Serves as the primary grant writer for all City departments, leading the identification of funding opportunities, coordination and preparation of competitive proposals, and ensuring pre-award compliance with funding requirements. Supports citywide grant administration by developing standard procedures, tools, and training for departments, and by coordinating closely with Finance, Recreation, Downtown Office, Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED), Transit, and other operating departments on grant-related activities.
This is a citywide, professional, non-supervisory classification that provides centralized grant writing and pre-award coordination in partnership with Finance (Grants/Accounting.
Distinguishing Characteristics: This is a persuasive writer with strong research, writing, and budgeting skills, who is detail-oriented, strategic, collaborative, and committed to aligning funding opportunities with an organization’s mission.
The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.Pre-Award Strategy & Writing
Leads development of grant proposals, including narratives, statements of need, work plans, logic models, performance measures, and required attachments; collaborate with Finance and departments to prepare compliant budgets and cost justifications.
Researches federal, state, and philanthropic opportunities; maintains a rolling pipeline; analyzes eligibility, competitiveness, and strategic alignment; recommends action and timelines.
Interprets, explains, and applies funding guidelines, statutes, regulations, and agency policies; ensures proposals conform to all requirements; initiates corrective actions to resolve gaps prior to submission.
Citywide Grant Process, Tools & Training
Develops and updates standard operating procedures (SOPs) for internal grant administration, including a standard tracking, monitoring, and reporting system; maintains a central repository of grant materials, templates, and records; provides training to departments on processes and systems.
Coordination & GovernanceCoordinates agenda preparation/review for grant items routed to the Departments, City Manager, and City Commission; verifies accuracy and completeness and routes items for approval and inclusion on agendas.
Works in partnership with the Procurement Division to ensure purchasing and contracting associated with grants follow City and regulatory requirements; drafts scopes and supports documentation needed for solicitations and contract actions.
Departmental Support & Cross-CoverageProvides on-call grant writing and technical assistance to departments (e.g., Public Works, Utilities, Police, Fire, Recreation & Parks, Transit, DCED), including drafting/editing narratives, building logic models, assembling attachments, and compiling letters of support.
Assists post-award teams with baseline reporting frameworks, file structures, and data capture plans to ensure proposals can be operationalized by Finance, Grants Management, and departmental program managers.
Compliance & ReadinessCollaborates with Finance and Grants Management to confirm allowability, matching requirements, cost principles, indirect rates, and other fiscal standards; assembles pre-award compliance checklists and handoff packets for funded projects.
For sector-specific opportunities (e.g., Transit/FTA/GDOT), coordinates required pre-award components (surveys, baseline data, NTD/reporting setup) with the operating department to ensure a clean transition if awarded.
Performance & Continuous ImprovementTracks proposal outcomes, develops win/loss insights, and updates City templates and guidance accordingly; provides quarterly updates on pipeline status, submissions, and awarded funds.
Conducts issue spotting and recommends corrective action plans to strengthen future competitiveness and administrative readiness.
Additional Functions:
Performs other related duties as required.
Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, English/Communications, Finance/Accounting, or related field; supplemented by three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in grant writing and grant administration (federal/state preferred); or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job. Preferred: Certified Grant Writer/Manager (e.g., GPC) and prior public-sector experience.
Specific Licenses or Certifications Required: Must possess and maintain a valid Georgia driver’s license.
Performance Aptitudes:Data Utilization: Requires the ability to evaluate, deduce, and/or assess data using established criteria; exercise discretion in determining actual or probable consequences; reference such evaluation to identify and select alternatives.
Human Interaction: Requires the ability to apply principles of persuasion and/or influence over others in coordinating activities of a project, program, or designated area of responsibility.
Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, and/or advisory data and information.
Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; calculate decimals and percentages; utilize principles of fractions; and interpret graphs.
Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of influence systems, such as motivation, incentive, and leadership, and to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing approaches and techniques to resolve problems.
Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.
ADA Compliance: Physical Ability: Tasks require the ability to exert very moderate physical effort in light work, typically involving sitting, keyboarding, meetings, and occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (up to 10 pounds).
Sensory Requirements: Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally; to perceive and discriminate visual cues or signals.
Environmental Factors: Essential functions are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions; moving mechanical parts; extreme cold and extreme heat; airborne particles and toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
The City of Albany, GA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Town will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
