Grant Development Specialist

Description

Grant Development Specialist

Job Status: Permanent Full-Time

Pay & Grade: $71,959 to $89,950 Annually Grade/Band: 8

Hours of Work:35 Hours per week

Initial location: Kitchener City Hall

Posting period:April 10, 2025 to April 21, 2025 (at 6:00pm)

Overview

Reporting to the Manager of Service Coordination and Improvement (Finance), the Grant Development Specialist will proactively identify, evaluate, and pursue strategic funding opportunities provided by senior levels of government (Province of Ontario, Government of Canada), corporate partners and foundational funders.

Leveraging expertise in external municipal funding sources, this position will identify opportunities and apply exceptional writing and storytelling skills to craft compelling and successful funding applications. Strong interpersonal skills and teamwork will enable the Grant Development Specialist to collaborate effectively with various internal departments and divisions, gathering, analyzing, and presenting critical information to support and enhance the quality of applications.

Responsibilities

• Proactively research, analyze, and identify funding opportunities: Conduct thorough research to identify potential funding opportunities from senior government bodies, corporate enterprises, and foundational organizations, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities.
• Develop high-quality grant proposals and applications: Craft, edit, and refine persuasive grant proposals and applications, gathering all required supporting documentation to ensure completeness, and accuracy.
• Ensure proper citation and referencing: Accurately document and cite all research, data, and information used in grant applications, ensuring suitable supporting documentation is referenced.
• Collaborate with internal teams: Work closely with departments and divisions to integrate specialized expertise into applications, incorporating feedback and ensuring applications reflect a comprehensive and strategic approach.
• Create a centralized grant resource database: Develop and maintain a database of frequently asked questions and standardized responses to streamline and enhance the efficiency of future grant applications.
• Liaise with external funders: Build relationships with external funders, gather insights and feedback to assess grant suitability, obtain application guidelines, and stay informed through webinars or calls to better understand funding priorities. Summarize and communicate key findings through internal correspondence.
• Lead internal grant strategy discussions: Facilitate discussions on grant strategies, offering suggestions and solutions to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the grant writing process.
• Ensure accuracy and meet deadlines: Maintain meticulous attention to detail in all grant applications, ensuring accuracy while monitoring and meeting critical submission deadlines.
• Retain and manage grant documentation: Organize and securely store all grant submission records and documents while updating internal tracking systems promptly and accurately.
• Prepare internal and external reports: Assist in drafting reports for the Corporate Leadership Team and preparing ad-hoc reports as required for specific grants or projects.
• Coordinate proposal progress: Follow up on the status of submitted proposals, ensuring any additional requirements or clarifications are addressed promptly.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Minimum 4-year Honours degree in related field of study such as Public Administration, Political Science, Business, Communication.
• Minimum 2 years of grant or strategic writing experience with a demonstrated ability to project positively and effectively to a variety of stakeholders preferably within the Municipal Sector.
• Superior written communication skills to produce grant responses and other correspondence and materials for varying levels of government and organizational grant providers.
• Proven aptitude in supporting cross-functional projects and building relationships.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and the ability to multi-task with minimal supervision.
• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to organize and manage a diverse range of assignments and adjust to changing priorities while maintaining high efficiency and thorough attention to detail.
• Ability to meet stringent deadlines, prioritize workloads and manage multiple diverse projects while maintaining efficiency and accuracy.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently or collaboratively within a cross-functional teams.
• Superior proficiency interfacing between databases, spreadsheets and word processing systems specifically the Microsoft Suite of products, including Power Point, Outlook, and Excel.
• Reliable with a good attitude and employment record.

Department/Division:Financial Services, Financial Operations

Group: Non-Union/Management

Competition Number: 2025-145

Job Code: 1536

Number of positions: 1

Why work at the City of Kitchener