Grant Manager

Location: Remote with occasional travel (<15%)

Reports to: Executive Director

Position Summary

The Grant Manager is responsible for managing and supporting Earth Fire Alliance’s (EFA) full grants lifecycle, from prospect research and proposal development through compliance, reporting, and renewal. This role establishes and maintains EFA’s centralized grant administration system to ensure that all funder requirements are tracked and fulfilled, and that grant-funded work is aligned with EFA’s mission, strategy, and operational capacity. The scope of this effort includes multi-year, multi-million dollar grants.

The Grant Manager will work closely with the Executive Director, Chief of Staff, Development Lead, external finance staff, program leads, development consultants, and other external partners to steward a high-quality grant portfolio that supports both organizational sustainability and mission-driven impact.

About Earth Fire Alliance

Founded in 2024, Earth Fire Alliance (EFA) is a global, community-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit coalition formed to confront the escalating wildfire crisis. Its flagship program is FireSat, a satellite system designed with and for fire agencies and fire scientists specifically for wildfire detection, monitoring, and response. FireSat will generate a global wildfire dataset at unprecedented scale, fidelity, and frequency. Grounded in radical collaboration and rapid action, EFA ensures wildfire intelligence is accessible, actionable, and available for the public good.

Wildfires cost the U.S. up to $426 billion annually. For only a fraction of these costs, the world could monitor fires globally in a way never before possible. EFA applies user-driven technology solutions to provide transformative near real-time data from all wildfires on Earth. The Alliance is a trusted partner to fire agencies across three continents and a thought leader in the evolving global dialogue on wildfire observation, science, and resilience.

‍Key Responsibilities

Grant Strategy, Planning, and Pipeline Management (25%)

• Partner with the Executive Director, Chief of Staff, Development Lead, and development consultants to develop and maintain a multi-year grant strategy aligned with EFA’s mission and strategic priorities. This strategy must account for multiple funders in various combinations supporting multiple EFA programs.
• Build and maintain a grants pipeline, including cultivation, application, renewal, and stewardship opportunities across foundations, corporations, government agencies, and multilaterals.
• Maintain a comprehensive grant calendar, ensuring all deadlines for proposals, reports, and renewals are clearly tracked and communicated to relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct prospect research to identify new funding opportunities that align with EFA’s programmatic and organizational priorities.

Grant Proposal Development and Submission (35%)

• Lead the end-to-end development of grant proposals, including drafting narratives, compiling supporting materials, and coordinating inputs from program staff, leadership, and partners.
• Work closely with the finance team to develop accurate and compliant grant budgets, budget justifications, and financial projections.
• Ensure all proposals and submissions are aligned with funder guidelines, EFA’s internal policies, and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with program and communications staff to gather and present compelling data, stories, and impact evidence in proposals.

Grant Administration, Compliance, and Reporting (30%)

• Establish and manage EFA’s centralized grant administration system (e.g., shared drives, databases, or grant management software) to track applications, awards, contracts, deliverables, and key correspondence.
• Monitor grant agreements, terms, and conditions to ensure compliance with all funder requirements, including programmatic, financial, legal, strategic communications, and branding obligations.
• Work with finance staff to monitor grant expenditures, track grant budgets, and support preparation of financial reports that align with funder and audit requirements.
• Prepare and submit high-quality narrative and data-based grant reports, coordinating contributions from program and evaluation staff.
• Maintain organized records for each grant to support audits, renewals, and institutional knowledge.

Monitoring, Learning, and Relationship Stewardship (10%)

• Track grant performance metrics and outcomes in collaboration with program and evaluation staff, supporting learning and continuous improvement across EFA’s portfolio.
• Support the Executive Director and other leaders in stewarding relationships with program officers and funder representatives, including preparation for check-ins, site visits, and briefings.
• Provide periodic portfolio-level summaries and insights (e.g., revenue concentration, risk, renewal timelines) to leadership and the EFA Board of Directors when required.
• Contribute to the development of case studies, impact stories, and other materials that support both grant reporting and future fundraising efforts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• Minimum of 4–7 years of progressively responsible experience in grant management, institutional fundraising, or a closely related role in the nonprofit or public sector.
• Proven track record of developing, submitting, and managing complex multi-million dollar grant portfolios, including foundation and corporate grants; experience with federal or multilateral grants is a strong plus.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technical or scientific work into clear, compelling narratives.
• Strong project management, organizational, and time management skills with demonstrated ability to manage multiple deadlines and stakeholders.
• Familiarity with grant management systems and tools; proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and collaboration platforms (e.g., Google Workspace, Slack, Asana/Trello, or similar).
• Strong analytical skills, including comfort working with budgets, financial reports, and basic quantitative data.
• Ability to work effectively across teams, maintain confidentiality, and foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented work environment.
• Ability to operate independently, exercise sound judgment, and navigate ambiguity in a fast-paced, virtual environment.
• Deep commitment to EFA’s mission and values, and enthusiasm for working on wildfire, climate, and equity-related issues.

Working Conditions

• Full-time virtual position, typically 40 hours per week.
• Ability to work flexible hours to coordinate with a global team across multiple time zones.
• Some evening and weekend work may be required to meet proposal or reporting deadlines or to attend events.
• Occasional travel may be required for meetings, conferences, funder engagement, and strategic planning sessions.

Earth Fire Alliance is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

EFA provides a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, FSA, 401K, flexible time off, and more.