Job
description
Grants
Officer
Position – Grants
Officer Reports to Director, Fund Development and Investor Relations Type Full
Time, permanent position. Position Start Date – June 2015
CAWST, the
Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology
CAWST is a Canadian
non-profit organization focused on the principle that clean water changes
lives. Our vision is a world where people have the opportunity to succeed
because their basic water and sanitation needs have been met. Safe water and
basic sanitation are fundamentals necessary to empower the world’s poorest
people and break the cycle of poverty. CAWST believes that the place to start
is to teach people the skills they need to have safe water in their homes. Our
mission is to provide technical training and consulting, and to act as a centre
of expertise in water and sanitation for the poor in developing countries.
CAWST transfers knowledge and skills to organizations and individuals in
developing countries through education, training and consulting services. CAWST
is a Canadian success story, a one-of-a-kind organization working alongside
world-class institutions. Since 2001, CAWST’s client network has helped 9.3
million people get better water or sanitation.
CAWST is a dynamic
organization that has grown by 50% over the past three years. Our 32 staff hail
from 10 countries, speak 17 languages, have worked in 94 countries, and have 3
PhDs and 14 Masters degrees. All are based in our Calgary office. We are now
expanding our reach and impact, with a target of 20 million people by 2020 with
safe water or sanitation.
The Person:
At CAWST, we
are passionate about what we do and we are seeking an energetic individual to
join our team. This person thrives on searching the funding environment to find
and connect with potential grantors, and collects, analyses and synthesizes
information. She/he connects the dots, finding opportunities to package CAWST’s services to
funders. This person takes on the challenge of writing concisely to distill and
articulate complex concepts, and tell CAWST’s story. She/he enjoys working with
a team to deliver a finished product.
The
Position:
The Grants Officer
plays a key role in increasing CAWST’s base of support, primarily responsible
for managing the grant development process: from identifying and contacting
potential funders and sleuthing relevant information to coordinating content
from various stakeholders, writing grant applications, developing detailed
project budgets, managing grant administration, and providing reports to
donors. This position also provides communication support services to CAWST’s
fund development and donor relations initiatives as required. Target audiences
include institutional funders such as foundations, governments, other
non-governmental organizations and corporate foundations. This position works
across all departments and engages with a variety of people to carry out these
responsibilities.
Specific Areas
of Responsibility:
1. Prospect
Research and Cultivation • Scan for potential donors and
funders, and investigate which prospects are ‘best fit’ for CAWST. • Understand
and interpret complex funding guidelines and determine whether CAWST is
eligible for and aligned with potential institutional or government funders. •
Examine and assess prospective funders to identify their key messages, social
investments, business objectives, and areas of shared value. Gather information
from communication materials and connect directly with the prospective donors
as appropriate.
• Develop and
maintain a system to track and prioritize potential grant opportunities and
communicate these to various CAWST staff. • Prepare briefing notes by
researching and synthesizing background on potential donors for meetings,
conferences, presentations and events.
2. Proposal
Development and Investor Reporting • Drive the grant proposal process, including
collection and analysis of relevant information from CAWST departments to form
the basis of proposals, grant applications, and donor stewardship reports.
• Understand CAWST’s
model, business, and operational plans by actively connecting with staff and
CAWST partners. • Determine potential ‘angles’ for grant applications and
proposals. • Draft letters of intent and other communication materials used to
reach out to and engage potential funders. • Develop timelines and coordinate
cross-functional teams involved in the proposal development process, ensuring
that proposals are on track and that all key players understand their role.
Ensure deadlines are met. • Create concept notes, grant proposals, award
applications, presentations, and donor stewardship reports for potential and
existing donors. Communicate CAWST’s key messages to capture and reflect shared
value with the donor/grant’s investment objectives.
• Administer grant
application process and ensure all related documents are provided.
• Track cultivation
process of potential grantors, along with reporting schedule and requirements
for active grants.
3. Support
Fund and Revenue Development Activities: • Provide fund development and communications
support to CAWST field staff (International Technical and Training Advisors) as
they engage in business, revenue, and fund development activities overseas.
• Produce interim
and final reports for grantors, giving detailed overviews of how funding was
used as well as financial reports when necessary. • Provide support to
leadership team, fund development staff, and volunteers with key messages for
prospective funders where appropriate. • Develop communications tools to
support strategies as required.
Other duties
as required
Education,
Experience, and Skills:
1. Education • Bachelor’s or Master’s
degree in a related discipline.
2.
Experience
• 3-5 years work experience in a related discipline such as proposal writing,
grant application management, information analysis, internal/external
communications and/or fund development. • Experience in project management;
proven track record of facilitating successful team projects.
• Experience in
writing proposals and concept notes. • Experience developing project budgets,
comfortable working with financial information. • Familiarity with principals
and best practices in fund development is preferred. • International
development experience is preferred. • Experience working in the non-profit
sector is considered an asset. • Experience in writing successful international
grant proposals is considered an asset.
3. Skills • Passion for CAWST and its
cause! • Investigation and Analysis: Enjoys finding/collecting information and
results across departments.
• Ability to compile
and present information effectively. • Comprehension and Synthesis: Strong
reading comprehension and information synthesis skills. • Communication:
Excellent written and verbal English with the ability to develop messaging for
different target audiences. • Knowledge Translation: Able to interpret complex
or technical information and translate it into easy-to-understand messages for
prospective funders and granters. • Organized: Project Management skills with
multiple stakeholders. Can handle multiple tasks in a fast paced environment. •
Attention to Detail: Able to manage all components down to the last detail. •
Multi-tasking: Able to prioritize and adjust workload to meet multiple
competing deadlines. • Problem Solver: Able to think creatively about
challenges, resolve issues, and seek support when necessary. • Interpersonal:
Build rapport to engage and motivate a variety of stakeholder and establish
long-term relationships. • Analytical Capability: Assess opportunities and make
recommendations. • Team Player: An accomplished professional who can work well
both independently and within a team. • Computer Skills: Proficient in
Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and in using databases.
Compensation
Will be discussed in
personal interview. Please include salary expectations in your cover letter.
How
to apply
Please visit http:www.cawst.org/en/get-involved/employment
to learn how to submit your resume, cover letter and questionnaire. The
position will be open until filled. No phone calls please. Only those
candidates able to work in Canada will be reviewed; and only those granted an
interview will be contacted.
