Grants Operations Associate

Current AI Org; Paris (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Current AI’s Programs Team is building its programmatic work from the ground up. This newly created position will support the team in the setup of our Grant Management System and manage the day-to-day of our grant rounds and additional programmes: intake, review, due diligence, approval, contracting, and reporting.

You will report to the VP Programs and collaborate with the Program Manager and other teams. We are seeking someone adaptable who cares about the people behind funded projects and

Qualifications

• 2 to 5 years of experience in grants management, operations, or a similar role.
• At least Bachelor or equivalent in a relevant field.
• Experience with a grant management system.
• Careful with detail and critical thinking.
• Comfortable reviewing budgets, financial statements, and organizational documents.
• Fluent English and French, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Support VP Programs in proposals to run grant programs across modalities (challenges, prizes, open calls).
• Run operations and logistics to manage grant programs.
• Set up and manage intake forms, surveys and open calls.
• Support grantee communications for a smooth grantee experience.
• Conduct due diligence and assess grant fit.
• Manage grantmaking third-party providers as needed.
• Set up and daily administer the Grant Management System (GMS).
• Keep grant data accurate and up to date in the GMS.
• Support onboarding of new staff to GMS and grants processes.
• Prepare grant agreements and contracts with legal support.
• Track disbursement against contract terms and support payments.
• Create dashboards and prep data for board meetings and audits.
• Support annual audit from a grants perspective.
• Track pipeline and prepare recommendation materials for internal review.

Skills

Grant management

Operations

Fluent English

Fluent French

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Grant management system

Job description

About Current AI

Founded at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February 2025, Current AI is a global, first-of-its-kind partnership of governments, philanthropists, researchers, grassroots builders, and industry leaders. Together we're catalyzing the movement for public-interest AI.

Most of the AI systems are controlled by a handful of private companies, leaving governments worried about AI sovereignty and millions of dependent users vulnerable to one policy change or geopolitical shift. We believe the solution is to build open and public technology infrastructure that serves people over profit.

Across the world, brilliant people are building AI that serves the public interest, but the work is fragmented. What's missing is strategic coordination at scale.

Technology companies operate with a unified roadmap and resources, giving them an advantage. Current AI exists to give public-interest technologists the same advantage by investing in the connective tissue among people and projects so that every effort is coordinated and amplified.

Role Overview

Current AI’s Programs Team is a small team building its programmatic work from the ground up. This newly created position will support the team in the set up of our Grant Management System and manage the day-to-day of our grant rounds and additional programmes: intake, review, due diligence, approval, contracting, and reporting. You will report to the VP Programs and work closely with the Program Manager, as well as other teams across Current AI. This multi-faceted role evolving with the grant lifecycle suits someone adaptable who wants breadth, cares about the people behind the projects we fund, and enjoys putting order into things that may not yet have any.

What you'll do

Your responsibilities will span the following areas evolving throughout the grant lifecycle and Current AI’s program strategy:

Program operations & processes (80%)

General program operations

• Support the VP Programs in putting together proposals to run the grant programs within different modalities (including challenges, prizes, open calls, etc.)
• Run operations and logistics required to manage run these grant programs

Grantmaking operations

• Support the setup and management of intake forms, surveys and open calls
• Support the operational side of grantee communications, ensuring a smooth and professional grantee experience throughout
• Support due diligence: grantee financial, operational, programmatic and organizational fit
• Manage grantmaking third-party providers as the case may be

Grant Management System (GMS)

• Support the set up and day-to-day administration of Current AI's grant management system
• Help configure and maintain workflows, pipelines, forms, and fields to reflect our grantmaking process
• Keep grantmaking data accurate and up to date in the GMS
• Act as a point of contact for team questions on the system, escalating issues to the GMS provider as needed
• Support onboarding of new staff to the GMS and grants processes

Contracting & payments

• Prepare grant agreements and contracts, and route them for signature, with support from our legal team
• Collaborate with Current AI’s Operations team to track disbursement against contract terms and limits and support grantee payment processing
• Manage grant-related contracts in compliance with our procurement policy

Data & monitoring

• Create and manage dashboards to report on pipeline, portfolio, and funding flows
• Prepare grants data for board meetings, funder reporting, and audits
• Support the annual audit process from a grants operations perspective

Program content & relationship management (20%)

Grant rounds & review

• Track and maintain our pipeline, keeping information accurate and current
• Prepare recommendation materials for internal review and approval

Grantee relationships

• Support grantees with reporting requirements and help troubleshoot issues as they come up
• Support a smooth and professional experience for grantees from first contact through the life of the grant

Reporting & learnings

• Help prepare grant and portfolio materials for senior leadership, board meetings, funder reporting, and the annual audit
• Support the synthesis of grantee reports and learnings across the portfolio, tracking progress against milestones and outcomes and flagging risks or delays early

General programmatic support

• Support the Programs team with document preparation, briefings, and materials as needed

What we're looking for

Essential Qualifications

• 2 to 5 years of experience, ideally in grants management, operations, or a similar role
• At least Bachelor or equivalent in a relevant field
• Experience with a grant management system
• Careful with detail and critical thinking
• Comfortable reviewing budgets, financial statements, and organizational documents
• Fluent English and French, written and spoken
• High discretion, you will handle confidential funder and grantee information
• Comfortable in an organization that is still building its processes, where the answer is sometimes that there is no process yet
• Interest in AI for public good projects and initiatives

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in a nonprofit, foundation or grant-funded organization
• Experience in a fast-paced startup environment
• Experience with a range of donor types (governments, philanthropies, private sector) and grantee profiles, including different reporting and compliance requirements
• An interest in using automation and AI tools to remove repetitive work

Character traits

We're looking for people who:

• Put the mission before personal credit and work well in low-ego, highly collaborative teams
• Exercise good judgment and integrity, including knowing when to push back or say no
• Enjoy building from scratch and making progress with imperfect information
• Have a bias to action - shipping useful things and helping others do the same
• Are comfortable moving between strategy and hands-on execution as needed
• Work effectively across cultures, time zones and disciplines comfortable in a distributed team
• Believe AI can serve the public interest, and are willing to do the practical, hands-on work to make that true

Equal opportunity commitment

Current AI is committed to ensuring equal access to employment and preventing all forms of discrimination. All applications will be reviewed fairly, without regard to origin, sex, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religious beliefs, views held, or any other criteria unrelated to professional qualifications. Selection will be based solely on skills, experience, and suitability for the role.

Current AI does not accept unsolicited applications from recruitment agencies with whom we do not have a signed agreement. Current AI will not be liable for any fees or commissions in the event that a candidate submitted in this manner is subsequently hired.