Grantmaking Operations Manager

The Organization and Role

About Access Now

Access Now is a growing international human rights organization dedicated to defending and extending the digital rights of people and communities at risk, including issues of privacy, security, freedom of expression, and transparency. Our policy, advocacy, technology, and operations teams have staff presences in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East/North Africa (MENA), North America, and South/Southeast Asia, to provide global support to our mission.

About this role

The Grantmaking Operations Manager oversees due diligence and compliance for the grants program, to ensure that grantees are successful in their work and able to meet the programmatic and financial requirements of the program. The role serves as the lead on designing, streamlining, and implementing grantmaking processes and policies, ensuring that robust documentation is in place for all grant funding.The Grantmaking Operations Manager ensures that the Access Now Grants program policies and processes support Access Now’s mission to defend and extend the digital rights of users at risk by providing flexible, grantee driven funding that is accessible to grassroots, front line, feminist and nascent organizations and organizations working with particularly marginalized communities.The Operations Manager works with grantees and internal stakeholders across Access Now to monitor budgets and maintain data integrity within the program.

The Grantmaking Operations Manager works closely with the Grants Program Officers, and with peers on the Operations (Finance) and Development Teams. The role reports through the Director - Grants.

What you will do

• Lead the development, implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of effective policies, processes, grants tracking systems, and manuals guiding the lifecycle of all grants
• Supervise, and provide support to grants program staff roles dedicated to grantmaking operations
• Stay up to date on relevant operational developments within Access Now and their impact on the Grants Program
• Stay current in the field of grants management and maintain a network in the field of grants management to ensure the Grants Program and Access Now more broadly can benefit from the latest and best practices, tools, analysis and can seek external support as needed.
• Ensure grants program staff, as well as other relevant members of the Access Now team, are trained on the grants program’s policies, processes and procedures and remain up to date on the development of new policies and processes.
• Develop and oversee the annual plan and workflow for the program in terms of grantmaking cycles and deadlines/timing for steps in the process in collaboration with the Program Director
• Propose and implement plans to absorb new funding sources and their accompanying requirements and restrictions
• Identify and implement opportunities to make the grants program’s processes more efficient and to lower the burden on grantees,
• Evaluate the docket processes to identify and implement adjustments to make the grantmaking processes more streamlined for the grants team to implement in collaboration with Program Officers and Program Director
• Coordinate with finance and development staff to reconcile grantmaking actuals and balances and, to improve financial tracking workflows, and support organizational audits and annual tax filing
• Ensure the integrity of Grants Program data and, as needed, compile financial and non-financial data in coordination with the finance and development teams for preparation of internal reports, funder reports, compliance reports and grant billings
• Oversee the documentation, tracking, and monitoring of grant expenditures to ensure they are properly and accurately tracked, documented and recorded.
• Monitor financial reporting processes to ensure all grants are well set up to be successfully reported on; grantees are meeting financial reporting requirements; and any challenges are identified for corrective action
• Oversee the functions of Fluxx (or other grants management system); lead the development of new application and reporting forms, workflows, and processes within the system; and carry out quality control checks on the data entered.
• Provide oversight of the due diligence and compliance process prior to awarding grants to ensure all grants meet back funder requirements, Access Now policies and procedures, and legal or regulatory standards for grantmaking.
• Manage grant closeout process and review and approve grant closeouts
• Provide leadership of the Partner Fund within the grants program

Skills, education, and mindset you will bring

• Strong project management skills including exceptional organizational skills

• Commitment to Access Now’s program areas and mission and to human rights and social justice more broadly

• Ability and desire to carry out quality self-directed work and problem-solving with regard to implementing grantmaking and administrative processes

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and experience successfully collaborating across distances using communications technology

• Characteristics of a self-guided, creative, meticulous, and motivated individual

• Comfort with ambiguity, competing demands, and the ability to work through issues in a changing environment

• Minimum 5 years grant management experience within a grant making program

• Familiarity with not-for-profit financial reporting and financial controls

• Experience in creating, tracking and forecasting budgets and related reporting

• Understanding of and ability to design internal controls and processes to meet the needs of a diverse and global range of stakeholders

• Patience, flexibility, humility, and empathy in your professional interactions

• Strong knowledge of database management and direct experience with software (knowledge of Fluxx strongly desired)

• Experience working with and supporting grassroots organizations

The Details

Location

This is a full-time position, ideally located in New York City with the ability to attend occasional in-person meetings. The successful candidate must possess the right to work in the location in which they will be based. At this time Access Now Team Members in New York City are working through hybrid office arrangements, combining remote at-home work with flexible use of Access Now's offices. We are also able to consider candidates in other US locations; Brussels; Berlin; San Jose, Costa Rica; and Toronto.

Remuneration

Access Now offers competitive compensation and benefits packages that align competitively with locations and regions around the world. Location-specific examples of initial placement within the salary range for this role include:

• €6,394.00 EUR gross monthly (Belgium)

• $4760.00 USD gross monthly (Costa Rica)

• €6997.00 EUR gross monthly (Germany)

• $6,930.00 USD gross monthly (United States)

Benefits for this specific role are tied to the location, and will vary. Regardless of location, all Team Members benefit from a strong global culture aligned around:

• Work-life balance...including a generous paid time-off program between 36 and 40 days annually

• Access to supplemental health care insurance policies

• Professional development and growth opportunities

• Extensive workplace flexibility

• Organizational resilience and support for all team members, including paid family leave and employee assistance programs

• Connection to a diverse, global team of passionate, principled professionals

• Opportunities to recharge (including one month of paid refresher leave after 4 years)

How to Apply

Please submit the following documents:

• Résumé/CV (removing all personally identifying information such as age, gender, marital status, address, and photo)
• Thoughtful cover letter outlining your suitability for our role, with particular attention to your experience aligning to the core functions

Our hiring teams review applications submitted through our Career Openings page; email submissions are not accepted. Please note that if you are applying via a link in a 3rd party system (examples: Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Snaphunt, Zip Recruiter), be sure that you are going through the application link in BambooHR so that you are properly uploading a distinct Cover Letter and a separate CV/Resume.

In order for us to communicate with you on the status of your application, please add apps.bamboohr.com to your contacts list, and check spam or junk folders so that you do not miss updates from us.

We are a global human rights organization committed to inclusivity and equity, and seek the most talented team members who bring their true selves, with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences. We are interested in receiving applications from people who consider themselves as under-represented in their talent communities. As an equal opportunity employer, we value and encourage diversity and consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected status. Our commitment applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.

Published 2024-02-05