Grants Manager

Position Type: Permanent

Status: Full-Time

Salary: $80,100 to $102,350 annually

Date Posted: April 29, 2022

Closing Date: May 27, 2022

About the Law Foundation of BC:

The Law Foundation of British Columbia (the Foundation) has a mission to advance and promote a just society governed by the rule of law, through leadership, innovation and collaboration. It has been doing this since 1969, using funds arising from interest paid on lawyers’ pooled trust accounts and other sources to make the law and justice system accessible, particularly to those segments of the public who face the greatest barriers to access.

Through its funding, the Foundation supports:

• a network of 50 poverty law advocacy programs assisting people with their poverty law problems in communities around the province
• a network of 25 family law advocacy programs
• a network of legal clinics
• clinical legal education programs at all three law schools
• a variety of public interest law programs
• public legal education programs
• support for the provision of legal aid and public law libraries
• important work in law reform; and
• several other programs and projects that contribute to enhancing the rule of law and access to justice in British Columbia

Working at the Foundation means joining a team of passionate, hard-working professionals. We strive to build an inclusive and respectful working environment, where all employees are valued for their contributions to our mission.

We offer a comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• generous extended health and dental coverage for the employee, spouse and dependents
• 3 weeks annual vacation to start and late December office closure
• family friendly workplace policies, parental leave top-ups, life insurance plan, and a workplace culture with an overarching emphasis on wellness and work life balance
• RRSP contribution of 6% of salary without matching requirement
• wellness spending account for each employee
• generous care days (sick leave) entitlement
• flexible work arrangements
• relevant professional fees and memberships covered
• training and professional development opportunities

We strongly encourage applications from members of communities that are marginalized or that experience structural discrimination including those identifying as Indigenous, people of colour, members of non-dominant ethnic, religious, linguistic, and/or cultural groups, women, (im)migrants/newcomers, people with (dis)abilities, and LGBTQ2S+ people, and we strongly encourage applicants to self-identify in their application if they feel comfortable in doing so. In order to achieve a representative team, preference may be given to applicants self-declaring as being a member of one or more of the groups identified above. The Foundation believes that a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve strengthens our ability to achieve our mission.

To learn more about what we do, please visit www.lawfoundationbc.org

About the Role:

The Grants Manager will join a dynamic team that is working to create innovative solutions to difficult access to justice challenges that affect the well-being of diverse communities in British Columbia.

This role will support the adjudication, administration, and evaluation of one time and continuing grants made by the Foundation. As a key member of the program team, the Grants Manager will work with the Director of Legal Service Grants, Program Directors and other staff who support the Foundation’s legal and advocacy service grants to advance the Foundation’s goals.

The Grants Manager has a unique role to play that must be approached with a great deal of sensitivity to the power imbalances that unavoidably form the backdrop of a foundation/grantee relationship. The Grants Manager will support grantee organizations and people who are doing the funded work, while maintaining clear and transparent boundaries around the role of the Foundation and being a careful steward of the Foundation resources.

As a member of the Program team, the Grants Manager plays a key role in:

Supporting the continuing programs of the Foundation, including providing grant-making support to a portfolio of continuing programs, by:

• communicating with grantees about granting opportunities, deadlines, reporting requirements and training opportunities
• consulting with grantees on applications, workplans, budgets
• reviewing and assessing grant applications in consultation with the program team and other experts
• providing program summaries, updates, and recommendations related to applications to the Foundation’s Board of Governors to support their adjudicative and oversight functions
• working with the operations team to communicate funding decisions to grantees and set payment and reporting schedules
• actively tracking, managing, and reviewing grantee reports and payment schedules
• working with Foundation staff and agents to ensure new advocates have access to required training
• supporting grantees to avail themselves of services and training offered by the Foundation
• facilitating grantee participation in evaluation projects
• ensuring that concerns and risks related to specific programs or funded agencies are communicated to the appropriate Program Director and/or the executive team of the Foundation

Supporting the administration of the Foundation by:

• assisting the Foundation in its communications plans for funded legal and advocacy services programs to ensure that the network is aware of the work that the Foundation supports and the expectations for grantees
• contributing to the Foundation’s continuous improvement efforts regarding both internal and grantee-facing processes

Note: This job may require additional responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Law Foundation of British Columbia

About You:

At least one, or equivalent, of the following education & experience:

• minimum three years of relevant work experience
• post-secondary degree in social work, law, public administration, community development, or equivalent experience
• experience in a law-related, non-profit, or foundation environment
• experience working with grant-funded programs, including as a grant writer or grants administrator

This will be valuable to the person in this role:

Good knowledge of the justice sector, particularly in the area of poverty law, including:

• understanding of the justice system, and the barriers to accessing justice, and access to justice initiatives
• understanding of the legal, policy and socioeconomic realities that impact our grantees’ clients
• understanding of Indigenous justice issues
• commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion
• familiarity with non-profit structures and governance

Skills, abilities, and attributes:

• excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• interest in and ability to learn new information, practices, policies and procedures
• commitment to the Foundation’s mandate and the core values of equity, trust, collaboration, and accountability
• proven ability to manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously, sometimes with tight timelines
• ability to be flexible and adjust plans thoughtfully as necessary
• ability to foresee project risks and to allow for contingency when planning
• demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment
  
• excellent written and oral communications skills
• effective at building trusting relationships internally and externally
• fluency and comfort with software used in our work, including Microsoft Office suite, strong aptitude to master grant database software and other workplace software and social media applications
• familiarity with non-profit or foundation boards, and volunteer advisory committees
  
• ability to maintain confidentiality

Please do not be discouraged from applying if you do not possess the precise combination of all of the skills, attributes, qualifications and experience listed above. Furthermore, if your lived experience provides you with a foundation that is equivalent to the work experience listed, you are encouraged to describe that in your application.

Application Process:

Please submit the following through this application portal:

When submitting your application please name and save your attachments with your first and last name in the title, such as: “FirstnameLastname Resume.pdf” and “FirstnameLastname Cover Letter.pdf”.

Interviews will be conducted by Foundation staff by video. The Foundation will make appropriate accommodations, if needed, for candidates that we interview.

By submitting your application, you certify that all information submitted is true, complete and correct. Any information provided in your application, any assessment documents or processes and/or an interview that is found to be false or misrepresented in any respect, may eliminate you from further consideration for employment or may result in dismissal.

We acknowledge that the Foundation’s main office is located in Vancouver on the shared lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and conducts its work throughout the homelands of Indigenous peoples across the place we now call British Columbia. The Law Foundation of BC is committed to supporting a just and meaningful reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and others in these lands.

If you have any questions about this role, please contact Andrea Gutierrez, Director of Operations, by email at agutierrez@lawfoundationbc.org.