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Job Descriptions:

Position Summary

The Critical Needs team works towards a future with a strengthened safety net of essential services across Chicago and Cook County that enhances individual and community stability and economic security by supporting nonprofits and initiatives that increase access to housing, food, and other fundamental human services. As it has since it was founded, the Trust responds with funding to unanticipated and ongoing crises affecting the region (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic, community safety) and often in partnership with other philanthropic, government, corporate, and civic actors.?The Critical Needs team is situated within the People, Power and Policy Team and works in close collaboration with the Trust’s Policy Change and Collective Power teams.

The Program Specialist reports to the Director, Critical Needs. The Program Specialist is primarily responsible for informing strategy and executing grantmaking that responds to community- identified and unanticipated emerging needs. The Program Specialist facilitates the Trust’s process to make these grants and deploy both the Trust’s unrestricted and restricted funds to achieve the Trust’s charitable mission and to honor donor intent. The Program Specialist also supports the development of projects including pilot efforts, and engages cohorts of grant recipients, often in collaboration with other Community Impact teams on topics such as housing stability, human services, health and well-being. Key tasks include research; relationship management, managing grant processes; and project management. The Program Specialist must be able to prioritize multiple tasks, be a strong communicator and able to engage diverse internal and external stakeholders, including direct service providers, donors and philanthropic partners.

Position Responsibilities:

Grantmaking Operations & Process Management

+ Researches organizations that match the intended use of restricted funds to consider them for invite-only grants

+ Manages applicant intake, data entry, and ongoing tracking to ensure timely and accurate processing of submissions

+ Collaborates with the Learning and Impact team to develop impact frameworks for funding opportunities, grant level outcomes, and measures of progress

+ Works closely with the Trust’s Learning and Impact and Grants Management team to gain approval for funding opportunities

+ Plans, coordinates, and participates in meetings with applicants and internal teams to support due diligence, relationship building, and informed decision-making

+ Reviews individual grants including conducting financial and organizational due diligence

+ Drafts grant recommendations for review and submission through the Trust’s grant approval process.

+ Monitors key milestones, deadlines, and review cycles according to the Trust approval guidelines and process

+ Communicates directly with grant applicants to provide clarity and guidance on the Trust’s application, review and approval processes

+ Works with Grants Management to provide support to grant applicants and recipients navigating the Trust’s grants management system

+ Maintains?calendars, workflows, and shared project management tools

+ Reviews grant reports and works with Learning and Impact to collect, synthesize and share learnings from funding opportunities, pilots or other initiatives to inform future strategy

+ Helps develop, plan and execute on the logistics for grant partner convenings

Applicant & Grant Recipient Support

+ Serves as primary point of contact for grant applicants and partners, and as relationship manager as requested.

+ Supports and develops relationships with potential restricted fund grant applicants to determine if organization is in alignment with donor intent and identifies opportunities to align funds with the values and strategic priorities of the Trust

+ Demonstrates responsiveness and professionalism in all partner interactions, ensuring positive experiences for grant recipients and collaborators

Team Coordination & Collaboration

+ Coordinates, schedules, and facilitates regular meetings for responsive grantmaking including creating agendas developed with input from the Director and Senior Director of Critical Needs and Associate Vice President of Community Impact

+ Develops a systematic approach to responsive grantmaking internally that enables collaboration and cooperation with Grants Management and Learning and Impact so that both the Trust’s and grant recipients’ needs are incorporated

+ Supports the development and creation of reports and presentations for internal and external audiences

+ Shares program content and stories with Strategic Communications team to highlight the work

+ Maintains and tracks the Responsive & Restricted Fund Grantmaking budgets and reports on expended and remaining funds.

+ Partners with the other People, Power and Policy Impact Coordinators & Program Specialists on administrative budgets and other special projects

+ Serves as a connector between internal teams, grant recipient partners, and philanthropic collaborators to ensure transparent communication and follow-through

Critical Needs Strategy Development

+ Supports the research and development of new strategies or revised projects, pilots, and cohorts

+ Collects information, conducts informational interviews with stakeholders, and gathers information from existing collaborations with funding partners to develop RFPs

+ Conducts and synthesizes research on issues the team is exploring to inform strategy and execution (e.g., housing stability, income security/caregiving)

+ Provides project and task management support of internal and external efforts to achieve intermediate and overarching project goals

Position Competencies:?

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate a basic proficiency level in the following:?

+ Communication. Clearly communicates ideas, plans and priorities to others and acknowledges differing views; understands and can execute basic communications using the concept of storytelling.

+ Organizational Agility. Views change as an opportunity, works well in uncertain times and appropriately levels up challenges or threats.

+ Problem Solving. Gathers facts and information to solve problems directly related to one's own role and functional responsibilities.

+ Strategic Thinking. Understands the broad picture and strategic vision of the Trust and how they support impact from the CN and CI perspective on providing funding for basic needs in the region.

+ Relationship Building and Cultivation. Is accessible and approachable to others; supports colleagues and remains in contact with existing networks.

+ Collaboration. Works with colleagues across departments to collaborate and achieve organizational goals.?

And should demonstrate a proficiency level in the following:?

+ Customer Service. Identifies opportunities to exceed internal and external partner expectations.

+ Project Management. Understands the process of breaking down projects into smaller components and managing each workflow from beginning to end.?

+ Identifies and implements process improvements to make grantmaking workflows more efficient and equitable.

+ Documents best practices and standard operating procedures to enhance consistency across funding programs.

+ Compliance. Interacts directly with grant receipient to work through and solve potential compliance issues or one-off questions regarding the process.?

+ Grant Strategy. Understands the types of grants required to meet the needs of communities and is able to execute methods of funding to meet needs in collaboration with RFP development teams.??

Required Experience:

Position Qualifications

+ Three-to-five years of work experience in a project/program management role, human services and crisis response work preferred

+ Three-to-five?years?of work experience in?managing grants operations, including issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs),?providing technical?assistance,?reviewing applications, awarding grants, and tracking impact?

+ Experience working across multiple stakeholders in a complex environment while achieving results

+ Experience in project development and project management

+ Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to listen well, convey thoughts clearly, speak in public and to a wide variety of audiences, and work effectively as a member of a team

+ Demonstrated skills in facilitation, relationship building, and collaborative planning.

+ Technical skills in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Teams) and experience or willingness to learn Salesforce databases

+ Experience in project management, with the ability to assess and resolve implementation issues and to establish best practices.

+ Strong interpersonal skills, written communication, and comfort with cross-cultural communication.

Keyword: (Hybrid) Program Specialist, Critical Needs

From: The Chicago Community Trust