Grants Manager

Ava Energy; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 186,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement matching

Paid time off

Fertility & Adoption Benefits

Pet Insurance

Job summary

Ava Community Energy seeks a Grants Manager to lead and expand Ava’s grants portfolio, ensuring alignment with customer programs and community benefits. The role reports to the Vice President of Local Development, Electrification and Innovation.

The Grants Manager will oversee a $10M grant program, manage five active grants, and shape funding opportunities across federal, state, regional, and philanthropic sources.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher required in a related field.
• 7+ years in grantmaking, grant administration, program management, or related public-sector experience.
• Experience managing grants or complex programs from development to closeout.
• Experience developing grant programs, including solicitations and evaluation criteria.
• Experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets and financial documentation.
• Strong project management, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and manage risks.

Responsibilities

• Identify external funding opportunities aligned with Ava’s priorities.
• Coordinate development and submission of competitive grant applications.
• Build and maintain relationships with government agencies, foundations, and partners.
• Manage grant awards including negotiations, compliance, and reimbursements.
• Develop portfolio-level reports and dashboards on grant status, spending, outputs, and outcomes.
• Capture lessons learned and inform Ava’s grantmaking strategy.

Skills

Project management

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree in public administration, public policy, business, finance, environmental studies, sustainability, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded in our culture. As a public agency whose mission is to provide customers with low-carbon, cost-effective electricity that integrates innovative energy services and maximizes local benefits through the development of local green energy projects, jobs, and investment opportunities, we know that we can only serve our members effectively if our team and environment reflect that mission and our community.

Ava employees and dependents enjoy medical, dental, and vision coverage through Blue Shield or Kaiser Permanente at zero cost (100% employer-covered!)

Ava also partners with some of the leading benefit carriers to offer additional coverage options and financial support, inclusive of fertility and adoption benefits, pet insurance, and mental health support. In addition, employees are provided with disability and life insurance, travel assistance, wellness support, a hybrid work stipend, and more!

Strong Paid Time Off (PTO) plan providing 15 days per year for new hires and increasing a day per year each year. Ava provides Sick Time, parental and other leave, and 14 paid holidays plus 5 additional floating holidays per year.

Financial Wellness & Retirement

Our retirement benefits are structured to help you meet your retirement goals. Ava provides two retirement accounts for employees, 401a and 457b. Starting on day one, Ava contributes 8% of your payroll to your 401a instead of Social Security, regardless of any individual contribution you make. This means you do not pay any Social Security taxes, and we contribute to your retirement on your behalf.

Additionally, Ava will also match up to 6% of your 457b contribution beginning after 90 days of employment. Employees are also able to access financial consulting and support services through our robust Employee Assistance Program.

Team Building Experiences

Giving back to our community is important at Ava, whether as a team or individually. In support of this, employees are provided with 2 paid days annually to volunteer in the community. We also support our team to get to know each other and enjoy activities outside of work. Whether it’s a team gathering for food and drinks, a paddle board trip, or another adventure, our team knows how to have a good time.

Open Roles

The Ava team works from the office in Oakland, near BART, and has a hybrid approach inclusive of in-office and remote work. Unless otherwise stated, these roles are expected to go into the office on Tuesday, Thursday, and the first Wednesday of the month.

Position: Grants Manager

Location: Oakland, CA

Job Id:186

# of Openings:1

About Ava Community Energy

Ava Community Energy (Ava) is a local community choice power supplier that provides Alameda County and San Joaquin County with renewable energy options at competitive rates. As a not-for-profit public agency, Ava reinvests revenue back into the communities we serve through customer programs, clean power projects, and support for local organizations.

Culture and Commitment to Diversity

Ava believes in a vibrant culture that supports and nurtures a workplace that offers every individual the opportunity to attain professional goals and contribute to accomplishing our mission. We foster a culture of open communication, responsibility, curiosity, accountability, and teamwork. We want creative problem solvers that are excited to work in an entrepreneurial environment and grow our organization!

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce that is reflective of our service area’s rich culture and communities. We welcome a diversity of experiences, perspectives, and skills.

We strongly encourage people of all characteristics to apply and prohibit unlawful discrimination and harassment of any type based on age, religion, color, gender identity or expression, race, ancestry, or national origin, religion or creed, marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or characteristics, and those with a disability as protected by federal, state, and local laws.

Position Summary

Ava is seeking to hire a full-time Grants Manager, reporting to the Vice President of Local Development, Electrification and Innovation. Ava is looking for candidates with experience developing grantmaking strategies, administering complex grant portfolios, and working across teams to translate organizational priorities into effective grant programs and funding opportunities.

The Grants Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing Ava’s grants strategy for customer programs. The position will manage a $10M grant program, including five active grants, and will lead the development, issuance, and administration of additional grants in the coming years. The Grants Manager will oversee the full grant lifecycle, including strategy development, stakeholder engagement, program design, solicitations, applicant evaluation, award development, performance monitoring, financial oversight, reporting, and closeout.

