Grant Writer And Strategist (Exempt)

Description

Who We Are
The Puget Sound Partnership is a non-regulatory state agency leading the region’s collective effort to restore and protect the Puget Sound natural ecosystems. We are also one of the Executive Cabinet agencies under Governor Inslee’s Office. The Partnership brings together hundreds of partners to mobilize action around a common agenda, advance Sound investments, and advance priority actions by supporting partners.

We are proud to offer a suite of "Employer of Choice" initiatives and benefits in addition to state government’s full compensation and benefits. All of the Partnership’s employees have access and are welcome to enjoy the following:

• An agency-paid ORCA card for public transit use in the Puget Sound region.
• An annual professional development allowance for gaining skills that advance the employee’s career in their current field of work.
• A tax-free hiring incentive that includes a one-time $200 Amazon allowance for ordering at-home office equipment or preferred supplies to support the telework experience.
• A healthy/work balance by offering flexible and alternative work schedules.
• Active and engaging equity and inclusion programs, including an affinity group and an employee-led Accountability Buddy Program.
• An Infant at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
• Exclusive access to the Employee Assistance Program’s Work/Life web portal that provides additional benefits and resources to Partnership employees.

For more information, visit our website: www.psp.wa.gov

Position Details
This full-time unrepresented position is exempt from civil service law and has an official duty station at our Headquarters building in Olympia, Washington. Within the organizational chart, this position is a member of the External Operations Division, and reports to the Strategic Funding Manager .

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provides federal funding that supports programs and projects for nature-based and green infrastructure, climate resilience, and equity and environmental justice. As the Grant Writer and Strategist, you will provide the state, tribes, and local partners with technical assistance and the capacity to prepare grant applications for submission. You will identify appropriate funding opportunities, develop high-quality grant proposals to federal, state, and private funding agencies, and monitor grant progression with the goal of increasing the number of successful submissions for local and regional recovery projects. You will support a core outcome of the Strategic Funding Team to acquire additional funding for the implementation of the Action Agenda by matching projects that are local and Tribal priorities with the substantial pools of funds that are becoming available and supporting tribes and local partners in developing their proposals.

A little bit about the External Operations Division
The External Operations Division consists of the Adaptive Systems and Accountability, Boards, Communications, Integrated Planning, Science and Evaluation, and Strategic Funding programs.

Work Location
The Partnership offers a modern hybrid work environment, which includes both remote and office settings in Olympia and Tacoma. Although it’s not an official duty station of the Partnership, the agency currently utilizes a co-work space at a location in Seattle as a drop-in work environment option for staff.

All staff are required to report for in-person work in group settings or for in-person work at an office building at least once a week, including this position. You may be required to work more frequently in an office setting than others if you’re unable to effectively conduct work remotely or as business needs arise. You will be expected to report to the Olympia office on your first day of employment for onboarding.

Travel throughout the Puget Sound area on a regular basis will likely be necessary and may not be eligible for mileage reimbursement depending on where you reside and the destination of the meeting. The Partnership offers agency vehicles for all staff when traveling to meetings, conferences, or other work-related events that are not part of the employee’s regular commute. Use of the vehicle and a gasoline card for fueling is at no cost to the employee.

Salary
The annual salary range of compensation for this position is between $67,380 - $88,416 depending upon qualifications, although the expected hiring salary will typically be less than the top of the range to allow for growth and development movement. Bonuses, benefits, and/or additional pay may be available based on recruitment, retention, and incentives approved through legislative acts

Who should apply
We are looking for someone that meets the experience and education requirements listed below, but we also are looking for lived experience. Please consider applying if your lived experience meets the competencies of the requirements.

We encourage applicants from outside of Washington to apply! The successful candidate would be required to relocate to Washington state within 30 days of the appointment date. The expectation of this position’s starting appointment date is in the fall of 2023.

Additional recruitments for the new Strategic Funding Team are expected to become available in August 2023, so please check back periodically to review new employment opportunities.

• Strategic Funding Coordinator
• Restoration and Transportation Funding Strategist

Duties

Some of duties include:
Supporting successful grant proposal development efforts:

• Revising and providing feedback on draft proposals. Proofreading proposals for clarity, coherence, organization, and adherence to the call for proposal, including correcting minor typographical and other writing errors. Reviewing final application by evaluating the overall content.
• Tracking, managing, and communicating timelines and deadlines to achieve timely proposal submissions.
• Regularly meeting with colleagues in the External Operations Division, particularly the Ecosystem Recovery Team, Boards Team, and Planning Team to discuss current and new funding needs and identify proposal opportunities.
• Evaluating the overall needs of proposals and determining proposal strategy, direction, course of action, budgets, and timelines.
• Maintaining up-to-date descriptive data that is oriented for quick distribution to grant writing and developing partners and can be adapted to specific grant and funding opportunities.
• Advising on processes and procedures related to proposal preparation.
• Participating in work groups for cross-jurisdictional/geography projects requiring the cooperation of multiple tribes/partners and if needed, serve as project manager for such initiatives.
• Providing capacity for the design and development of competitive grant proposals to appropriate funding opportunities through collaboration and coordination with tribes, Lead Entities (LEs), Local Integrating Organizations (LIOs), and other local partners.
• Developing and assembling proposal submission components including but not limited to, need, objectives, outcomes and deliverables, letters of commitment, chart, tables, and evaluation, and prepare for submission on behalf of partners.
• Consulting with internal and external entities to obtain information necessary for the development of fundable proposals, including information required to address specific grant criteria.

