Grants Manager

About The Opportunity

The Ford Foundation seeks an experienced Grants Manager (GM) who will be responsible for managing the end-to-end grantmaking process for select programmatic portfolio(s).

Reporting to the Associate Director of Grants Management (AD), the GM will be a key partner and advisor to their team and grantees on all grantmaking processes, policies and systems. This role is highly collaborative and will have accountability to support and maintain best practices and standards in grants management.

The ideal candidate will be a detail-oriented, knowledgeable and adaptable person who can work independently and as part of a team.

The GM’s responsibilities are broken down into four major categories: grant portfolio management and planning, grant proposal and report review, grant monitoring and grantee engagement, and budget management and financial health analysis. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Works with the Program Director (PD), Program Officers (POs), Program Assistants and AD to achieve a steady flow of grantmaking during the year.
• Collaborates with the program teams and supports the PD and POs in grant planning, including budget projections, due diligence and proposal invitations.
• Advises program teams on efficient, effective and appropriate funding structures, and provides clear guidance to optimize grants, consultancies and event-related activities.

• Conducts a complete review of the proposal record with a focus on the content, quality and accuracy of the data and information entered by the grantee, with special attention to the grant budget, and ensures adherence to any applicable local policies, regulations and laws.
• Reviews and approves narrative and financial reports for alignment with Foundation policies, approved grant type, terms of the grant and budget.
• Coordinates legal review of tax status of new non-US grantee organizations with Grants Compliance Unit (GCU) or with NGOsource.
• Partners with GCU on proposal and report review to ensure compliance with Foundation and IRS policies to mitigate risk.

• Provides support and technical assistance to prospective and current grantees and serves as a key point of contact around grant-related issues, including in the grants management system (Fluxx).
• Ensures timely and accurate payments to grantees, including tracking and reviewing grant agreement letters, and confirming updates to banking information in the system.
• Works with POs and Senior Manager, Risk and Compliance on select grantee audits by external auditors for appropriate resolution.
• Exhibits best practices in grantmaking by ensuring grant records are updated, managing and tracking reporting requirements and payments and managing grant modifications (e.g. grant increases/decreases, changes in dates, budgets or payment terms).

• Manages and monitors program budget(s) to ensure funds are accurately appropriated, transferred and/or shared with other programs as necessary.
• Analyzes grantee financial health and related due diligence, including the draft and submission of the financial health assessment tool process.
• Provides input and guidance to POs for strategic review of the organizational financial health of grantees.

• Participates in and contributes to both programs and grants management team meetings, retreats and related activities.
• Leads and manages grants management orientation and training to new program staff, including on Fluxx grants management system.
• Undertakes special projects to further institutional goals and assists in research projects related to the Foundation’s current and historical grantmaking and/or grantmaking trends.
• Works with IT staff to pilot and test new technologies, implement ongoing technology improvements and to serve as a key grantmaking team liaison for Fluxx.
• Performs other duties as assigned; including backing each other up and collaborating, as needed, on workflow issues, including administrative tasks and other projects.

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