Senior Grants Specialist – Vermont

The mission of First Children’s Finance (FCF) is to grow the supply and business sustainability of excellent child care. Founded in 1991, FCF provides business and financial assistance to business owners and leaders in the field of Early Care and Education (ECE). To achieve our goals, FCF works on three levels: Individual Business Level, Community Level and Systems Level. FCF is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Minneapolis that provides business development programs and/or financing to ECE providers in multiple states, with state offices in four: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Vermont. For more information, see the First Children’s website at: http://www.firstchildrensfinance.org

Job Summary

The Senior Grants Specialist will help administer grants to child care businesses, with particular focus on ensuring quality customer support and the integrity of the grant application, award, and reporting processes. Reporting to the Vermont Director, the Senior Grants Specialist is an important member of the Vermont team as a connector between people and process in grantmaking activities.

Location:

Applicants must live in Vermont. This is a remote-work position with some required travel to meet with clients and the Vermont team when necessary. All employees are expected to report to the FCF National office in Minneapolis, MN for occasional meetings.

Essential Functions:

• Working closely with and under the supervision of the Vermont Director, oversees the daily administration of the Vermont grant program to ensure integrity of grant process.
• Provide advice, guidance and technical assistance to applicants and grantees.
• Ensures Vermont team coverage/scheduling for technical assistance via phone support and “grants” email inbox.
• Works with Vermont Director to determine process planning and timeline for grant rounds.
• Serves as point of contact for translation and interpreter services; facilitates payment process with FCF Finance team, ensuring grantees are in compliance with grant terms and conditions.
• Serves as Vermont team point of contact for the grant program.
• Maintains grants management processes through the software, Submittable.
• Responsible for grant program data monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
• Perform activities in the grant management cycle.
• Performs other Grants Specialist duties:
• Process grant applications, conduct due diligence, and verify documentation.
• Conduct important regulatory compliance checks.
• Ensure timely and accurate generation of grant notification letters, grant distributions, and grant agreements.
• Maintain electronic grant files, documenting review and grant decisions.
• Track and evaluate grants and ensure timely submission of follow-up reporting by grantees.
• Track grantee reporting and requests for funds throughout the grant period and provide assistance as needed to ensure timely grantee reporting.
• Provide assistance in the creation of grant reports.
• Maintain knowledge of grant funding policies, regulations, and procedures; disseminate and present changes to applicants/grantees.
• Monitor data gathered from grant portal to ensure data integrity and consistency.
• Conduct data analyses for use in reports and program summaries.
• Maintain system for recording and tracking grant proposals, awards, fund requests, reporting and related statistical information.
• Support gathering, management and evaluation of event and program-related data.
• Perform other duties as

Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience working in a foundation, nonprofit, social service or small business setting preferred.
• Experience with grantmaking, program administration and/or data analysis, data management and reporting preferred.
• Experience working collaboratively with communities of color and low-resourced communities.
• Experience managing multiple tasks, prioritizing, and working with little direct supervision.
• A strategic thinker and planner as well as an effective
• Data-driven, curious, and collaborative.
• Culturally competent.
• A team player, partner, and
• Energetic, enthusiastic, with a can-do
• Open to learning, accepting positive and constructive
• Patient and adaptable to changing systems, processes, and templates in a growing environment.
• A person of integrity and trust, able to maintain the highest level of confidentiality.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong administrative, organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated proficiency with current office technology, including advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to work in virtual and web-based platforms.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret and detect patterns in data and draw conclusions.
• Excellent written and oral communication and active listening
• Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Ability to promote a positive image of FCF and position FCF as a key resource in the field of early care and
• Ability to be flexible and work collaboratively with a diverse group of FCF staff, customers, partners, and
• Ability to take initiative, and complete projects independently, yet be a part of a
• Willingness and ability to travel throughout Vermont as needed.

Desired Attributes:

• Creative and collaborative.
• A team player, partner, and networker.
• Energetic, enthusiastic, with a can-do attitude.
• A systems thinker, able to maintain a big-picture focus while attending to detail.
• Open to learning and accepting constructive feedback.
• Organized, self-starter, multi-tasker.

Work Conditions:

• Must be able to work on the computer for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to travel locally for meetings when needed.

Additional Notes:

This job description represents the major functions of the position but is not intended to be all-inclusive. The incumbent is also responsible for taking direction from FCF representatives in completing projects or performing duties deemed necessary for the program and FCF success.

Benefits:

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, disability insurance, holidays, paid time off, and paid family medical leave. Allowable travel costs are reimbursed.

Flexible work environment.

First Children’s Finance honors candidates’ time and effort in job-seeking by providing transparency regarding compensation. Creating transparency regarding salary information reduces the gender pay gap, and eliminates salary negotiation, which rarely benefits people of color or women. It is a value of our organization to support equitable hiring practices.

First Children’s Finance is an Equal Employment Employer.

To Apply Click the link:  First Children’s Finance – Sr Grants Specialist Vermont