Grants and Agreements Specialist

Location

Berkeley, CA | United States

Job description

ABOUT NEW ENERGY NEXUS

New Energy Nexus (NEX) is an international not-for-profit organization that supports clean energy entrepreneurs with funds, accelerators and networks. We started in California and have expanded operations into China, India, Southeast Asia, East and West Africa, and Australia. Our mission is to support diverse entrepreneurs to drive innovation and build equity in the global clean energy economy. Our goal is to support 100,000 startups to succeed by 2030 – a decisive decade to surface and support as many climate solutions as possible. Through our global network, we directly boost hundreds of entrepreneurs annually while uplifting thousands more. Since 2004, New Energy Nexus (up until recently known as California Clean Energy Fund) has leveraged $1.5 billion in investment, supported over 900 clean energy startups, and launched industry-leading centers for solution collaboration.

ABOUT THE ROLE & OPPORTUNITY

New Energy Nexus California (NEX CA) is seeking a Grants and Agreements Specialist to be responsible for organizing, drafting and finalizing agreement packages and amendments in compliance to donor rules and regulations and specifically, the contractual terms and conditions of the California Energy Commission (CEC). The person in this role will also support the compliance review of invoices before approval and payout.

This role will support the Grants Management Team in ensuring sound due-diligence practices, clear documentation of changes and updates to program contracts, agreements, and amendments, as well as timely implementation of program deliverables in line with donor expectations. Responsibilities include, ensuring administrative compliance, overseeing the final release of funds for awardees and collaborating with program and finance staff to monitor active grants and ensure adequate reporting and appropriate usage of donor issued funds.

A TYPICAL DAY

A day in the life of the Grants and Agreements Specialist could include reviewing contracts in process, coordinating contract tracking, processing amendments, facilitating calls with contracting staff at campuses or contacting awardees on issues related to grants compliance, liaising with other Grants Management teammates and Program staff, and participating in working groups at NEX. There will also be opportunities to attend program events, visit technology development, testing, or demonstration sites of awardees and clean energy entrepreneurs.

WORKING AT NEW ENERGY NEXUS

Working at New Energy Nexus California is an opportunity to make a positive impact in the clean energy industry and be part of a supportive and forward-thinking community. It will offer an innovative and collaborative work environment, fostering networking opportunities and providing diverse roles that allow for personal and professional growth.

This job is located in Berkeley, CA. New Energy Nexus California offers a flexible work environment with this position being based in Oakland/Bay Area, CA and with an expectation to work out of our physical office minimum 2 designated days a week. Unfortunately, relocation assistance is not available for this role.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES 

Agreements and Compliance

• Oversee the timely development, revision and execution of agreements with sub-awardees, contractors, and vendors for NEX CA programs
• In coordination with Program Leads, develop realistic plans and timelines for agreement execution through communicating with external partners, awardees, contractors and vendors to gather the necessary supporting documentation needed for full execution of agreement packages
• Coordinate internally with legal, programs, grants management and finance staff to ensure that agreements are in line with donor rules and regulations, program timelines, and are within budget
• Conduct required due-diligence of individual, company, or organization to ensure the individual or entity is eligible to enter into a contractual agreement with NEX CA
• Ensure timely and accurate tracking of each step of the contract execution process, including organization of back-up documentation and revisions or amendments made. This includes ensuring completeness and accuracy of the information in the grants management database for pre/post-award processing and execution of agreements.
• Escalate and document any potential changes to implementation of contractual agreements to the Grants Management and Programs Teams and ensure communication and follow through with relevant stakeholders as soon as possible
• Produce reports and updates to management and external partners as needed to meet contractual requirements
• Support periodic checks of awardee database, particularly during application reviews to verify program standing of potential, new and existing awardees to flag potential conflicts of interest, double-dipping of funds for similar purposes across programs, poor performance, or other compliance issues 
• Support grant and program audits as required

Invoicing

• Communicate with partners, contractors, and awardees about contract and payment procedures, and the agreement execution or amendment process
• Ensure funding and payment reporting requirements and procedures with awardees and contractors
• Update tracking spreadsheets and work with the Grants Management Team to monitor status of program budget spending and ensure appropriate spend rate for awardees and contractors

Program Quality and Administration

• Collaborate with the Grants Management, Finance, and Programs teams to document, improve and revise internal processes.
• Identify and escalate potential delays or other issues encountered through contractual review and execution processes and recommend risk mitigation measures
• Support solicitation processes including application review and scope of work development and finalization

Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building

• Maintain relationships with awardees and contracting staff of implementing partners to update changes to contacts, billing information, or report potential agreement changes to supervisor on a timely basis. 
• Provide training on contractual obligations, execution and delivery, including related agreement workflows managed through the grants database for internal staff and external stakeholders
• Represent the NEX CA team in a positive way within the organization, and in interactions with individuals and organizations external to New Energy Nexus

Requirements

REQUIRED SKILLS FOR THE ROLE

• 3+ years of grants administration experience, specifically related to government funding, complex agreement packages, managing compliance with flow down terms, participating in clean audits.
• Demonstrated experience with contract review and revision related to sub-grantees and sub-awardees
• Experience using an online grants management database
• Experience in providing training for contract administration or grant management processes
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to proactively anticipate needs
• Ability to complete multiple tasks with competing deadlines and priorities
• Strong attention to detail, file organization, and project management skills
• Team player with respect for others and ability to work independently
• Enthusiasm for and the ability to easily adapt to change
• Eagerness to grow with the position as the department’s needs evolve.
• Strong interpersonal skills, tolerance, flexibility, cooperativeness, and humor.
• Ability to adapt in a fast-paced work environment, prioritize, multitask, and meet competing deadlines.
• Excellent customer service skills with emphasis on respectful and tactful communications
• Interest in new technologies and the energy transition

Benefits

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

Competitive compensation of $75k-$85k annually plus generous benefits including medical, dental, vision, unlimited PTO, paid holidays and 401(K)

TO APPLY, TIMELINE, AND PROCESS

• Submit your resume and responses to our application questions. Cover letter is optional.
• Application deadline: Priority deadline is January 28, 2024 and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until filled. 
• Interview process: Qualified applicants will participate in a series of interviews via Zoom. There will be 2-3 rounds of interviews.
• Accommodation: If you require accommodations during the interview process, please contact us with your request.

New Energy Nexus is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against applicants or employees because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, citizenship status, disability status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression of an otherwise qualified individual, or membership in any other class protected by applicable law. New Energy Nexus hires and promotes individuals on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. We strongly encourage diverse applicants to apply.

Job tags

Salary