Grants Officer

This is an exciting new position for a highly motivated, organised, analytical and collaborative grants management professional with the experience and commitment to manage a portfolio of grants. The role will include ensuring that project leads have the tools, systems and processes in place to deliver against their grants, whilst adhering to organisational and donor-specific compliance standards.

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is a high-profile organisation and trade association leading the international clean energy transition as the world seeks to stay within 1.5c global warming target. Our mission is to ensure that wind power establishes itself as the answer to today’s energy challenges, providing substantial environmental and economic benefits.

Over the next two years, GWEC expects to rapidly scale up the number and size of the grants that we are managing globally. The post-holder will play a pivotal role in securing new grants, and building the capacity of the global staff team to effectively manage the grants once secured. The successful applicant is likely to be someone who enjoys problem solving, innovation and collaboration with multiple departments and individuals. 

Headline overview of responsibilities: 

- Grant identification and pipeline management: Conduct research to identify potential grant funding opportunities. Conduct research and analysis on the reporting and financial requirements of prospective donors. Maintain the funding pipeline/ grant management database

- Grant application oversight: Manage the end-to-end grant application process for new grants.

- Budget and financial management: Collaborate with the project and finance teams to develop project budgets. Monitor spending against grants in relation to activities delivered. Ensure Project Leads receive monthly spend updates. Ensure donor budgets are utilised as directed, financial reporting is on-track, and any alterations are communicated internally and externally. Support Project Leads to re-forecast budgets.

- Grant compliance: Ensure compliance with grant agreements, reporting requirements, and regulatory guidelines. Ensure that the project delivery team is inducted on contractual obligations, and provide support and advice regarding adherence to contracts throughout the grant period. Support on grant management documentation, including quality assuring processes. Support the project delivery teams in the preparation and submission of donor reports, through until grant close-out.

- Grant Performance Management: Ensure that all grant management tools are set up with each grant’s inception period. Coordinate quarterly grant oversight meetings, and hold project delivery teams to account for delivery of projects. Ensure GWEC fulfils its obligations to donors as per grant contracts. Support the finance team to liaise with auditors throughout audits.

- Knowledge sharing: Stay informed about trends and best practices in grant funding and statutory funding. Share technical advice, grant specific guidance and project management best practices and tools. Contribute to GWECs grant-related systems, policies, processes, and guidelines.

- Strategy delivery: Support the Grants Director in the delivery of the fundraising strategy, including assuming responsibility for the delivery of identified tasks within the team’s annual work plan. Engage in regular monitoring of progress against the work plan.

Essentia Person Criteria:

• Right to work in UK or Portugal

• Fluency in written and spoken English

• University Degree (BA or Bsc)

• 3 or more years relevant  experience, in either a non-profit organisation or a grant making organisation

• Be diligently compliance-driven to ensure organisational adherence to grant-maker requirements, and local laws and regulations

• Commitment to the work and mission of GWEC and the clean energy transition 

• Proven ability to build good working relationships with finance and non-finance staff

• Strong analytic skills and problem-solving abilities.

Desirable Person Criteria:

• Experience of grant funded project audits

• Experience of developing project metrics and KPIs.