Grants and Special Projects Manager

City of Kelowna

Kelowna

On-site

CAD 98,000 - 114,000

Full time

9 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Earned day off program

Pension plan

Job summary

City of Kelowna seeks a Grants Manager to lead and grow the City's grant funding portfolio. You will identify opportunities, build strong government partnerships, and oversee the full grant lifecycle from planning to reporting.

Strong leadership, negotiation and writing skills are essential, along with the ability to coordinate across divisions and with finance to ensure compliant funding delivery.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Arts, Science, or Business emphasizing communications, visual creativity and business case writing skills.
Significant years of related professional experience in public sector, research, policy or planning, and/or grant writing or RFPs.

Responsibilities

Lead advisor to Council and senior staff on funding opportunities from Federal and Provincial governments.
Build relationships with government ministries to advance grant applications.
Collaborate with Intergovernmental Relations to align priorities and grants.
Manage the Grants Management Program lifecycle for grants over $10,000.
Oversee grant database and KPI monitoring.
Coordinate with Finance for financial review and approval.

Skills

Grant writing

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

If Term position, enter length of Term in months

If Term position, enter length of Term in months n/a

Position Groups

Position Groups Management and Exempt

Division

Division Partnerships & Investments (DV276)

Department

Department Partnerships Office (DP250)

Department Name

Department Name Grants Branch

Branch

Branch Grants (BR281)

Organizational Information

Purpose of your Position - Non Union

The Grants and Special Projects Manager is responsible for leading, managing and providing strategic direction for the City’s overall Grant Management Program. The position strategically identifies, pursues, manages and advocates for grant opportunities from external providers, particularly from senior government. The Grants and Special Projects Manager works collaboratively across all divisions and builds strong relationships with external funding partners to support Council priorities and advance the City’s strategic priorities. The position will also undertake Project Management for specific partnership focused initiatives.

Classification Summary - Union

Duties - Union

Results and Activities - Non union

1. Leads, develops and manages grant funding relationships.

Lead advisor to Council, City Manager, and Divisional Directors on upcoming funding opportunities from Federal and Provincial governments to strategically manage collaboration opportunities for alignment and delivery of mutual priorities by advancing key funding agreements.
Establish and build impactful and trusted relationships with senior staff and program officers within the provincial and federal government ministries to proactively advance grant applications, opportunities that are reflective of our values and reputational intregrity.
Strong collaboration with the Intergovernmental Relations Manager to elevate the City’s projects and priorities by aligning with senior government priorities, advocacy and grant opportunities to increase our success in alternative revenue generation.
Active participant in meetings with senior levels of government at the staff level, and at times political levels, in conjunction with the IGR Manager, including attending the annual Union of BC Municipalities convention Minister meetings.

2. Leads and manages the City’s Grants Management Program

Drives alternative revenue generation through grants. Provides leadership, management, and strategic oversight on the full life cycle of grants, including planning, securing, and management, of all conditional grants over $10,000 that the City receives from external funding organizations.
Oversee an integrated and comprehensive Grant Management Program and database that is inclusive of all divisions for completing, monitoring, and managing all aspects of grants. Prioritizes accountability with KPI monitoring through the database.
Decision-making authority on grant applications up to $1 million, and provide strategic advice directly to City Manager on grant applications over $1 million where there is interest from multiple departments. Manages and prepares grants correspondence and messaging on behalf of the City for the City Manager, Mayor and Council.
Liaison with Finance to ensure grant management has appropriate level of financial review and approval.

3. Grant Research and Writing

Using a variety of sources, identify available grant opportunities and advise applicable departments of grants available. Stay apprised of evolving senior government priorities to align and prioritize funding opportunities with Council and corporate priorities, City master plans, and City capital plans.
Evaluate and prioritize grant opportunities to align with Council and corporate priorities and capital plans
Provide leadership in grant writing for impactful grant applications and build staff capacity across the organization through grant writing tools and mentorship
Prepare grant applications, grant scope change requests, proposals, correspondences and other documents for new and existing funders.

4. Manage Human Resources

Build supporting team as required to increase alternative revenue generation and deliver services in a professional manner.
Oversee, manage, inspire, hire, assess and reward team members; and provide leadership, training and mentorship.
Provide strategic grant expertise to City staff at all levels of the organization

5. Budget Responsibility

Strong coordination with Finance to ensure City budgets are in place for grant applications and to ensure grant contracts are managed effectively and with fiscal discipline.
Manages a City-wide grant portfolio of grant applications and grant contracts, generally in excess of $50 million.

6. Project Management

Undertake project management for special initiatives related to the Partnership Office, including but not limited to, partnership development, relationship management, intergovernmental affairs, policy development, business cases, and philanthropic funding.

Knowledge - Non Union

Bachelor’s Degree in Arts, Science, or Business emphasizing communications, visual creativity and business case writing skills. Significant years of related professional experience including public sector government experiences, research, policy or planning, and/or demonstrated success in identifying and writing grant’s or RFP’s.

Skills & Abilities - Non Union

Negotiation skills. Strong interpersonal skills to establish key relationships and act as a convenor of key relationships with senior government and at all levels in the organization. Ability to articulate project benefits and influence decisions. Excellent verbal and written communications skills, timely response and feedback, Presentation skills. Some experience in digital and video skills. Knowledge of grant application processes. Research skills. Ability to prioritize and work under tight deadlines. Knowledge of related legal requirements. Knowledge of Council and corporate priorities and Ccurrent and future community projects and priorities. Ability to work independently in a highly political environment possessing, understanding of political sensitivities and strategies. A corporate interest overview and the understanding of its precedence. Flexibility and interpersonal skills to function effectively in a multi-team environment.

Posting Text

Physical Demands

Special Instructions to Applicant

Additional Hiring Information

The annual salary for this position ranges from $97,500 to $113,800, depending on qualifications and experience. Most candidates can expect to start in the lower to mid-range of this scale, with opportunities for salary growth based on performance and tenure. We offer progressive employment practices and a great work environment. This is an exempt position that offers a competitive salary, employer-paid comprehensive benefits package, an earned day off program, paid vacation and one of Canada’s top pension plans.

The City of Kelowna is committed to being an organization that values and reflects its community’s diverse population, and to fostering an equitable, inclusive and progressive work environment where everyone can be their authentic self and feels a sense of belonging.

Pay Rate

Pay Rate $97,500 to $113,800 annually

Posting Date

Posting Date 09/02/2026

Closing Date

Closing Date 09/17/2026

Days of Work

Days of Work Monday to Friday

Standard Hours per Day 7

Hours of Work

8 am to 4 pm

Work Location