Grants Procurement Specialist

ABOUT OUR DISTRICT

The Syracuse City School District is undergoing a new phase of innovation and transformation with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate high school with the skills needed to be ready for college and career. For Syracuse, all means all - including students who fall behind or have been considered "hard to serve" for a host of reasons. The School Board and Syracuse community have charged the Superintendent with improving student achievement, and he is seeking a dedicated and diverse team of school leaders and teachers to partner with him in moving the district toward its goals.

The Syracuse City School District represents 34 schools and 4 alternative education programs, serving 19,000+ students Pre-K-12 of whom 77% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, 18% are served by the Office of Special Education and 78% are students of color.

Location: Special Programs Department at Central Office

This work involves responsibility for the developing, proposal writing, procuring, and monitoring of public/private grant funds that may be available to a municipality or school district for programs of interest to and supported by a municipality or school district. An employee in this class performs professional level work in identifying possible funding sources to develop programs that may be available for a municipality or school district.

In addition to the identification of sources, it becomes necessary to write a program/grant proposal for submission to the public/private funding source which explains the proposed program focus, the means to accomplish the goal and the dollar amount necessary to effect a successful conclusion. Upon grant approval, the employee functions as a compliance monitor of the grant, although not responsible for the fiscal disbursement/audit of the program.

To accomplish this, the employee is allowed a considerable amount of leeway in initiating and implementing projects which may be of benefit to the public. In exercising such leeway, the employee develops funding sources and contacts to facilitate the process of grant procurement. Assignments are received verbally and in writing from an administrative superior. Work is reviewed in progress and upon completion, through narrative status reports, and the success in gaining funding and its programs effective results.

Supervision is not ordinarily found in this class. Does related work as required.

• Initiate and research sources for possible funding available for pilot projects and programs that are not currently operational or may be threatened due to lack of monies within the budget. This may involve:
• Utilizing private/public libraries research documents of government and private institutions/corporations/foundations who fund projects developed in the public sector or a school district.
• Correspond with such sources to determine general availability of funds and focus of programs for which monies are available.
• Maintain a relationship with contacts for present and future use.
• Develop, through personal contact with governmental/administrative officials/officers, areas of concern for program development that has not occurred due to lack of local public monies.
• Bring into focus various areas that afford the potential of grant availability and development.
• Develop frame work of the area in which a program might be needed; such as the purpose, how it is to be obtained, what staffing may be needed to effect its success, amount and breakdown of monies necessary to bring to successful conclusion, monitoring the program through an evaluative tool that will enhance the projects funding insuring that the grant is in place and working in accordance with the predetermined application.
• Shepherds the grant in a manner to insure its success.
• Maintains continued contact with public/private not for profit agency responsible for program administration to insure compliance.
• Prepare final narrative report on completed program success/failure based upon conversation, narrative status reports and observation of the program.
• Makes recommendations to administration on areas in which grant applications may be favorably received.
• Discusses with various governmental/administrative officials’ opportunities for grants.
• Attends public meetings as departmental resource to determine areas of public concern for programs and relates this to administration.
• Prepares reports and conducts special projects as assigned.

• Good knowledge of the principles and practices of grants preparation,
• Working knowledge of the sources for funding in the area of the public, corporations, funding foundations and similar institutions.
• Working knowledge of the principles and practices used in grants proposal applications and the administration of the grant.
• Ability to gather and analyze data, draw conclusions from, obtain data and present in a logical, concise…