Senior Project Manager, Conservation Funding

Position Summary

The Conservation Funding Project Manager will oversee multiple cross-departmental project and manage several complex workstreams as part of Audubon’s efforts to expand capacity to identify, secure and manage public funding in order to support the habitat conservation, climate action and community building necessary to allow birds to thrive across the entire hemisphere.  This position will work directly with stakeholders across the organization, facilitating implementation of significant capacity building initiatives, managing development of regional and national scale funding applications, and providing training and technical assistance on all aspects of the grant management lifecycle.

The ideal candidate should have knowledge of a wide range of current public funding sources and programs, documented success working in a leadership role on projects that transformed grant management infrastructure and prior experience developing training and technical assistance materials covering the grant management lifecycle. The position will report to the Senior Director of Conservation Funding and Partnerships and will collaborate closely with grant management stakeholders across the organization.

Compensation:

Salary range based on geo-differentials:

• $89,000 - $100,000 / year = National

• $100,000 - $113,000 / year = Alaska, CA (not San Francisco), Connecticut, D.C., Chicago, Oyster Bay, NY

• $112,000 - $126,000 / year = NYC (not Oyster Bay), San Francisco, Seattle

Essential Functions

• Serve as primary point of contact for significant initiatives designed to improve the organization’s identification, pursuit and management of public funding, including systems implementations, gap analyses and consulting engagements.

• Serve as project manager for significant grant pursuits, incorporating resources in alignment with a new model for conservation grant application development.

• Create and maintain project plans, dashboards, trackers, budgets, resource projections and responsibility matrices in support of conservation funding initiatives.

• Support development and implementation of a Public Funding Strategy for Audubon that incorporates systematic fund mapping and stresses increased opportunity sizes.

• Provide consultation and support to the leaders of a growing Conservation Funding and Partnerships team as they conduct opportunity identification, need identification and matched opportunity prioritization at the facility, program, state/region and organization level.

• Work to build relationships with external partners and raise Audubon’s profile as a partner for large-scale funding pursuits, including leveraging active participation and leadership of relevant organizations and delivering presentations at national and regional conferences.

• Oversee the creation of complex deliverables, including strategy documents, reports, workflows and presentations.

• Develop training materials and deliver training to stakeholders about all aspects of the grant management lifecycle. Develop an internal technical assistance program for grant management stakeholders. Build relationships with grant management stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

• Assist with other departmental projects and related work.

• Support a culture of philanthropy, including public funding efforts.

• Collaborate with colleagues across the Americas including through joint planning and execution of shared priorities.

• Maintain and foster a culture of safety.

• Complete other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Public Finance or related field, including but not limited to a research-based Social Science discipline. Master’s degree preferred.

• 7+ years of progressive experience supporting entities in efforts to identify, acquire and manage public funding or working with or for grant-making agencies. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.

• Significant knowledge of and experience applying regulations applicable to public funding, including but not limited to the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200 et seq.).

• Strong written communication skills with proven ability to develop high-level, compelling proposals; ability to quickly synthesize complex ideas and align them with funder priorities.

• Significant project management experience, including successfully having created and utilized project plans, budgets, resource projections and responsibility matrices. Successful experience overseeing a team, managing assigned resources and leading the creation of complex deliverables such as reports and studies.

• Experience managing change within an organization to increase capacity to identify, secure and manage federal funding.

• Experience developing training materials, planning training sessions and delivering training to internal and external stakeholders.

• Entrepreneurial self-starter with strong project management and organizational skills, including use of project management tools such as Asana, Microsoft Project or similar.

• Experience developing system requirements, evaluating potential solutions, testing new systems and leading systems integrations.

• Possess or be able to obtain one or more national certifications or credentials as an expert in areas related to public funding, including the Certified Grant Management Specialist (CGMS) credential, a certificate through the Grants Management Certificate Program (GMCP), the Grant Professional Certified designation or a specific topical area such as federal procurement, resilience, or sustainability.

• Team player with natural affinity for building close, effective working relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders.

• Understanding of federal agency funding priorities including resilience, with ability to understand how national, state and local politics and policy changes impact public funding.

• Must have a good understanding of budgets and financials related to grant identification and pursuit, including a solid understanding of indirect, overhead and administrative cost recovery.

• Willingness to travel as needed to meet with Audubon conservation leaders and funders and participate in/present at conferences and events that will raise the profile of Audubon with funders and potential partners, up to 20 percent.

• Experience and knowledge of the environmental landscape is a plus, and must have an interest in conservation and Audubon.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including ability to conceptualize impactful summaries, narratives, tables, charts and graphics necessary to support high-quality grant applications.

• Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.

• Experience fostering inclusive and collaborative work environments is valued.

• Possession of a valid driver’s license.

National Audubon Society Competencies: This role will also be accountable to apply and develop the following competencies.

Fostering Relationships: Build trust, mutual respect, and understanding through regular and genuine interactions while promoting a positive and inclusive environment. 

Analytical Thinking: Recognize and value diverse perspectives and experiences in data analysis to foster a more comprehensive and equitable approach to problem-solving. 

Creativity and Innovation: Leverage creativity and imagination to generate new insights and solutions while embracing diverse ideas and approaches that foster innovation. 

Facilitating Change: Work with others to explore innovative approaches to problem-solving while promoting inclusivity, equity, accessibility, and belonging in the change process. 

Team Leadership: Communicate vision and engage others or the team to solve problems while valuing diverse perspectives and fostering inclusivity. 

EEO Statement

The National Audubon Society is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination, inclusion and equal opportunity and actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search.

Accessibility Statement

The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users.  If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Accommodations@audubon.org. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.