Associate Director, Grants Management (Remote)

Title: Associate Director, Grants Management

Department: WES Mariam Assefa Fund

Salary: $110K - $120K CAD

Location: Remote (Candidates based in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia or willing to relocate)

Description:

Launched in 2019, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund (the Fund) is a philanthropic initiative aimed at catalyzing economic opportunities for immigrants and refugees and enabling immigrant communities to thrive in the U.S. and Canada. The Fund provides provide grants, impact investments, and other support to interventions that build more inclusive economies and the advance economic integration of immigrants and refugees. In particular, the Fund is currently focused on supporting organizations and initiatives that aim to: equip immigrants and refugees with the skills and supports to succeed; advance inclusive and equitable employer practices; foster innovation and experimentation in the workforce development and immigrant integration fields; invest in immigrant leaders; and grow the ecosystem of collaborators. Read more about our work here.

The Opportunity:

The Associate Director oversees all aspects of the operational administration of the Fund’s grants and donations and oversees short- and long-term strategy for grants management. They should be excited about trust-based philanthropy and practices that center equity in who and how we fund, have strong administrative skills, and enjoy providing excellent customer service to Fund staff, grantee partners, and applicants. The Associate Director reports to the Senior Director of the Mariam Assefa Fund and will work closely and collaboratively with all members of the Fund team in the U.S. and Canada, the Social Impact division, other WES departments (e.g., Finance and Legal), and external applicant and grantee partners. They will have exposure to WES’s Executive Team and members of the WES Board of Directors.

Duties included but not limited to:

Funding Administration and Management

• Design and manage the full lifecycle of all funding, from concept through all diligence and compliance processes to reporting and funding close.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director and other MAF colleagues to translate the MAF mission and values into funding process and practice, endeavoring to shift power and build trusted relationships through our funding approach.
• Develop and maintain clear and concise funding administration policies, procedures, and manuals for staff, Board members, grantee partners; conduct trainings for key partners as needed.
• Standardize and consistently refine key funding processes and protocols (e.g., agreements, reporting requirements, demographic questions, application requirements) so that they best reflect MAF values, drive equity, and are grounded in feedback from applicants, partners, and staff.
• Oversee compliance, organizational, and financial due diligence on potential funding recipients in the U.S. and Canada to ensure application completeness and adherence with legal requirements and internal guidelines.
• Provide timely communication with funding applicants regarding the funding process and with grantee and investee partners post-award, especially for payment, agreement, and legal questions.
• Coordinate with Finance, Legal and Program teams to ensure timely execution of payment, compliance, and audit activities.

Strategic Oversight

• Provide leadership on day-to-day operations of grants management, ensuring that operations fully reflect WES and MAF’s goals and values.
• Advise MAF program and other Social Impact colleagues on funding considerations, and complex grantmaking, including topics such as such as solicitation approaches, fiscal sponsorship, legal requirements, general operating support.
• Work closely with the Social Impact Monitoring Learning and Evaluation team on a streamlined approach to data collection, management and sharing.
• Identify and uplift new trends in grants managements, using this knowledge to inform MAF’s grants management approach.
• Collaborate with Senior Director and other MAF leadership on short- and long-term budget planning.

Data Management, Reporting, and Governance

• Provide oversight of Grants Management System, in collaboration with IT and Social Impact colleagues.
• Ensure all grant and investment-related information is maintained in relevant databases and tools (e.g., SurveyMonkey Apply, Amp Impact, Salesforce).
• Assist the Senior Director and Program staff in preparing Board dockets and recommendation materials.
• Prepare analyses and reporting on grant or investment-level and portfolio-level operational, financial, JEDI, and other relevant indicators.

Thought Leadership

• Codify learnings from the Fund’s experiences developing its funding processes and policies and disseminate these to the wider philanthropic sector with support from Communications colleagues.
• Represent the Fund at external events, working groups, and other forums to share our approach to trust-based philanthropy and centering equity in grants management.

Operational Management and Internal Collaboration

• Ensure that accurate and timely financial and operational data on pre-award and post-award funding is maintained and available for budget tracking, Board reporting, compliance, and other needs.
• Manage and mentor Grants Management staff and undergraduate and/or graduate interns, ensuring they effectively administer grants management and supporting their professional development. 
• Work with the MAF leadership team to foster cohesive team culture, building strong relationships with Fund team staff. 
• Manage budget and vendors related to the Fund’s funding administration, governance, and grants management information systems.
• Build strong relationships with other Social Impact departments and work with internal stakeholders to advance the Social Impact North Star, division-wide collaboration, collective learnings and sensemaking, and other key priorities.

The Ideal Candidate will:

• Be excited about WES’ mission, the Fund’s impact goals, and advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Energized to be part of a fund that endeavors to shift power and resources to proximate communities and to contribute to the movement to transform philanthropy.
• Bring lived experience from immigrant and refugee communities and/or communities of color, as well as the issues that the Fund focuses on.
• Have a high degree of comfort with rapidly changing ambiguous contexts and an ability to help craft a clear path forward in these environments.
• Bring both an entrepreneurial mindset to generate new approaches, spot opportunities, and initiate action.
• Have a deep-rooted intellectual curiosity and an openness to diverse ideas and perspectives.
• Thrive in an environment that values transparency, collaboration, and a learning orientation.
• Bring a “can-do” attitude and have a willingness to stretch up and down in their role as the Fund’s needs evolve.
• Build informal working relationships, quickly establish credibility in new areas of work, and mobilize people at all levels towards collaborative goals.

Requirements:

• 7-8+ years of relevant work experience required in philanthropy and grants management. Demonstrated track record of managing post-award activities at a funder or other relevant entity; experience supporting the administration of program-related investments is also strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting funding activities in multiple geographic contexts, particularly the U.S. and Canada.
• Robust qualitative and quantitative analysis skills and ability to craft compelling data-driven narratives.
• Exceptional project manager who thrives in a fast-paced environment, delivers high-quality work, is comfortable managing up, and enjoys juggling dynamic priorities.  
• Strong client-service orientation and ability to provide guidance and support to a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Track record of delivering high-quality, accurate work in a fast-paced environment, and exceptional project management skills.
•  Previous people management experience with the ability to manage and develop high performing colleagues. 
• Understanding of existing and emerging philanthropic funding approaches, particularly those that advance more equitable and inclusive funding practices, and ability to identify and adapt approaches to best support the Fund’s goals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to convey complex information appropriately to stakeholders with different backgrounds and needs.
• Strong command of technology tools, including Microsoft Office suite (especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive), Salesforce or other CRM systems, and Google Apps / G Suite.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Statement:

WES values diversity in all its forms and recruits qualified individuals at all occupational levels that reflect the diversity of our clients and our community. We strive to foster a workplace in which all individuals maximize their potential, regardless of their differences. We are committed to providing accommodations for persons with disabilities. If you require accommodation to complete this application, we will work with you to meet your needs. Please contact Human Resources at weshr@wes.org. Accommodation will be provided at all stages of the hiring process.

For more information about WES, please visit our website at wes.org