Grants Officer
Opportunity Guide
https://www.unity.edu/
Mission:
Unity College is a leader in sustainability science, educating responsible, optimistic individuals committed to solving the world’s most pressing environmental problems.
For over fifty years Unity College has been preparing the next generation of environmental professionals and leaders to successfully face real-world challenges. Unity College, America’s Environmental College located in Unity, Maine, serves a broad range of students from all backgrounds across the U.S. — and the world. To be responsive to the rapidly changing needs of students and society, Unity College offers both flagship campus and distance education programs for undergraduate and graduate-level environmental degrees.
On Unity’s flagship campus, the liberal arts curriculum is built upon a unique framework of sustainability science — the first of its kind in the nation. A distinctive approach to learning provides students with an exceptional, high-quality education, enabling them to drive real change with leading-edge knowledge and expertise within any of 17 environmentally focused majors. Unity College’s unique location provides extraordinary opportunities for hands-on learning and research, allowing active and engaged students to work together with forward-thinking faculty to make true community-based learning possible. From 225 wooded acres of farmland in rural Maine, the College prepares each of its students to make a mark on the world. Affordable housing and amenities are available in Unity and in nearby communities, including the more populated centers of Bangor (34 miles away), the state Capitol of Augusta (39 miles away), Belfast (24 miles away) and Waterville (18 miles away).
Unity College’s distance education unit, started in 2016, extends the effects of a Unity College education to adult learners, and beyond the physical confines of the flagship campus.
The Opportunity: Grants Officer
Unity College has identified an enormous opportunity to raise funds in support of institutional priorities and faculty research. Unity College is now seeking a Grants Officer to grow an early stage grants effort into a more robust stream of revenue by establishing a grants program infrastructure, nurturing relationships with funders and College stakeholders, writing powerful and persuasive grants and required reports, and managing a calendar with competing priorities/deadlines. The Grants Officer will support faculty in securing funding for research in order to engage Unity College students in research projects which are commonly only available to master’s level students at other institutions of higher learning.
The successful Grants officer will be a talented prospect researcher, communicator, and relationship builder as well as a gifted writer. Concisely, the Grants Officer must be able to organize and manage grant opportunities that advance the mission of the college and align with the College’s strategic plan. The ability to establish and build solid, long-lasting relationships with high capacity funders is essential. Success in this role will require integration beyond the Development team, especially with college leadership and faculty. The successful candidate for this role will identify, rate, and follow through with new and innovative options to fund both current and emerging priorities identified by faculty and administration.
This role is part of a five-member development team and will report to the Chief Advancement Officer.
Performance Objectives
Leadership
- Visualize, promote, and package Unity College priorities creatively into funding opportunities that match grant guidelines and grantor interests.
- Serve as lead writer for grant-funded programming and scholarships, and work with leadership and faculty to help best express research goals, outcomes, and measurement methods to funders.
- Research and monitor new funding opportunities and vet through appropriate organizational stakeholders.
- Develop and grow strong relationships with current and potential funders based on a keen awareness of funders’ goals and capacity to give.
Grants Management
- Manage all application efforts for all government funding opportunities as well as proposals to foundations and corporations, with a focus on opportunities of six-figures and higher.
- Specifically manage the existing grants for all programs funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF).
- Proactively collaborate with appropriate administrators and faculty to gather all necessary information for written grant proposals.
- Submit all reports, donor cultivation, and renewal materials by deadlines to ensure continued support from funders.
- Successfully manage a detailed grants calendar and plan including information on current funder and prospect guidelines, deadlines, and deliverables.
Compliance and Oversight
- Manage grant compliance efforts for all funders in portfolio including grant contract and regulatory reviews and management of any site visits.
- Develop systems to assess progress towards program and grant goals for all assigned grants.
- Collaborate with the appropriate stakeholders to track outcomes and progress toward goals stated in proposals.
- Provide all required program reports to funders.
Financial Management
- Develop and monitor all budgets for grant allocation and expenditures.
- Work with Finance to ensure financial tracking aligns with grant budgets, is timely and accurate, and reflects efficient spending and responsible stewardship of contributed dollars.
The Qualified Candidate
Unity College seeks a high achieving and driven professional with a minimum of five (5) years of grant, proposal, or professional writing experience. Preference will be given to those with a background in both foundation and government grant writing. The Grants Officer will be creative, dynamic and driven to succeed in a highly productive and fast-paced environment and will have proven ability to establish trust and strong relationships with both funders and colleagues.
Specific Requirements Include:
- Demonstrated passion for Unity College’s mission.
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in grant writing, proposal production, or other professional/technical writing. Previous experience with National Science Foundation (NSF) grant writing is preferred.
- Exceptional written communication skills, with the ability to write clear, structured, articulate and persuasive correspondence, proposals, and reports. Superb conversational and presentational skills.
- Proven success in building and sustaining solid relationships with funders, partners and other stakeholders of all kinds.
- Proven ability to work with internal and external stakeholders to identify or establish programmatic plans that meet grant opportunity requirements.
- Strong analytic and strategic-thinking skills, with demonstrated ability to create, implement and monitor complex plans, and translate those plans into goals and concrete strategies.
- Ability to work in an extremely fast-paced, changing environment that values personal responsibility and strong sense of work ownership.
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Prior experience or knowledge of Higher Education grant writing, and environmental sciences desired.
This position offers a competitive salary with generous benefits. Relocation assistance may be offered. All inquiries will be held in strict confidence.
Unity College is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria.
To Apply
Candidates may apply by clicking the APPLY NOW button below. To assure confidential tracking, no resumes will be accepted via email.
To assure confidential tracking of all applicants, no applications will be accepted via email. ALL INQUIRIES WILL BE HELD IN STRICT CONFIDENCE.
This search is being managed by Laura Weinman, Assistant Vice President of KEES. Questions may be addressed to lweinman@kees2success.com.
KEES is a retained search and nonprofit consulting firm that builds transformative teams and leaders. For more information, please visit www.kees2success.com.
In and Around Unity
Come explore the area in and around Unity, including the Unity College Center for the Performing Arts, the Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, and our Field of Dreams—a beautiful outdoor recreation area just a short walk from campus. If you like local and organic farming, don’t miss the Unity Farmers’ Market or the nationally recognized Common Ground Country Fair, which is held each fall and organized by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
In and Around Maine
There are also lots of amazing places to explore in and around Maine. Within a two-hour drive from campus you’ll find the breathtaking Acadia National Park—home to Mt. Desert Island and Schoodic Point. You’ll also find Baxter State Park, where you can spend the day climbing Mt. Katahdin, and Reid State Park, with its long, sandy beaches, picnic areas and scenic views. And if you like to ski, be sure to check out Sugarloaf and Sunday River ski resorts, also within a two-hour drive.
Here are some other fun attractions not far from campus:
Within A One-Hour Drive:
Within A Two-Hour Drive:
- Moosehead Lake: boating, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling
- Popham Beach: swimming, fishing, sea kayaking, birdwatching
- Port Clyde: ferry to Monhegan Island
- Portland: the Arts District and Old Port Historic District
- Rangeley Lakes: skiing and recreation
- Sebago Lake State Park: boating, swimming, camping, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing
