Senior Grants & Contracts Manager

About Us

Open Hand Atlanta helps people with chronic disease or disability overcome barriers to improved health by offering home-delivered meals and prevention-based nutrition programs.  With an annual budget of $11 million and a distribution of more than 1.7 million meals per year, Open Hand Atlanta is one of the largest providers of home-delivered meals and nutrition education in the country.  “More than a meal,” the organization also provides nutrition counseling and coaching to help clients manage their health and prevent nutrition-sensitive complications. 

Position Summary

The Senior Grants & Contracts Manager develops, manages and implements strategies to secure grants, contracts and contributions from government agencies, nonprofit agencies and businesses to fund Open Hand’s annual operations, special projects and capital needs.  This position is responsible for maintaining existing relationships and cultivating new relationships with private and corporate foundations, though primarily focusing on key constituents representing local and federal governments, and businesses/organizations that contract Open Hand for nutrition services.

Nature & Scope

Primary duties of the Senior Grants & Contracts Manager include the creation and execution of an annual plan for meeting revenue goals for government grants and contractual revenue. The right candidate is a skilled writer and communicator, who is able to manage time and meet critical deadlines. Applicants should be comfortable talking about the programs and services of Open Hand with government officials, corporate CEOs, foundation staff members, board members and other persons of influence in the community.  This individual will help to represent Open Hand on the Metropolitan Atlanta HIV Health Services Planning Council and possibly on other committees with collaborative partners. Attention to detail and the ability to write persuasively are very important.  Approximately 80% of time should be dedicated to administrative work, grant/proposal writing, research and reporting, with the other 20% dedicated to meetings with external constituents, outreach and stewardship. Attendance is required at designated development events that sometimes take place outside the office and normal business hours. 

Specific Responsibilities

This position is financially accountable for meeting government income goals set forth in the annual budget and shares responsibilities for contracted income goal with the Sr. Director of Client Services. 

Other Responsibilities: 

• Manage relationships with senior leadership representing metro-Atlanta cities, surrounding counties, state and federal governments
• Research government agencies, foundations and businesses to identify those with funding priorities; Manage and track grant/contract timelines to ensure on-time delivery of applications and report submissions
• Compile necessary progress reports and updates from programmatic staff; In some cases work with the Health and Wellness Grants Manager to complete applications to supporting businesses and foundations
• Attend required meetings with funding agencies
• Provide required supporting documentation with all letters of intent, grant applications, and proposals; Manage detailed status reports on pending grants and contracts, proposals planned, in process and submitted
• Work with Health and Wellness Grants Manager and program directors to fund existing operation expenses and new projects and capital purchases
• Provide all progress reports and other financial information as required by each constituent
• Share information with the Director of Development and Deputy Director for Finance & Administration on restricted gifts, grants receivables and anticipated receipt for cash flow planning
• Supervise/mentor the Health and Wellness Grants Manager
• Support the Sr. Director of Resource Development, Executive Director and members of the Board of Directors and Development Committee in the cultivation and solicitation of other gifts, as needed
• Serves as an integral part of the agency’s Program Core to ensure new opportunities are aligned with mission, and evaluate capacity, resources and priority.
• Assist with program evaluation process in reference to specific grants (i.e., budget, timeline, and benchmarks)

Qualifications

Education:               

Undergraduate degree in related field or related experience.

Experience:                

Minimum of five years of successful experience in grants management for non-profit organizations, preferably working with government grants. Skills in Microsoft Office Suite are required. Contacts in government offices and the local philanthropic community are highly recommended. Experience using a donor management system is preferred, and experience with CareWare & Andar database systems is a major plus.

Competencies:           

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have excellent writing, editing and communication skills. The candidate should possess strong computer skills and be able to multi-task, with great attention to detail. The individual must be able to interact on a professional and personal level with donors and high-level officials; must be able to work in a fast-paced environment and be able to start and resume work on projects, as priorities change; must have knowledge and understanding of what defines outcomes and how they can be measured.

This position requires:

• an individual who can manage deadlines
• strong math/Excel skills as well as experience with databases
• ability to build budgets and manipulate spreadsheets
• ability/willingness to communicate and hold other departments and/or partners to deadlines for needed information
• a team-oriented approach, with the ability to work with a management team and board members to achieve organization goals.

Other Characteristics:  

Timeliness, tenacity, ethics, self-confidence, flexibility and a strong sense of curiosity and creativity are helpful characteristics. Ability to review relatively large volumes of information online in order to assess appropriate funding opportunities as suitable for Open Hand. Knowledge regarding chronic disease and healthcare are preferred. Project management software experience a plus.