Projects and Grants Manager

The Center for Ecoliteracy seeks a Projects and Grants Manager in a full-time (Mon-Fri, 40 hours per week), exempt position providing project management across all projects, grants, and contracts. 

The ideal candidate will be experienced in handling project management across concurrent projects and grant reporting. A candidate who applies would be intrinsically well-organized and flexible and is interested in a career path that embraces the opportunity of supporting a small organization of diverse people and programs. This individual will be a self-starter and able to function effectively in various roles within a dynamic environment under minimal supervision.

Project Management Responsibilities

• Design and maintain a timeline for all major projects and efforts to optimize effectiveness and alignment with organizational priorities and minimize conflicts between events and deliverables. 
• Use tools to monitor team capacity and FTEs in collaboration with senior leadership. Report project outcomes and/or risks to the appropriate management channels and escalate issues, as necessary.
• Serve as liaison between team members on all major projects and efforts to ensure well-coordinated deliverables, schedules, and meeting plans. 
• Support project leads with project check-in meetings, including agenda development, facilitation support, and follow-up on next steps.
• Coordinate publication workflow processes and scheduling with senior leadership. Assist with review and approval cycles for publications and collateral.
• Serve as the staff lead for project management software implementation. Seek out and leverage the latest available technology to improve the working lives of staff.
• Maintain project folders and manage key files and archiving of all project materials. Organize and manage a library of tools, including data collection and reference materials.
• Utilize best practices for managing scope during the project lifecycle, setting quality and performance standards, and assessing risks. Develop new strategies and processes for effective project management across the organization.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with contractors and vendors.

Grant Management Responsibilities

• Create and maintain a calendar of activities to support the grant management systems. 
• Liaise directly with external grant analysts and contract clients, submitting reports, scope of work revisions, and communicating questions and updates as needed.
• Lead all grant reporting efforts in concert with project leads to streamline the development of the narrative, manage compliance, and sequence approvals.
• Lead all scope of work revisions with inputs from project leads and team members, serve as final author/editor, and contribute to solutions-oriented grant management. 
• Track grant and contract outcomes, support project teams in developing and scheduling data collection plans, and receive raw data for cleaning.
• Provide guidance and reviews to check for compliance throughout grant projects. 

Required Skills and Experience

• 3+ years of project management experience:
• Experience in managing concurrent projects and grants
• Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills 
• Demonstrated experience in writing project reports to funders or clients
• Expertise in and ability to assess and recommend project management best practices and procedures, including digital and physical file management
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize competing demands in order to meet deadlines and project specifications
• Familiarity with publication processes
• Technical skills including, but not limited to, Zoom, Slack, Google Suite, Salesforce, and cloud-based storage services. This is an Apple environment.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required

Who We Are Seeking

The successful candidate will be:

• Nimble in shifting between big-picture and detail-oriented work
• Proactive and self-directed, thriving in independent and collaborative settings
• A strong writer, able to synthesize complex information and inputs 
• A strategic thinker with the ability to translate ideas into actionable work plans and measurable outcomes
• Curious and creative in their approach to problem-solving and managing shifting priorities
• Highly organized and experienced in managing multiple tasks
• Team-focused and will enjoy working as part of an active group of highly engaged individuals to ensure the team’s success
• A proactive person who takes initiative and anticipates the needs of others
• Honest and committed to maintaining high ethical standards and confidentiality
• A fast learner who demonstrates humility, openness, transparency, and empathy in alignment with the organization’s values
• Solution-oriented and flexible as a team player with a growth mindset

Location and Travel

This is a hybrid position that includes a weekly schedule of remote days and in-person days in our office in Berkeley, California. Travel to school sites, conferences, and events in California to assist, where requested.

About the Center for Ecoliteracy

The Center for Ecoliteracy advances change in TK–12 education and school food systems to support students and the people who nourish them. We create original resources, collaborate on advocacy, and cultivate a growing network of leaders in our California Food for California Kids® initiative. Our 30-year history of successful systems change has resulted in millions of public school students receiving more fresh, local food and education about sustainability and food systems.

Learn more at ecoliteracy.org and californiafoodforcaliforniakids.org.

Our Commitment to Equity and Racial Justice

The Center for Ecoliteracy pursues change in TK–12 education and school food systems to provide a more just, sustainable, and equitable experience for students and the people who nourish them. We recognize the harm that systemic racism, gender bias, and structural inequalities create in our public education, food, and labor systems, and strive to mitigate the health and educational inequities affecting low-income households and children of color. We amplify the voices of people who are marginalized and shape our work according to their messages. By listening and taking action to identify and include missing voices, we seek to shift power in both policy and decision-making. We are privileged to learn from our partners and will continue to grow and evolve our work to embody this commitment.

The Center for Ecoliteracy is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, age, veteran status, or disability.