Grants Manager

The Ozaukee Washington Land Trust (OWLT)’s mission is to preserve the water resources, natural areas, and working lands of Ozaukee and Washington Counties for the benefit of all. Since 1992, OWLT has worked to conserve and steward the lands and waters of the Milwaukee River headwaters. The Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and River Revitalization Foundation are in the final stages of a merger that will propel our capacity for conservation leadership in Southeastern Wisconsin. With this step, we are expanding our service area and advancing land protection efforts beyond lines on a map to a science-based, watershed-level approach. Together, the organizations own and actively manage 36 nature preserves, conserving over 7,000 acres in Ozaukee, Washington, and Milwaukee counties.  The Land Trust has two offices: one in West Bend, and one near downtown Milwaukee.  

The Grants Manager is a key part of the agency’s expansion and will work in partnership with the Chief Development Officer to grow the strategy, processes, and reach of the development team. This position is anticipated to be full-time, however we are open to someone interested in working less than full-time with the right level of previous experience. 

Position Summary: 

The Grants Manager will write and coordinate private and government grants; initiate discussion and decision making with program, administrative, and development team members; seek data and information to inform reporting; establish and steward relationships with foundation staff; write grant proposals and reports; research new funding sources. This role reports to the Chief Development Officer. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:  

The individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed below. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. 

1. Initiate and partner with staff across the organization to understand funding priorities, document and articulate program activities, outcomes and intended impact, and plan request and report submissions for public, private and corporate sponsorship opportunities. Initiate ideas and gather input from program and finance staff that inform creation of project narratives, outcomes, objectives, metrics, budgets, and other supporting documents. (25%) 
2. Synthesize organization information to write funding proposals, letters of inquiry, and reports focused on supporting programs in the annual operating budget. (25%) 
3. Manage administration of organization-wide grants process and grants and reports calendar including deadlines, tracking progress toward goals, contact and relationship details, scheduling and overseeing invoicing-payment requests, and documenting information and activity in CRM. (25%)  
4. Cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation and some corporate donors and donor prospects, both local and national, directly or by supporting the primary relationship manager. (10%) 
5. Actively participate in Development staff meetings, planning, and prospect strategy meetings with Executive Director and Chief Development Officer. (10%) 
6. Research new grant opportunities, both local and national. (5%) 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Motivated self-starter and collaborative team player 
• Exceptional attention to detail  
• Demonstrated strength in written communications (writing sample may be requested) 
• Strong time management and organizational skills while managing overlapping priorities 
• Ability to manage to firm deadlines  
• Proven ability to plan for and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment 
• Ability to research grant opportunities and application requirements 
• Demonstrated success in meeting financial goals, deadlines 
• Openness to constructive feedback for the purpose of producing the best possible work product  

Qualifications: 

• Four+ years of professional grant writing experience in a nonprofit organization or similar experience 
• Excellent interpersonal, listening, written and verbal communication skills, editing skills, and ability to synthesize information in a compelling and accurate way 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite including strong Excel skills 
• Experience with SharePoint or similar Cloud-based file sharing platform 
• Experience with CRM, database, or donor relationship management software a plus 

Work Environments:   

Hours of work include daytime hours Monday – Friday and occasional nights and weekends to support organization events. The successful candidate will be expected to work in the West Bend and Milwaukee office locations when needed with a flexible schedule and work from home as needed.

Salary and Benefits 

• Compensation range: $45,000 – $55,000 
• Health insurance stipend of $5,000 (periodically adjusted for inflation) 
• Participation in employer-sponsored 401K with up to 4% match          
• Paid leave includes 12 vacation days, 10 holidays, and 10 compassionate days annually