Senior Grants Administrator

About Us

Driven by a passion to solve the climate crisis, The Sunrise Project (TSP) is a team of experienced change-makers with a mission to scale social movements to drive the global transition beyond fossil fuels. With affiliated programs and staff in the United States, Europe and Asia, we have developed a unique model of grant making and campaigning that supports networks of organizations to drive powerful change towards our mission.

We have a dynamic and nimble organizational culture. We’re serious about supporting our people to thrive as we tackle the urgent climate challenge. TSP supports networks of organizations to work together to achieve outcomes that would not be possible by individual organizations acting alone. Last year we gave over 30 million dollars to over 200 partners globally and we are projected to double our yearly giving in the coming years. We expect all roles to actively support the capacity building of our networks and partner organizations. 

We believe that a diversity of experiences and perspectives will help us build stronger strategies, teams and movements. We take the broadest possible view of diversity and encourage First Nations people, people of color, people living outside of cities, people living with disabilities, neurodiverse, and LGBTQIA+ people to apply. We are continually working on becoming a better workplace for everyone.  Find out more here.

About The Role

The Senior Grants Administrator is responsible for TSP’s grantmaking operations, through all stages of the process, by managing and monitoring all grants authorized by TSP and ensuring accuracy and consistency. The Senior Grants Administrator will provide guidance to program colleagues on grants administration and procedures, support efforts to promote trust-based granting relationships and support relationship building and engagement with external stakeholders.  Reporting  to the Global Grants Director, the Senior Grants Administrator will contribute to strategy development, is responsible for ensuring data integrity, design customer support to external parties, and support internal staff. The position will work closely with the Senior Grants System Administrator, provide coaching to the Grants Administrator and will be a key stakeholder in the project delivering the migration to a new grants management system (GSM). 

About You

You are a key member of the Grants team taking the lead in developing and recommending policies and procedures related to the grantmaking process for the efficient and effective implementation of TSP’s policies and procedures. You are a team player and a highly organized systems design and implementation professional, with strong analytical and information and data management skills. You are a leader that centers user needs, experience, and capacity building in your work. You are great at project management, time management, planning, and delivery, and you enjoy supporting a team’s capacity in these areas as well. You possess strong trouble-shooting and analytical skills, and are passionate about data, designing and continually improving grant management processes and systems. You’re passionate about leveraging your first-rate grant management skills to help solve the climate crisis.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Grants Administrator provides both strategic and tactical leadership in the following areas:

Grants administration and workflow process optimization

• Manage all components of the grants workflow, including: application and award processes (approvals, vetting, preparing award letters and grant agreements, contracting, etc.), database management, grant review, reporting timelines, grant documentation, requesting payment and grant compliance
• Apply in-depth knowledge of cloud-based grants management software to optimize grants management systems, processes and workflows from start to finish
• Identify opportunities to optimize existing grant workflow and collaborate with other colleagues to implement, ensuring continued quality and timeliness across all aspects of the grant cycle
• Lead in compiling and finalizing dockets and memos for approval by different audiences at TSP - leadership, Board of Directors and Grant Committee 
• Support the Finance team to track planned grant expenditure,  track significant changes and ensure complete and accurate records of all TSP’s expenditures 
• Ensure compliance with and manage staff’s understanding of TSP’s country-based legal and tax requirements 
• Support the Senior Grants System Administrator to provide training and technical assistance. 
• Maintain accurate and secure data 
• Participate as a key stakeholder in the  migration to a new grant management system (GMS)

Stakeholder support, team training and capacity building

• Build, maintain and support key relationships and partnerships with the operations team, program teams and grantees, ensuring clear and regular communication about deadlines, workflow expectations or changed processes. 
• Support TSP’s learning and evaluation by working alongside the Senior Grants System Administrator to ensure the grants management system (GMS) runs optimally, assuring data integrity and troubleshooting
• Work with program colleagues to ensure grantmaking inquiries are responded to appropriately, provide technical assistance on grant application guidelines when needed, and ensure compliance with reporting requirements

Guide program staff through grantmaking policy transitions

• Provide coaching and training to staff to help them better understand the TPS’s compliance and due diligence requirements and why these requirements are in place.
• Contribute to delivering trainings for TSP’s stakeholder on topics such as compliance, risk, policies, internal processes, and systems related to grants management
• Contribute to conducting ongoing grants administration, program and foundation management research, including analyses of grant reports and program trends.

 Other organizational priorities 

• Participates in and/or lead cross-organizations initiatives, as needed, to achieve TSP’s goals
• Backfill/supports peer Grants colleagues during periods of heavy workload, as needed
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Required skills, knowledge and experience    

The successful candidate will have:

• A Bachelor’s degree and/or minimum five years of grants and contracts or related work experience, or equivalent demonstrable  experience for this role 
• Work experience in philanthropy
• Advanced systems skills, especially professional database management experience, working in complex data systems, (i.e. Fluxx, Givingdata, Salesforce) 
• Ability to communicate approaches for relaying technical, budgetary and program details to staff, consultants, grantees and applicants in a clear and user-oriented manner
• Ability to facilitate smooth communication and work flow process across operations, finance, public affairs and program functions
• Proven analytical skills – translating data into user-friendly products 
• Excellent reporting skills with advanced knowledge of Excel
• Demonstrated experience in implementing effective workflow, policies and procedures
• Skilled in working with internal staff to balance the tension between system and process needs

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• Ability to think critically, act decisively, and synthesize program and operational issues
• Willingness to take initiative, high level of self-motivation and ease working independently or as part of a team
• Ability to juggle multiple competing priorities and consistently deliver
• Ability to independently bring tasks and projects to successful and timely resolution
• Skilled in managing up and across and building resilient collegial relationships
• Ability to objectively analyze a situation and evaluate pros and cons of any course of action
• Ability to draw connections between what we do and how we do it and concern with the impact of the TSP’s work
• The ability to easily interact with a wide range of people and styles
• A generous and curious nature, coupled with a sense of humor, and grace under pressure

Job requirements 

You must have full working rights for the country in which you will be working. The Sunrise Project is unable to sponsor applicants for employment visas.

• Employment background checks are required.
• Intermittent travel with advanced notice may be required.
• Flexibility to adjust work hours to accommodate multiple time zones
• COVID-19 vaccinations may apply in accordance with local legislation and/or Sunrise policy