Grants and Operations Manager

Heartland Fund is seeking an experienced grants and operations manager to support its growing programs, including Resource Rural and the Rural Climate Partnership. The position requires a talented project manager who is adept at working with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to develop and manage grant agreements and contracts and ensure effective operations to advance program goals. They will work both to optimize existing systems and to identify and develop new tools, processes, and approaches that efficiently advance program goals. The Grants & Operations Manager will also interact directly with grantee organizations from across rural America and support logistics and operations to enable learning and relationship-building across grantees and partners.

We are looking for a collaborative team player that excels at keeping track of both the big picture strategy and the small but important details, working with a mix of stakeholders, and bringing problem-solving and creative thinking to operations. The successful candidate will be service-oriented project manager and skilled at systems development and relationship-building.   

This is a rewarding and exciting opportunity to use your talents and skills to advance equitable economic development and energy and climate goals in rural and tribal communities. You will have an opportunity to help develop and implement a brand new initiative with a diverse range of partners. We are actively building a small but mighty team to enable historic, equitable investment in rural America.       

Applications will be reviewed and considered on a rolling basis, with interviews anticipated to start in October 2023. The desired start date is November 2023.

This is a remote position with a salary range of $75,000 - $85,000 and includes a generous benefits package.

About the Organization 

Heartland Fund is a funding collaborative built to support and connect local leaders and organizations working for progress across diverse communities in rural areas, towns and small cities. Heartland's grantmaking supports rural people working to transform their lives and communities to advance shared prosperity and democracy. We invest in issue advocacy, community organizing infrastructure, civic engagement, and sustainable urban-rural coalitions, and we prioritize racial equity in all aspects of our work. In addition to grantmaking, Heartland also supports rural leaders and organizations through convening, research, and communications.

Heartland Fund is launching Resource Rural (RR), a new program which focuses on effective federal funding implementation to ensure historic climate and infrastructure investments land for maximum impact in rural communities. Heartland is also home to the Rural Climate Partnership (RCP), which supports hometowns across America to accelerate climate solutions and build healthy local economies. Our RR and RCP programs help remove barriers to federal funding for rural communities – through place-based technical assistance, local organizing, and a large-scale communications and narrative effort – to make a tangible difference in rural people’s lives and advance climate mitigation and resilience.

Why Resource Rural?

As unprecedented levels of federal infrastructure, economic development, and climate-focused resources begin to flow, we have a generational opportunity to make sure this funding lands where it is most needed and can have the biggest impact. Without targeted action, this influx of resources is likely to reinforce, rather than interrupt, entrenched patterns of geographic, racial, and economic inequity because communities with resources are fully prepared to take advantage of the opportunities, while rural communities—especially communities of color and low-wealth communities—are not. Helping underserved rural communities land these resources can dramatically improve quality of life for rural residents, advance climate solutions, and send a powerful message about the importance of federal investment to creating strong local communities and a healthy multi-racial democracy.

The Resource Rural Program

Resource Rural is an ambitious five-year program designed to build engagement, capacity and expertise, and a rural voice at the table in the national conversation about climate progress, workforce development, and equitable community and economic development. The program is built on four key strategies:

1. Resource Rural National Hub and Resource Partners: To address the capacity gaps that prevent rural communities and organizations from accessing federal dollars, Resource Rural will collaborate with local and regional partners to launch a national Resource Rural hub that supports place-based implementation. Place-based resource partners will provide support directly to rural communities, including grant funding, coordination, and technical assistance, while national hub staff will integrate resources and facilitate learning and rapid sharing of models across the network.
2. High-Leverage Climate Opportunities: To stimulate a virtuous cycle within which rural residents appreciate the benefits of interrelated economic and climate outcomes, Resource Rural will support high leverage efforts to unlock powerful climate resources (e.g., grants, incentives, rebates, tax credits) in key federal programs to benefit diverse constituencies and tackle barriers to clean energy implementation.
3. Resource Rural Communications Action Center: To shift rural narratives around federal investment and climate action, Resource Rural will invest in strategic communications and a coordinated narrative that finds and amplifies local success stories and centers how rural people have benefitted their communities and made progress on clean energy opportunities, infrastructure gaps, and economic development using federal investments.
4. Organizing and Advocacy Support: To make sure these resources truly benefit rural people, especially those most in need, Resource Rural will support organizing and advocacy in key places at the state and local levels focused on federal implementation participation, rule-making, and spending.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 

