Careers

Program Officer

Return to Main Career Page

Grants Officer

Location: Washington, DC/Hybrid

The Institute for State Effectiveness, a Think (and Do) Tank that provides proven tools to help states deliver services to citizens through more accountable and effective governance, is looking for a grants officer to join our team and scale our impact. The Grants Officer is responsible for coordination of grant preparation and reporting and business development across ISE programs. The Grants Officer will work with ISE Management Team and program leads to provide support on the following:

Roles & Responsibilities

  • Business Development and Grant Proposal Writing (40%). Responsible for supporting ISE staff in researching and identifying new funding opportunities including foundations and RFPs, developing comprehensive fundraising/project proposal submission.
  • Support to include: (1) identifying grant opportunities (2) identifying proposal team, including contributors and reviewers; (3) developing a proposal schedule with milestones for development, review, and submission; (4) coordinating across proposal team, ensuring team adheres to schedule and drafting inputs. Part of this role will include developing a library of templates with standard ISE language and approaches from which proposal teams can pull content
  • Grants management and reporting (30%). Assisting with grants management and coordinating donor reporting across ISE programs. This work would include:
    • Monitoring & evaluation.  Responsible for the regular monitoring & evaluation of grant programs to help ensure ISE’s work is achieving our intended impact. This work would include (1) participating in and providing support to project design activities including development of project theories of change and strategic frameworks (Results Frameworks, Log Frames, etc.); (2) determining performance and impact indicators and targets where required; (3) determining program data collection requirements and corresponding procedures/tools; (4) monitoring grant activities, outputs and progress towards anticipated results; (5) coordinating with project and program leads to ensure grants adhere to proposed schedule and budget; and (6) summarizing and disseminating results for both internal and external use.
    • Report coordination. With the support of the Administrative team, responsible for coordinating regular reporting to donors. This work would include: (1) managing the grant reporting schedule; (2) informing project and program leads of upcoming reporting due; (3) leveraging information captured through M&E frameworks to assist in the drafting of narrative reports; (4) coordinating with project and program leads to contribute to narrative reports; (5) coordinating with the ISE accountant team on financial and audit reports; and (6) coordinating with Senior Management to review final reports, ensuring timely submission.
  • Operations, Processes and Systems Improvement (20%). Responsible for maintaining and improving organization-wide management systems, processes and best practices for grant and project management, including but not limited to:
    • Project Management Systems: processes and tools relating to the standardized management of ISE projects, supporting HR on: onboarding/offboarding processes, contracting details, forecasting, etc.
    • Grants Management Systems: methods and tools relating to the organization of donor- and grant-related information and documents and contact management systems.
    • Knowledge Management Systems: methods and tools relating to the creating, sharing, using and managing of knowledge and information.
  • Administrative (10%). With the support of the Administrative team, assist with administrative support to programs across ISE, including: research requests including researching fundraising opportunities; event, workshop and travel logistics; working with the communications team on dissemination materials; contract management support; support for the onboarding of new employees; etc.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent required; advanced degree desired.
  • Minimum of 2 years experience in grants management, including international grantmaking, expenditure responsibility, and other compliance issues
  • Demonstrated experience in working in the non-profit space
  • Experience working with grants management databases.
  • Knowledge and application of best practices in grantmaking.
  • Proven abilities in analysis, database management, and data reporting.
  • Advanced computer skills (in particular, developing Word forms/templates, Adobe Acrobat forms, and manipulating data in Excel); willingness to learn additional applications (and accessible technology) as necessary.
  • High level of attention to detail and strong organizational skills, and, at the same time, ability to think broadly and analyze trends.
  • Highly motivated self-starter, with ability to work successfully in a virtual team environment.
  • Passion for international development issues
  • Excellent research, writing, and editing skills, with attention to detail required.
  • Ability to handle confidential information.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical, budgetary, and grants administration details to staff, donors, grantees, and Board members.
  • Ability to design and implement effective workflow processes and procedures.
  • Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and follow through to effectively manage work and meet multiple deadlines.
  • Capability to contribute to an atmosphere which recognizes and respects cultural and individual differences.

To Apply:

Submit your resume, cover letter and writing sample (either combine in Word or PDF) in BambooHR here.

No phone calls, please. Interviews are ongoing. We will accept applications until we fill the position.

ISE is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.