Grants Program Manager - Kauffman Foundation - Kansas City, MO - EXPIRED
This is an archive of an expired job.
Job Information:
Company: Kauffman Foundation
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Grants Program Manager supports the Senior Director of Entrepreneurship in the implementation and execution of the Entrepreneurship department’s grantmaking and reporting effectiveness. Reporting to the Senior Director of Entrepreneurship, the Grants Program Manager supports the process of improving and maintaining grantmaking practices, documenting and sharing these learnings to the team to ensure efficiency and collaboration across the team’s grantmaking initiatives. The Grants Program Manager must proactively monitor all grantmaking projects, overlapping projects and related underlying tasks to ensure that timeliness of completion and areas of improvement are identified. The Grants Program Manager reports project-level concerns to the Sr. Director and proposes solutions to restore the project’s overall timeline.
Specific Responsibilities Include:
Grantmaking:
- Manage the department’s grantmaking processes to ensure quality, consistency, and timely review.
- Create, improve, and distribute templates of key grantmaking documents to ensure consistency.
- Review and provide input to the Sr. Director and Vice President, Entrepreneurship on board grant write-ups and other grant proposals.
- Monitor and measure grantmaking processes and practices to ensure that grants meet or exceed targets and meet timelines and quality standards.
- Manage and participate in the intake, screening, and monitoring of grant registrations, proposals, and reports to ensure compliance with foundation requirements and timely review.
- Facilitate required meetings for each grant proposal entering the department’s internal review and approval process; document and share best practices and notes from each meeting.
- Monitor and manage grant reporting deadlines and payments, including timely communication with those organizations and program officers who may be delinquent.
- Act as the “first line of defense” in fielding program officers and grant administration’s questions regarding requests, payment, reports, etc.
- Work alongside program staff in the reconciliation of grantee and internal budget worksheets to improve accuracy of department-wide forecasts.
Planning and Monitoring:
- Manage the annual program planning activities to ensure effective coordination and workflow balance.
- Proactively identify patterns, potential issues, and risks related to the achievement of operational, financial, and programmatic goals – and make recommendations to the Sr. Director regarding solutions to increase efficiency and improve the quality of the department’s work.
- Monitor key operational performance indicators and track progress toward goals, including setting targets that are benchmarked to peer organizations, all through listening to and gathering input from program staff and department leadership.
- Support the entrepreneurship’s department execution of strategic planning and development of workplans.
- Recognize grantmaking project interdependencies to ensure timely and successful project delivery.
- Identify, track, prioritize, and drive resolution of project level concerns and leverage lessons learned from previous experience.
- Manage the briefing process while ensuring learning is captured and shared.
- Manage the entrepreneurship team’s grant flow processes with other departments.
- Assist with planning and coordination of programs, board material preparation, grantmaking and planning activities.
- Support evaluation of all program activities and quality improvement activities.
- Provide meeting support including note taking and document preparation.
- Help identify resources and tools that could be helpful to the department’s practices.
- Collaborate with and assist the Sr. Director of Entrepreneurship on special projects as needed.
Learning and Sharing:
- Assess the program officers’ training needs and contribute to the development and implementation of the department’s skills development activities and resources.
- Create presentations, summaries, and other materials to ensure better communication, collaboration, and efficiency across the entrepreneurship team.
- Conduct research on the best operational practices of peer organizations, including approaches to measuring performance.
- Ensure operational effectiveness content is updated as needed on Courtyard and alert appropriate staff of any changes as needs arise.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Education: Bachelor's degree preferred but would consider an equivalent combination of education and/or experience that demonstrates possession of core competencies.
Work Experience: Minimum of five years relevant experience in administrative or program support positions with progressively increasing responsibility.
Travel: This position may require up to 10% travel.
QUALIFICATIONS
Qualified incumbents for this position must be highly motivated, capable of self-direction, detail oriented, and able to work collaboratively across teams. Incumbents must exhibit a keen sense of responsibility and enjoy working with multiple demands, shifting priorities, and constant change.
- Is naturally curious with the ability to develop a well-rounded understanding of content, processes, deliverables, and overall objectives.
- Possesses a strong attention to detail, ensuring that all details are handled to ensure high quality work.
- Possesses exceptional organizational skills with the ability to successfully simultaneously manage multiple projects and team members to meet deadlines.
- Anticipates and meets demands with flexibility and good humor.
- Has the ability to take initiative in identifying needs for process improvement and lead initiatives to implement related changes.
- Demonstrates strong analytical skills with an ability to synthesize multiple sources of information and present the findings in a clear and coherent way.
- Has the ability to construct coherent and logical arguments that connect grant outcomes to overall departmental goals.
- Demonstrates exceptional critical thinking skills with the ability to view situations or problems from multiple different perspectives to improve quality.
- Possesses great judgement that is augmented with an ability to be solutions-oriented, find common ground, and deliver information in a tactful and diplomatic way.
- Understands organizational and leadership dynamics, both internally and externally, to identify capacity needs necessary for success.
- Has well-developed listening and excellent communication skills, specifically in the areas of verbal and written communication.
- Is skilled at building and leveraging existing relations to improve the outcomes of the departments work.
- Has strong computer skills: including competency in Microsoft office products and the ability to Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrates a personal values system that encompasses the highest standards of humility, humor, stewardship, respect, excellence, openness, and professional ethics reflective of the Kauffman Foundation.
The Foundation will bring all associates back to the office – for a hybrid approach to work – with a date yet to be determined. The person selected for this role should feel free to remain remote until then (though, our offices are open as well and the person selected can also choose to work in the office as soon as s/he would like). When our hybrid approach to work begins, the person in this role will be expected to work from our offices – as all associates will - in our hybrid model. Being able to work in person – with our colleagues and with community partners – is vital to our work. Our hybrid model will include 3 days in the office; 2 days flexible for virtual work. We expect to provide additional flexibility that may include each associate having access to four weeks of “work from anywhere” time each year. Our approach to hybrid is driven by 1) a need for a balance of in-office opportunities for conversation and collaboration as well as independent work; and 2) as part of the KC Community we want to be present and available – an active and visible partner – for community members, grantees and others.
All of the statements in this position description are intended to describe the general nature of the work being performed and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities duties and skills required. This document describes the position currently available. The organization reserves the right to modify job duties or job descriptions at any time.
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