Scope of Position
The Greater Akron Chamber, on behalf of Elevate Greater Akron, is seeking a detail-oriented, resourceful, and collaborative individual for a newly created senior manager position. This role will support the success of the Elevate Greater Akron collaborative by seeking out, tracking, writing, and reporting out on funding opportunities that will advance the capacity of the collaborative and impact of its regional economic development strategies. The role will also support projects of the Elevate Greater Akron collaborative as needed.
Background
Elevate Greater Akron is a collaborative of over 20 government, business, civic leaders working together to advance a shared vision and set of priorities and metrics to capitalize on opportunities in this rapidly changing world.
Since 2018, Elevate has been the driving collaborative behind some of our region’s most noteworthy accomplishments including winning the US Economic Development Administration’s designation as the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub; publishing the Inclusive Narrative which detailed racial exclusion on the regional economy and the actions essential to creating an inclusive approach to economic development; and launching the Greater Akron Business Navigator tool.
Today, Elevate’s shared priorities are: 1) Growth opportunities in mobility, sustainability, health care, and electronics by building Greater Akron’s position as a global polymer center. 2) Racial equity in every element of Greater Akron’s economic efforts, 3) A thriving, connected downtown Akron, 4) Exceptional economic fundamentals.
Essential Functions
· Identifying New Opportunities: This role will be responsible for understanding the Elevate Greater Akron’s strategies and researching/identifying potential funding opportunities at the local, state, and federal levels, including those available through government agencies and national philanthropies of all types. Upon finding new opportunities, this individual will track and report out on the details of the opportunity and work with the Vice President, Elevate Greater Akron to convene partners to share insights, gather feedback, and consensus around the plan forward.
· Grant Writing and Coordination: This role will write and compile all elements of funding proposals, including building the budgets, gathering background information, gathering letters of support, etc. With direction from the Vice President, Elevate Greater Akron, this individual will work with partners to manage the proposal processes, create timelines, solicit information, meet deadlines, allow time for collaborative review and feedback, and keep partners updated on progress and new needs along the way. This role will work across organizations to keep collaborative partners update and coordinated on grant opportunities important to the community.
· Reporting and Measurement: This role will be responsible for maintaining information, data, progress, and deadlines associated with the reporting for each Elevate Greater Akron funding opportunity and producing the reports for each of them. Related, this individual will manage and publish measurement information and data for public publication on behalf of Elevate Greater Akron.
· Collaborative Support: The role will assist in all other aspects of Elevate Greater Akron including convening and facilitation the collaborative; and communicating on the collaborative’s progress and potential best practices. This individual will work with the Vice President, Elevate Greater Akron to execute meetings and the collaborative’s overall communications plan.
Preferred Education, Experience, and Skills
A bachelor’s or master’s degree, preferably in a relevant field such as Business, Communications, English, Political Science, Public Administration, Non-Profit Management, Journalism, or related field
- Experience in grant writing, prospect research, or comparable and transferable skills acquired in a professional setting
- Exceptionally strong writing skills, including an inclination for writing quickly and succinctly
- Ability to think critically, strategically, and outside-of-the-box
- Strong organizational skills, ability to create and follow processes, and attention to detail
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively, courteously, and flexibility with external partners
- Knowledge of grant landscape locally and nationally
- Experience working in a fast-paced environment
- High professional and ethical standards for handling sensitive information
- The ability to work independently while remaining open to feedback, new ideas, and course corrections
- High level of internal motivation and a bias toward action
- Solid IT skills, including working knowledge of standard Microsoft tools
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
- May be required to work more than 8 hours during a workday.
- Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
- Occasionally moves office materials and/or supplies weighing up to 25 pounds throughout the office.
- Must be located within commuting distance of Akron, Ohio
SCHEDULING REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be available to work occasional off-hours.
- Must be available during standard business hours.
- While this position is based in the GAC’s main office location in Akron, OH, many aspects of this role may be fulfilled through periodic telecommuting as determined appropriate and in conjunction with project supervision.
- Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
Job Type: Contract
Pay: $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
Experience:
- Negotiation: 1 year (Preferred)
Ability to Commute:
- Akron, OH 44311 (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Akron, OH 44311: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Akron, OH 44311