Grants Administrator (N13) - City of Annapolis : Job Details

Manages the strategic identification, pursuit, and oversight of grant funding for the City of Annapolis. This vital role involves securing diverse grants for crucial infrastructure projects and providing essential support for their ongoing management. The Grants Administrator collaborates closely with the Department of Public Works, Department of Planning & Zoning, Recreation & Parks Department, Finance Department, City Managers Office, and the Office of Emergency Management.

• Proactively identifies and researches potential grant opportunitiesfrom federal, state, local, and private sources that align with the City's strategic priorities and departmental needs, with a focus on infrastructure and other capital improvement projects.

• Analyzes Request for Proposals (RFPs) and other grant solicitationsto determine eligibility, feasibility, and strategic alignment with City goals.

• Engages and collaborates with City departments(including Public Works, Planning & Zoning, Recreation & Parks, and Emergency Management) to understand programmatic needs and translate them into fundable project proposals.

• Develops and writes compelling, clear, and concise grant proposals, including narratives, detailed budgets, and all required supporting documentation, ensuring strict adherence to grantor guidelines and deadlines.

• Manages the full grant application submission process, ensuring timely and accurate delivery through various online portals or physical submissions.

• Administers the full grant lifecycleincluding grant acquisition, ongoing administration, and close-out processes.

• Monitors grant-funded projects for programmatic and financial compliancewith all applicable federal, state, and local regulations, as well as specific grantor requirements.

• Prepares and submits all required programmatic and financial reportsto grantors in accordance with established deadlines and formats.

• Offers technical guidance and interpretationof grant and funding requirements, rules, and regulations to program managers and other supervisory personnel.

• Ensures compliance with standard terms and conditionsfor all grant award letters and agreements, serving as the primary point of contact for compliance inquiries.

• Maintains and manages the grants database and physical grant files, ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and security of all data and comprehensive grantor relationship history.

• Coordinates with project managers and the procurement divisionto ensure that contracting methods and contract provisions comply with all grantor requirements.

• Trains and provides ongoing guidance to departmental staffon grants management processes, including recordkeeping systems, compliance protocols, and proper execution of grant-funded activities. Creates and edits software templates, code, and reports to facilitate efficient grant management.

• Assists with required research pertinent to grant due diligence, ongoing review, and comprehensive close-out analyses.

• Collects, records, and evaluates datato prepare accurate statistical and narrative reports and other documents in support of State and Federally-funded projects and other programs.

• Works with assigned staff to coordinate and maintain the grant cycle calendarand site visit schedules; assists with the preparation of grant-related materials for meetings, including City Council Committees.

• Reconciles grant expenditures with City financial recordsand departmental budgets to ensure accurate reporting and appropriate fund utilization.

• Processes and tracks reimbursement requestsfrom grantors, ensuring timely receipt of funds.

• Supports and coordinates external audits and monitoring visitsrelated to grant-funded projects.

• Assists with departmental budgets as they relate to grantsand generates requested financial information, data, and reports from the grants management database or other sources.

• Adheres to and continuously seeks to improve standard operating procedures (SOPs)for all phases of the grants process to enhance efficiency, compliance, and effectiveness.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Business Administration, Non-profit Management, Finance, or a closely related field, and five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in grant or contract management; or an equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Special Qualifications:

• Possession of a valid Drivers License.

• Consent to chemical substance screening consistent with mandated Federal, State and City guidelines and programs to include drug and alcohol testing

  Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  I. Grant & Compliance Expertise

  • Comprehensive knowledge of grant management principles, practices, methods, techniques, and equipmentacross the full grant lifecycle (identification, application, award, administration, reporting, and close-out).

  • Thorough understanding of federal and state grant guidance, rules, regulations, and administration.

  • Knowledge of departmental management principles, practices, and techniques, particularly as they relate to project implementation and oversight.

  • Ability tointerpret complex grant solicitations, regulations, and legal documentsto ensure full compliance.

  • Knowledge of audit requirements for grant-funded programs and meticulous record-keeping practices.II. Communication & Interpersonal Skills

  • Exceptional written communication skills, including demonstrated practice and ability in skilled, experienced, and persuasive grant writing and proposal development.

  • Strong oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly, concisely, and effectively to diverse audiences (internal staff, City Council, grantors, public).

  • Ability to establish and maintaineffective, collaborative working relationshipswith superiors, subordinates, colleagues, departmental staff, external partners, and the general public.

  • Ability to usegood judgment, tact, and courtesyin all interactions.

  • Ability to act as a professional and effectiverepresentative of the City of Annapolisand its departments at various committees, meetings, and events as it relates to grants administration.III. Analytical & Organizational Skills

  • Possesses careful attention to detail and focuses on precision and accuracyin accomplishing tasks, particularly in data entry, financial reconciliation, and report preparation.

  • Strong organizational and project management skillsto manage multiple, complex administrative tasks simultaneously and prioritize effectively in a high-volume, frequently updating workload.

  • Ability to collect, record, analyze, and evaluate complex data to prepare accurate statistical and narrative reports.

  • Proficient in problem-solving, with the ability to identify issues, research solutions, and implement effective resolutions.

  • Ability to identify opportunities for process improvement and contribute to the development and refinement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for grant management.IV. Technical Proficiency

  • Advanced proficiency in operating computersfor data entry, word processing (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheet creation and analysis (e.g., Microsoft Excel), presentation development (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint), and database management.

  • Experience with or ability to quickly learn and master specializedgrant management software/databases.

  • Ability to operate standard small office equipment, including copy machines, scanners, and multi-line telephone systems.

The work is light work which requires exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing ability: sufficient to maintain body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.

• Crouching ability: sufficient to bend the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.

• Dexterity ability: sufficient to perceive attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

• Handling ability: sufficient to pick, hold, or otherwise work, primarily with the whole hand

• Hearing ability: sufficient to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.

• Kneeling ability: sufficient to bend legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.

• Lifting ability: sufficient to raise objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.

• Mental Acuity: sufficient to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.

• Pulling ability: sufficient to use upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.

• Pushing ability: sufficient to use upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.

• Reaching ability: sufficient to extend hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.

• Speaking ability: sufficient to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.

• Standing ability: Particularly for sustained periods of time.

• Visual ability: sufficient to operate a vehicle by both day and night, to observe emergency scene actions taking place, observe traffic in the vicinity of an emergency scene, to read and write reports, correspondence, etc.

• Walking ability: sufficient to move about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or move from one work site to another.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work is typically performed in a safe and secure work environment that may periodically have unpredicted requirements or demands. Deployment in emergency, disaster or crisis and may require personnel to operate in situations that present multiple hazards.