Job Description

About the Organization

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) is seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial fundraising pro to join our institutional fundraising team. You’ll be helping us find new foundation and governmental/agency donors and enhance our relationships with current donors as we look to substantially grow our conservation work’s scale and impact. 

The need has never been greater and this is the perfect opportunity for someone passionate about conservation and its connection to people to be part of team that’s truly making a difference. 

Want to join a growing organization that’s building on a 29+ year track record of success? You’ll work closely with our teams in Colombia, Brazil, Suriname, and Costa Rica, as well as our senior leadership in the US, to develop and fund new conservation programs and enhance our successful ones. And you’ll be involved in developing strategies as well as getting them funded—we’re looking for someone who’s a thinker and collaborator as well as great at execution. 

Sound interesting? Then read on… 

ACT was founded in 1996 to partner with indigenous and other local communities to protect tropical forest and strengthen traditional cultures. We have teams in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and the Guianas and a small headquarters office in Falls Church, VA. We’re lean and most of our staff is in the field—where they should be. 

Our conservation philosophy is people-based and ACT works to steadily increase the number of local communities in the Amazon region who are able to monitor, sustainably manage and protect their traditional forestlands and significantly increase the area of Amazonian rainforest with improved protection. Our program has three focus areas: sustainable land management and protection; secure and sustainable livelihoods for people; and strengthening community governance and culture. These focus areas drive our vision for the Amazon region and provide a clear, unified and long-term direction for how our organization operates. 

Ready to join the team? Here are the details…. 

Position Summary

The Institutional Giving & Grants Officer , a key member of the Development & Fundraising team, is primarily responsible for researching, writing, and coordinating the grant application process and managing proposals, while also serving as a key point of contact with ACT’s international offices.

Reports and Supervision

• Reports to: Chief Development Officer (CDO)
• Collaborates with: All ACT staff
• Supervises: This position currently has no supervisory responsibilities.

Application Procedures

Please email cover letter and resume to careers@amazonteam.org; use Institutional Giving & Grants Officer in the subject line. 

Responsibilities 

Grants Management, Grant Writing, and Grantmaker Cultivation

• Managing the development of grant proposals and applications with headquarters and international offices directors/staff, executing and delegating project selection, content writing and editing, budget development coordination, and visual design
• Collaborating with program staff to gather information necessary for grant applications
• Researching and identifying potential grant opportunities from government agencies, foundations, and corporations
• Supporting program directors/staff in refining program design and developing results-based project frameworks to develop proposals and other fundraising materials
• Building and maintaining relationships with grant-making organizations and donors
• Developing and maintaining a comprehensive calendar of grant applications and renewals deadlines
• Monitoring and ensuring compliance with all grant requirements and regulations
• Maintaining accurate records of past and current grant applications and funding received, including recording all interactions in the donor database
• Regularly informing senior staff of developments, and prompting and preparing senior staff for follow-up and outreach needs related to institutional giving
• Organizing and filing all development-related correspondence (e.g. proposals, applications, letters, acknowledgments) on SharePoint

External and Internal Reporting

• Assembling, writing, editing, and submitting grant reports, including:

1. Coordinating and soliciting grant reporting from ACT’s international offices and key staff
2. Ensuring grant reports are consistent with past reports and long-term objectives; are in accordance with the grant specifications and knowledge of donors; are concise and are prepared using a results-oriented approach that aligns with ACT’s adaptive management and PMEL practices
3. Coordinating with ACT-US financial staff to obtain expenditures reporting
4. Managing a calendar to ensure timely submission of reports, provide timely reminders of reports due to key staff, and ensure timely submission of narrative and financial reports to donors

• Coordinating ACT’s internal reporting process (quarterly reporting from ACT international offices), maintaining reporting calendars to ensure timely submission and providing reminders of reports due to program staff
• Providing feedback and guidance to staff on ACT’s grant and internal reporting best practices; additionally, developing new reporting approaches, improved designs and video and story map reports
• Alerting ACT-US staff of notable developments from grant and programmatic reporting and distribute final products to the Fundraising and Development team
• As requested, providing updates on ACT programs progress to ACT-US staff and executives
• Onboarding relevant staff from international offices on grant and internal reporting processes and best practices
• Preparing high-level programmatic achievements for ACT’s IRS 990 form

Other

• Actively participating in regular fundraising and development meetings with ACT’s international offices
• Based on knowledge acquired through the grant process, drafting and updating one-pagers and program descriptions as needed
• Actively collaborating in ACT’s PMEL efforts
• Attending technical fora hosted by multilateral and other large institutional funders

Skills and Attributes

Highly qualified candidates will bring a variety of experiences and attributes, including the following.

Required/Desired Experience and Education

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in nonprofit fundraising and grant writing.
• Experience in planning, leading, and managing proposals, including coordinating with different departments within an organization.
• Demonstrated ability to compose and manage comprehensive grant proposals, government contracts, and corporate contracts.
• Preference for candidates that have a record of fundraising in the international conservation arena.
• Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Nonprofit Management, or a related field.
• Preference for candidates with a master's degree or those who have pursued continuing education and professional development opportunities related to fundraising.

Competencies

• Mastery of spoken and written English.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Proficiency with MS365 and Office applications, donor databases/CRMs, and prospect research and other wealth screening tools.
• Preferred professional working fluency in Spanish (speaking, reading and writing); additional Portuguese or Dutch language skills a bonus.

Other Requirements

• Deep concern for the health of the Amazon biome and understanding of the critical role that indigenous communities play in conservation.
• Travel domestically and internationally may be required.
• Must be able to occasionally work nights, weekends, and holidays as necessary to carry out key job functions.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
• Must be able to pass a criminal background check.

Compensation

The organization offers an excellent benefits package and a salary that is commensurate with education and related work experience. This position is eligible for all benefits offered to regular employees.

Disclaimers

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. The preceding job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, qualifications, and responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The Amazon Conservation Team is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, ethnic background, religion, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disabilities.

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