestions for potential grant opportunities; work collaboratively with clients and grants team to determine suitable grants to pursue. 
• Coordinate with client and grants team to gather required information, data, and statistics required for grant applications; conduct comprehensive and complex grant-related research to support proposal development and maximize grant-getting potential.  
• Draft or review proposals to ensure they are well-written, compelling, and comply with specific RFP formatting requirements and components such as budgets, schedules, and project descriptions; tailor content to appeal to reviewers; review drafts with client until approved. 
• Monitor, track, and follow up with clients on the status of their grant application after submission; respond to internal and external queries on drafted and submitted proposals. 
• Provide post-award grant management support; track and manage grant-related documentation, prepare programmatic reports and reimbursement requests, provide technical support to clients when a project is experiencing delays or challenges. 
• Maintain updated knowledge of industry trends, best practices, and changes in grant regulations through participation in relevant training, education, and networking opportunities such as grant workshops and/or literature review. 

   

Required Qualifications + Key Competencies

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration, non-profit management, communications, or related field; or equivalent education/training/experience combination. 
  
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in the full-cycle grant process focusing on securing grant funding for units of local government 
• Demonstrated success securing and managing municipal grant funding (i.e., water and sewer infrastructure, community revitalization, roadway improvements).

Licenses and/pr Certifications

• Grant Professional Certified (GPC), Certified Grant Management Specialist (CGMS), or Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential, preferred. 

Knowledge, Skills

• Knowledge of grant funding processes, regulations, and compliance requirements for government (federal, state, and local) and foundation grants.
• Demonstrated expertise in the use of cloud-based services (i.e., Microsoft 365, Dropbox), collaboration and project management tools (i.e., Microsoft Teams, Asana, Smartsheet), as well as government and foundation grant databases, with a propensity to learn new technologies and maximize usage.

Attributes

• Organizational Advocate.  Represents the company with professionalism, especially when interacting with internal and external parties; believes in and demonstrates a commitment to the organization’s mission and values; upholds the company’s brand, culture, policies, and values with integrity. 
• Accountable.  Owns decisions, outcomes, and results, both positive and negative.
• Detail-Oriented. Consistently exhibit a high standard for excellence and attention to detail; keen focus on thoroughness and accuracy in preparing grant proposals and maintaining documentation with the ability to identify details which may have been previously overlooked including erroneous, inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, or missing information.
• Communication.  Relate well with individuals of diverse backgrounds, situations, and experiences; patience to hear others out and build rapport with dignity and tact; effectively communicate both verbally and in writing with clients and team members sharing detailed, clear, and concise information and feedback on grant proposals, funder requirements, etc.; ability to handle sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.
• Organized.  Effectively manage, coordinate, and discern task priorities to complete concurrent client projects; ability to work independently and initiate tasks under minimal supervision; strong work-ethic and entrepreneurial spirit; adept time and project management skills to meet proposal deadlines.
• Research & Analytical. Seek out and gather information from a variety of sources applying effective research techniques; synthesize complex information for delivery to diverse audiences; develop budgets and analyze data to evaluate project outcomes; identify trends in grant-related data and uncover new sources for funding.
• Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking. Ability to understand all aspects of grant projects and proposals; identify potential challenges and propose reasonable solutions based on experience and research; use judgement to resolve issues while adhering to established guidelines and processes; escalate problems as appropriate.

Working Conditions

The following characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Schedule + Travel

• Monday-Friday, typically 9am-5pm EST to accommodate standard business hours of team and clients. 
• Local travel, dependent on the incumbent’s work location, may be required for on-site client meetings, grant-related research/tasks, grant workshop attendance, and/or team collaboration as requested. 

Work Environment

• Work is conducted primarily remotely (i.e., from a home office) with weekly virtual team meetings. 
• Due to the remote work environment, this position requires a significant portion of the work to be managed and communicated through digital platforms. Employees are required to maintain a private, safe, and professional office space equipped with the necessary technology (i.e., computer, webcam, phone, high-speed internet, etc.) to effectively perform their duties. This includes a quiet space conducive to conducting confidential or business-related conversations that is free from noise and other distractions. 

Physical Demands

• Remain in a stationary position for continuous periods of time while performing office work or traveling for work-related purposes.
• Regularly operate a computer, phone, and other office equipment or technology.  
• Regularly communicate with CEO, clients, team members, and other external parties by written, verbal, electronic demonstration, or other media to accurately and effectively obtain/exchange information, coordinate activities, and/or resolve issues and concerns. 
• Move from one area to another or position oneself as needed to access filing cabinets, office equipment, client documents, or other work-related items while performing duties.
• Review work for errors and adjust or make corrections, as necessary.    

Application Instructions

Please complete the Grant Proposal Writer Form and upload the documents listed below. You may also email the documents to info@belltowergroup.org

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Proof of Professional Credential (GPC, CFRE, CGMS), if applicable
• Preferred Hourly Rate