Grants Support Specialist

Grants Support Specialist 

The Grants Support Specialist (GSS) is responsible for preparing, consolidating, analyzing and organizing documentation to serve Surf’s broadband grant application initiatives. 

The mission of the GSS position is to understand the scoring criteria of each granting organization and position Surf’s applications accordingly. The position requires full attention to all application requirements, detailed and extensive document preparation/management, and active coordination with other departments throughout Surf to secure proper data and inputs.   Qualified candidates possess a demonstrated professional history of organizing their work practices to meet hard-set deadlines.

The GSS will be responsible for four main areas:

1.    Subject matter expertise on grant application requirements, strategy and content for assigned state(s), including any counties or townships therein
2.    Organization and preparation of grant application submissions with input from various departments (OSP, finance, GIS, HR, etc.) and third-party contractors
3.    Application revisions and change order management throughout multiple application phases
4.    Preparation and submission of assigned post-award compliance and reporting data

Reports To:     Director of Special Funding

Department:   Special Funding

Job Status:    Exempt

Responsibilities:

Grant application activities will include: 
1)    Coordinate with other Special Funding team members to:
a)    Ensure that response data is standardized and consistent across all applications
b)    Assess the impact of certain grant RFP requirements on Surf’s organization, business practices and strategy as a whole and summarize those impacts for the Director of Special Funding
c)    Assist in the refinement and management of a project tracking framework that organizes inputs, drives team members to meet deadlines and provides Surf management with a high-level progress update that is available on demand
d)    Receive and integrate inputs such as maps, cost data, marketing data, support letters, narrative content and more
e)    Foster a collaborative environment that creates efficiencies and reduces incidents of duplicated labor
2)    Actively engage respective state broadband office(s)
3)    Assist in community leader and stakeholder engagement efforts, including:
a)    Identifying and organizing community contacts and providing those to appropriate business development team members
b)    Providing a centralized tracking system with associated deadlines for outreach, support letter and remaining tasks
c)    Summarize community leader input for inclusion in any grant application narratives
4)    Take responsibility for meeting deadlines and the accuracy of all submitted responses

Post-award activities include:
1)    Serve as the main point of contact between Surf and granting agency
2)    Articulate grant reporting requirements to Surf team members and its subcontractors
3)    Set a regular cadence of reporting and documentation submission for Surf team members by coordinating with all responsible departments
4)    Be accountable for timely report submissions and compliance efforts
5)    Provide Surf management and executive team with high-level updates that are available on demand
 

Highly Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and at least three years’ experience in telecommunications

• Working experience with local, state and federal grants programs 

• Proficiency in ESRI or other GIS software 

• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite and SharePoint

• Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Excel including, but not limited to, mastery of advanced functions/formulas, data analysis tools, forecasting and trend analysis

• Document management including version control and revision tracking

• Experience with operational and project management systems and applications utilized by telecommunications firms

• Proven track record of engaging, and holding accountable, cross-functional group members

• Excellent oral and written communications skills, which include the ability to communicate clearly and concisely via e-mail

• Familiarity with FCC and other broadband compliance reporting requirements

• High standards with regard to the quality of responses to each and every requirement and question set forth in RFPs