Climate Resilience Grant Manager

CMSF is seeking a Climate Resilience Grant Manager to help provide daily leadership and accountability and ensure impact for a large collaborative multi-institutional project across the Monterey Bay region of California.  Project activities will be conducted in partnership with regional municipalities, universities, research institutions, and NGOs focusing on adaptation actions that build climate resilience for the area’s low-lying, coastal communities threatened by sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding along the region’s major rivers and by wildfire in the watersheds affecting these communities.

The Climate Resilience Grant Manager will work with partners to lead and support activities associated with the following:

• Flood Risk Reduction:  Ten projects across the Monterey Bay Area to improve the condition and function of coastal, estuarine, and riparian habitats that moderate extreme flood flows. Many of these projects are designed to deliver benefits to some of the most marginalized communities in the state, including the City of Watsonville and the communities of Pajaro and Castroville.
• Fire Risk Reduction:  Five fire prevention projects across 7,150 acres and includes the installation of over 6 miles of shaded fuel breaks, along with prescribed and cultural burning to reduce fuel sources.
• Coordination on Climate Adaptation Actions:  The development and launch of the Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Action Network (MBCAAN).  MBCAAN will coordinate and plan for future adaptation and resilience actions in the Monterey Bay region, act as a forum for planning and information sharing, and ensure the coordinated, integrated implementation of climate adaptation activities. MBCAAN will ensure broad and inclusive participation of local and regional governments, researchers, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders, with meaningful engagement of marginalized communities and Tribes.
• Workforce Development: Workforce Development: This program will support workforce development through collaborative efforts led by Watsonville Wetlands Watch, Hartnell College, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), and the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC).

The position will be responsible for the following:

• Provide overall project management for a large multi-project a multi-institutional federal grant, working to ensure that all grant activities are successful to the maximum extent possible and that projects are completed on schedule and within budget.
• Ensure that all grant reporting and invoicing occurs in a timely fashion and in compliance with the Grant Agreement. This includes:
  • consolidating subcontractor quarterly report
  • writing Federal grant quarterly progress reports and final report and,
  • working with the CMSF Finance Director and Grant Finance Manager to submit subcontractor invoices
• Provide on-the-ground leadership, motivational team building, and problem-solving across 20+ climate adaptation and workforce development projects.
• Keep project partners on schedule to meet milestones.
• Work with project partners to resolve problems, overcome unexpected hurdles, and ensure environmental compliance
• Create newsletters, blogs, social media posts, and other communications materials for both internal and external audiences.
• Coordinate and collaborate with CMSF leadership, grant managers, and others.

About You
The successful candidate will have the following skills and experience equivalent to:

• Substantial experience with leading large, multi-institutional, Federal grant projects, including grant reporting, tracking, and budgeting
• Experience leading projects associated with climate change adaptation
• Demonstrated exceptional aptitude in working across, and collaboratively with, organizations, especially with municipalities, universities, research institutions, and NGOs.
• Demonstrated ability to document performance and impact through the monitoring and evaluation of past project
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated charismatic public speaker, with a knack for communicating often complicated projects to a lay audience in an understandable way
• Demonstrated experience with environmental compliance (CEQA and NEPA) and permitting.
• Experience planning, organizing, and facilitating both in-person and virtual meetings, while reporting out notes and results from these meetings
• Ability to create complete, concise reports documenting project activities and successes for a public audience
• Work positively and efficiently with staff from CMSF and our 21 partner organizations
• Master's degree, Ph.D. in a relevant field

Compensation, Benefits, and Location
This is a full-time 40 hours/week, 5-year funded position with a salary range of $100,000-$130,000, based on experience. CMSF provides a benefits package including vacation, 12 paid holidays and sick leave, medical and dental benefits, and a 401K d savings plan with 3% employer match and full vesting after 1 year.

This is a hybrid position that can either work out of our Santa Cruz office, or your home office.  You must have a reliable car and be able to travel frequently throughout the Monterey Bay region.  You must also be available for evening and weekend work when necessary.  CMSF can provide funding assistance for standard office equipment (i.e., computer, monitors, desk) if needed. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

To Apply
Applications will be accepted until September 1^st, 2024. We anticipate the Climate Resilience Grant Manager position to begin October 1^st, 2024.

CEA Recruiting is assisting CMSF with this search. To be considered for this position, interested candidates need to click "Apply to this Job" tto submit a cover letter describing their experience and credentials for this position and a resume. Technical issues or other questions should be directed to Eileen Ashton, Search Lead.

Diversity Statement
CMSF is committed to dismantling the longstanding racial, gender, and socio-economic boundaries that exist in the field of environmental conservation. When bringing on new staff and interns, we adhere to equitable recruiting policies and promote anti-discrimination within our work and with our partners in the local and conservation communities. We acknowledge that environmental conservation is woven with rich diversity including Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge and we will do our best to amplify all the voices that contribute to conservation. Lastly, we commit to continued listening and learning, adapting to the needs of our community, and being inclusive.