The Grants and Operations Manager will report to the Heartland Fund Deputy Director and work in close collaboration with the Resource Rural and Rural Climate Partnership teams. The Grants & Operations Manager will hold the following responsibilities: 

Grants & Contract Management

• Establish efficient grant management systems that minimize the burden on grantee partners, for example:
• Act in a “help desk” capacity to support the grantee application process; and
• Track grantee contact information, and support each step in the process, from grant proposal to agreements and payments.
• Provide guidance to colleagues and partners about what is required to complete grant application due diligence and manage grant compliance and reporting. 
• Ensure timely and accurate grant reporting from grantee partners to support learning.  
• Establish equitable procurement processes that enable Resource Rural to source qualified and cost-effective vendors, ideally from rural areas and from diverse backgrounds.
• Help develop and review requests for proposals, statements of work, and other supporting documents required for contracting processes and due diligence.

Organizational Development & Operations Support

• Continually identify ways to refine and improve team processes and systems, based on interactions with team members and partners.
• Work with program staff to help develop and implement systems to capture learning, including data collection systems that minimize burden on partners.
• Support the onboarding of new staff, including technology, platforms, and access to HR systems and protocols provided by Heartland’s fiscal sponsor. 
• Identify, integrate, and improve software, tools, and processes that enable efficient and effective operations, collaborative work, and project and budget management. 
• Provide logistical support for convenings, meetings, travel, federal funding learning community, and the Advisory Committee.
• Maintain files, documents and shared communications systems to facilitate program management and partnership.

Fundraising & Financial Management

• Collaborate with the Heartland Fund’s fiscal sponsor to ensure accurate and timely payment of invoices, expenses, and grant disbursements.
• Track financial activity and support accurate and timely financial reporting to Heartland Fund leadership and funders. 
• Assist with budget development for grant proposals and provide administrative support for grant development efforts.
• Assist with tracking deadlines and coordinating grant proposals, grant reporting and compliance requirements for Heartland Fund’s funders. 
• Work closely with Heartland Fund’s Deputy Director and other leadership to track budgets and help develop different budget scenarios to inform decision-making. 

Qualifications 

We realize that some great candidates may not have every single thing on this list - that’s OK! If this job posting piques your interest, we encourage you to apply! 

Minimum 

• Minimum of 4-6 years experience in program administration, grant and/or contract management, and/or in a start-up environment.
• Strong financial and people stewardship skills and passionate attention to detail.
• Able to drive multiple simultaneous projects with rare dropped balls and manage high volume of high quality work. 
• Strong commitment to racial justice and fluency with equity and anti-racist practices.
• Values learning and continuous growth. 
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with colleagues of diverse backgrounds and perspectives: 
• Appreciation of the diverse cultural traditions of rural people and places.
• Excellent customer service, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong technology skills and working knowledge of a range of communications platforms such as Airtable, Monday, Slack, and Google Apps.

Desired 

• Experience with grant administration, grant reporting, and/or grant budget development, either as a grantee or grantmaker. 
• Experience establishing and managing procurement processes and contracts, including conducting due diligence and ensuring performance standards are met prior to processing invoices.
• Comfort and experience working with a range of individuals in nonprofit organizations, government, foundations, and private sectors.
• Proven ability to independently develop project plans and work collaboratively with team members to implement projects and adapt as circumstances change. 
• Experience living and/or working in rural America is strongly preferred.

Compensation & Job Design

This is a permanent, full time exempt staff position with occasional travel. The organization is virtual, and the position may work remotely from their home within the United States. Expected compensation will be based on skills and experience, with a salary range of $75,000 to $85,000. Comprehensive benefits package includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees (and their families). Employees are able to enroll in 401k retirement plan and are eligible for a 3% automatic contribution and up to a 3% employer match on 401k contributions. Employees are also eligible for pre-tax transportation benefits. Employees will receive 120 hours of vacation time, 80 hours of health leave, up to 2 days of casual leave, and 20 hours of volunteer leave annually. Employees will also receive 13 paid holidays throughout the calendar year. Employees are eligible for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment. All employees of Windward are required to complete timesheets.

Resource Rural is a program of the Heartland Fund. Heartland Fund is fiscally sponsored by the Windward Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. Windward is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. Windward’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working. 

To center the safety and well-being of its employees, Windward Fund requires that any employee who is required to conduct in-person activities for their job must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within four weeks of their start date. This position may require candidates to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Accommodations may be sought and approved in accordance with the law by contacting human resources at HR@windwardfund.org.