Providing technical assistance:

• Becoming familiar with grant-makers’ electronic submission requirements.
• Tracking grant seeking efforts and creating reports on grant submission and results.
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of state and federal regulations governing submission of proposals.
• Understanding and being able to explain grant regulations and guidelines.
• Routinely reviewing and analyzing funding databases, announcements, and websites to identify funding opportunities.

Qualifications

Required Education, Experience, and Competencies:

• Master’s degree focusing on technical writing, English, business administration or closely related field in which writing, research, analysis, and communication coursework is significant, AND two (2) years of experience directly related to proposal development, technical writing, and/or prior experience writing and submitting grant proposals.

OR

• Bachelor’s degree in technical writing, English, business administration or closely related field in which writing, research, analysis, and communication coursework is significant, AND four (4) years of experience directly related to proposal development, technical writing, and/or prior experience writing and submitting grant proposals.

OR

• Eight (8) years or more of education and experience combined that demonstrates the candidate meets all competency requirements for this position.

AND

• Commitment to advancing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
• At least one year of demonstrated effective and responsible program budget development experience or grant program budgets.
• Demonstrates proficiency as a facilitator to motivate, energize, and connect the right people, partnerships, and resources to compile grant proposals.
• Knowledge of federal, state and local grant funding sources including application processes and requirements.
• At least one (1) year of experience in grant writing, including researching and submitting grant proposals to state, federal, and private entities.
• Experience or education in restoration, watershed planning, land use planning, forestry, natural resource management, environmental studies or related field.
• Ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work on a team and make complex decisions with a high level of initiative and judgment in a variety of situations.

**Note: The professional experience requirements above could be gained concurrently.

Conditions of the Working Environment:
With or without accommodations, I am willing and able to:

• Interact and work with partners and staff in a positive, friendly, and supportive manner that meets the needs and standards of the office and the agency.
• Work indoors, at a desk/workstation the majority of a workday, in an open office environment with possible conversation and other noise distractions
• Occasionally work in excess of 40 hours per week and/or to adjust normally scheduled hours, which may include evenings and weekends, to meet program needs and critical deadlines
• Work in a tobacco-free, drug-free, and alcohol-free environment
• Maintain confidentiality regarding information accessed or discussed while performing the duties of the position
• Work a 40-hour work week (A flexible work schedule may be considered upon request and supervisory approval, after an initial review period)
• Work in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and competing deadlines
• Occasionally travel throughout the state, which may include overnight stays, as required, while performing the duties of this position
• Permanently reside in Washington state throughout employment and available to report in person at Puget Sound agency offices and meetings on a weekly basis. If the successful candidate is currently living outside of Washington, relocation must occur within 30 days of the appointment date.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in grant writing for higher education or a government agency.
• Experience developing, writing, editing, and reviewing multi-investigator or multi-institution grant applications.
• Experience designing or implementing training and developing materials for grant writing/proposal development.
• Working understanding of electronic research administration portals such as Grants.gov and Research.gov.

Supplemental Information

Intrigued? We'd love to hear from you. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every preferred qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. If you have lived experience that is equivalent to the required experience and education mentioned above, please apply! Tell us about it in your cover letter and how that experience qualifies you for this work.

Please attach the following documents in order to be considered; failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:

• A letter of interest that describes why you are a compelling candidate and how you meet the specific qualifications for this position. If you’d like lived experience to be considered in lieu of any education or professional experience, please include how that lived experience is equivalent to any of the educational or professional experience requirements. You are welcome to include the name and pronouns you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.
• Current resume, detailing experience, education, and relevant skills or talents

** You will want to ensure you have a current list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information attached or available to provide at the time of the interview. For lived experience, a personal reference may be accepted in addition to the professional references.

Things we ask you NOT include in your submission:

• Do not include your salary history. Salary offers are based on the quality of your skill set and not whether you have the right salary history.
• Do not attach documents that are password protected.
• Please remove any private or personal information such as your social security number, date of birth, marital status, family status, etc.

What does "EMS" mean? Exempt Management Service (EMS) is the term used to identify positions exempt from state civil service law. These positions do not have the same rights as classified positions. What does exempt from state civil service law mean?

Opportunity for All:
The Puget Sound Partnership celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws.

Contact Information:
For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact Jowi Deguzman at 360.407.7918 or email [email protected]. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.