Ava is developing a customer programs strategic framework to guide its investments and priorities. The Grants Manager will actively participate in that process and ensure that Ava’s grants strategy, portfolio, and future funding opportunities align with the framework and advance measurable, equitable benefits for customers and communities.

Over time, the Grants Manager may also identify and pursue federal, state, regional, and philanthropic grant funding to support and expand Ava’s customer programs. This work may include evaluating funding opportunities, coordinating applications, developing partnerships, and managing incoming grant awards.

Position Details

Reporting and Administration

• Prepare funding recommendations, staff reports, presentations, and other materials for Ava leadership, Board committees, and the Board of Directors, as needed.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready grant files.
• Develop portfolio-level reports and dashboards that communicate grant status, spending, outputs, outcomes, risks, and lessons learned.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of Ava’s grants and recommend changes to improve program design, grantee performance, customer outcomes, and future funding decisions.
• Capture and share lessons learned from the grant portfolio to inform Ava’s broader customer program strategy and implementation practices.
• Prepare regular and ad hoc reports and presentations for stakeholders and senior management.
• Develop an institutionalized knowledge base for Ava’s grantmaking and grant-seeking activities.

External Grant Funding Efforts

• As Ava’s grant-seeking activities grow, identify external funding opportunities that align with Ava’s customer program priorities.
• Evaluate potential funding opportunities based on strategic fit, eligibility, resource requirements, match obligations, implementation risks, and potential customer benefits.
• Coordinate the development and submission of competitive grant applications, including narratives, scopes of work, budgets, implementation plans, performance measures, partner commitments, and supporting materials.
• Build and maintain relationships with government agencies, foundations, local governments, community-based organizations, technical partners, and other potential funding or implementation partners.
• Manage incoming grant awards, including agreement negotiations, compliance, financial tracking, reporting, reimbursement, partner coordination, and closeout.
• Scope, plan, and develop new grant-related activities that can add value to Ava and its customers.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, public policy, business, finance, environmental studies, sustainability, or a related field; an advanced degree is preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in grantmaking, grant administration, program management, public-sector funding, philanthropy, or a related field, including 3+ years managing grants, contracts, or complex programs.
• Demonstrated experience managing grants or complex programs from development and award through monitoring, reporting, and closeout.
• Experience developing and implementing grant programs, including solicitations, evaluation criteria, agreements, performance measures, and reporting requirements.
• Experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets and reviewing financial documentation, including budgets, forecasts, invoices, and expenditures.
• Strong project management, analytical, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, and workstreams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate complex requirements to diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to identify risks, solve problems, exercise sound judgment, and work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to fair, consistent, transparent, and well-documented grantmaking practices.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with public-sector, clean energy, climate, transportation electrification, building decarbonization, community development, or customer-serving programs.
• Experience developing competitive applications for federal, state, regional, or philanthropic funding.
• Familiarity with public-agency grant requirements, government funding rules, and audit and recordkeeping requirements.
• Experience with grants management, project management, or customer relationship management systems.
• Experience evaluating organizational capacity, project feasibility, budgets, risks, and proposed outcomes.
• Experience connecting organizational strategy to program design, funding decisions, and implementation, and measurable outcomes.

Compensation and Benefits

The annual salary for this position is $169,541, with a Total Compensation of up to $186,496 annually based on performance.

• Zero cost Individual, family, and domestic partner health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
• Life and AD&D, EAP, STD, and LTD
• Retirement with Employer Matching
• Social Security deferment plan
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• Fertility & Adoption Benefits
• Pet Insurance
• Mental Health Support
• Flexible Spending Accounts (health and dependent care accounts)
• And More!

Location and Working Conditions

This position will be based in Ava headquarters in Oakland, near BART. Ava's team has a hybrid approach inclusive of in-office and remote work. This role is expected to go into the office Tuesdays, Thursdays and the first Wednesday of the month.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Ava is dedicated to reasonably accommodate an applicant for known physical or mental disabilities so that the applicant may participate in the application process. We will engage in a timely, good‑faith interactive process with any employee with a known physical or mental disability to identify potential reasonable accommodations, if any, to enable the employee to perform the essential functions of their position.

• General office environment is primarily sedentary work which requires the following physical activities: standing, sitting, walking, reaching, lifting, finger dexterity, grasping, repetitive motions, talking, hearing and visual acuity.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• The noise level is usually moderate.

Licenses/Certificates

Possession and continued maintenance of a valid class C California driver’s license or the ability to provide alternate transportation and a safe driving record.

Working at Ava Community Energy

Ava is committed to complying with applicable laws, including the Americans with Disability Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act, ensuring equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability. Ava prohibits unlawful discrimination based on age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), genetic information or characteristics, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, or on any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local laws.

The information contained herein has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. The information also does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract, and these provisions are subject to change.

Ava is committed to complying with applicable laws, including the Americans with Disability Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act, ensuring equal employment opportunities for qualified individuals with a disability. Ava prohibits unlawful discrimination based on age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), genetic information or characteristics, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, or on any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local laws.