Senior Grants Manager

Miami Waterkeeper; Coral Gables (FL); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work flexibility

Generous time off

Medical plan

Dental plan

Vision plan

401K matching

Relaxed dress code

Job summary

Miami Waterkeeper is seeking a Senior Grants Manager in Coral Gables, FL to lead MWK’s grants program, overseeing the full lifecycle from prospect research to proposal writing, reporting, and funder relations. This advanced role requires strong writing, financial acumen, and cross‑department collaboration to maximize impact.

You will coordinate with program, finance, and development teams to craft compelling narratives, align proposals with funder priorities, and ensure compliance and timely

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Minimum 5 years in grant writing, management and institutional fundraising.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills.
• Strong understanding of nonprofit financial management and grant budgeting.
• Excellent project management and cross‑functional collaboration abilities.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, write, and submit LOIs, proposals, budgets, and reports.
• Coordinate content, data, and budgets with program, marketing, and finance.
• Oversee the full lifecycle of awarded grants and compliance requirements.
• Lead funder relationships and opportunities development with program and exec teams.
• Maintain grant records, deadlines, and a opportunities pipeline.

Skills

Grant writing

Grant management

Fundraising

Editing/writing

Project management

Nonprofit finance basics

CRM software

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Grant management software

Google Workspace

CRM/database systems

Job description

Miami Waterkeeper Senior Grants Manager Coral Gables, FL·Full time Company website Apply for Senior Grants Manager

The Senior Grants Manager is an advanced role responsible for leading MWK’s grants program, with a primary focus on grant proposal and report writing. The Manager will oversee the full grants lifecycle—from prospect research to proposal writing, reporting, compliance, and funder relationship management— ensures alignment between funding opportunities and MWK’s mission and programmatic priorities. This position combines exceptional grant writing and editing skills, high attention to detail, the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines, strong financial acumen, and deep collaboration across departments to maximize MWK’s impact and long-term sustainability.

Miami Waterkeeper (MWK) is an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Biscayne Bay and the surrounding watershed. Launched in 2010, MWK has become a leading advocate for clean water, inspiring a movement of empowered citizens dedicated to protecting South Florida’s waterways by advocating for resilient solutions grounded in science, rooted in nature, and driven by community. Addressing issues on multiple fronts, we use community outreach, scientific research, and civic and legal action to advance our mission. Miami Waterkeeper is a fast-paced and dynamic work environment. We are a small and hard-working team that is mission-driven and passionate about our environment and our community.

Description

Grant Proposal and Report Development (50%)

• Prepare, write, and submit competitive LOIs, grant proposals and renewal requests, including narratives, budgets, and supporting documentation.
• Prepare, write, and submit high-quality grant reports — including narratives, expense reports, and supporting documentation — that highlight the impact a funder had.
• Collaborate with program staff to understand program funding needs, gather necessary information and data for grant proposals, co-developing programming and projects as needed to align proposals with funder priorities while maintaining focus on the organizational mission.
• Coordinate with program, marketing, and finance teams to collect content, data, and budgets for proposals.
• Collaborate with finance to understand grant budgets, ensuring budgets align with allowable expenses, and draft budget justifications that are aligned with proposal narratives and goals.
• Ensure proposals reflect MWK’s mission, values, and programmatic impact while meeting all funder requirements.
• Ensure all grant applications and reports are submitted in a timely manner and comply with the requirements of each funding source.

Compliance and Management (30%)

• Oversee the full lifecycle of awarded grants, including tracking deliverables, milestones, deadlines, and compliance requirements.
• Lead post-award grant kickoff meetings to streamline understanding of grant requirements across the organization.
• Monitor implementation of grant-funded projects and assist teams as needed in tracking progress against goals and outputs, ensuring timely completion of grant-funded activities and reporting metrics.
• Work with finance staff to monitor expenditures, reconcile budgets, and ensure compliance with grant terms.
• Maintain detailed records of grant proposal submissions, awards/declines, contracts, reporting deadlines and submissions, and a pipeline of upcoming opportunities.
• Streamline and maintain systems for tracking grant deadlines, reporting schedules, and deliverables, as well as grant performance, renewals, and multi-year funding opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with all grant agreements and reporting requirements.
• Monitor grant reviewer feedback for proposals that are not awarded and incorporate lessons learned into resubmissions and new proposals.
• Maintain the shared Grants folder with up-to-date organizational documentation, including, but not limited to, IRS Letter of Determination, Form 990s, organizational audited financials, board lists, organizational charts, etc.

Research and Qualification (10%)

• Identify, research, and qualify new potential grant sources and opportunities for diversifying funding streams across government agencies, foundations, corporations, and other sources.
• Stay informed on current environmental issues, policy developments, scientific research, and funding trends relevant to MWK’s campaigns and mission areas, ensuring alignment with emerging opportunities and challenges.

Relationship Building (10%)

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective funders, including foundations, corporations, and government agencies.
• Collaborate with program and executive teams to cultivate funder relationships and alignment of priorities.
• Ensure alignment between funding opportunities and program needs through communication with foundation program managers and MWK program managers, as needed.
• Represent MWK in meetings, site visits, and presentations with funders and partners.

Additional Responsibilities

• Participate, support, and contribute to organization-wide initiatives and events, including State of the Water, staff and team retreats, and collaborative fundraising efforts.
• Participate actively in internal meetings, cross-functional planning sessions, and collaborative team building.
• Support miscellaneous administrative and troubleshooting tasks as needed to ensure seamless grant operations.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in English, writing, environmental science, nonprofit management, communications, public administration, or a related field, or equivalent work experience that demonstrates the necessary knowledge and skills.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in grant writing, management, and institutional fundraising within the nonprofit sector. Proven track record of securing and managing multi-year five- and six-figure grants from foundations, corporations, and/or government sources.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills with a strong ability to translate complex programs into compelling narratives.
• Demonstrated understanding of nonprofit financial management and grant budgeting.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Collaborative and detail-oriented, with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proficiency in grant management and project management software, Google Workspace, and CRM/database systems.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Experience managing government grants and contracts, including compliance and reporting.
• Familiarity with South Florida’s environmental landscape, water quality issues, and community-based environmental advocacy.
• Medical, dental, and vision plan
• Retirement Account (with 3% 401K matching)
• Generous time off policies
• Remote work flexibility (2 days remote/week)
• Relaxed work atmosphere and dress code

Reports to: Vice President of Development

Miami Waterkeeper is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. We encourage candidates who are passionate about environmental conservation and share our commitment to sustainability to apply.

Miami Waterkeeper is committed to the principles of sustainability and environmental stewardship. We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.