Assistant Director, Grants & Contracts

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Exempt Full-Time Chicago, IL, US

4 days ago Requisition

Salary Range: $77,600.00 To $77,600.00 Annually

JOB SUMMARY:

Illinois Action for Children, a local, state, and national leader in the early care and education sector for 57 years, is seeking a seasoned grant professional to join its development team. The ideal candidate will have the experience and initiative to play an instrumental role in helping to manage and grow the organization’s funding portfolio through philanthropic and government grants.

Under the direction of the Director of Philanthropy, the Assistant Director, Grants and Contracts will work with multiple teams across the organization, serving as the project manager, and execute the full cycle of grant seeking and grant management processes — from pre-award research and proposal development through post-award compliance, database input and tracking, reporting, and closeout—for a range of public entities and philanthropic organizations, such as foundations, corporations, government, and other institutions.

This position will also conduct routine and targeted prospect research to expand philanthropic grant support in alignment with Illinois Action for Children’s three-year strategic plan.

This position will be expected to promote and adhere to the workplace core capabilities of: accountability, customer focus, continuous quality improvement, communication (CQI), competent people. and clear priorities. All work to be completed with supervision and in accordance with organizational standards.

This position requires on-site work at our Lawrence and Broadway location with scheduled remote workdays.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to the following. The company reserves the right to add, delete, change, or modify the essential duties and responsibilities at any time.

Grant Writing, Prospect Research, and Project Management

• Primary writer/editor of high-quality, well-positioned Letters of Inquiry/Interest, proposals, reports, applications, and other requests for philanthropic and government funding.
• Act as project manager, providing detailed grant proposal/report development assistance including project management through all stages of proposal conceptual development and refinement including:
• Learn proposal requirements, agency mission and culture, and specific program objectives with the goal of producing more competitive grant proposals
• Facilitate proposal and report development meetings with program leadership, front-line staff, and other contributors, ensuring the accountability of all contributors to meet funder deadlines
• Conduct quality, relevant research into subjects at proposal-preparation stage and for statement of need and implementation sections of government proposals
• Coordinate timely workflow of proposal preparation and submission.
• Maintain processes, procedures, forms, etc. for the efficient management of philanthropic and government grants.
• Manage preparing, writing, and submission of all grant seeking and reporting activities, including compiling required attachments and completing forms for philanthropic foundations and local, state, and federal agencies.
• Develop and maintain a detailed knowledge of IAFC’s priorities and programs and conduct emerging programs, services, advocacy, public policy, and research for grant funding.
• Support program personnel in developing project budgets, logic models, making sound recommendations based on organization and program goals and funder alignment.
• Support leadership’s cultivation efforts (development, program, CEO, etc.) of funding partners by responsively and professionally managing and maintaining IAFC/funder communications, meeting coordination, grant and report submissions, funder inquiries and requests, and other relationship-building opportunities.
• Manage prospective and current funder “site visits”, progress updates, introductory and follow-up meetings through schedule coordination and effective preparation…