Associate Director of Resource Development & Research

The United Planning Organization (UPO) is the designated Community Action Agency for Washington, District of Columbia, and has served the residents of the District since 1962. Our Vision for the future is “UPO’s Washington: A city of thriving communities and self-sufficient residents”; our Mission is “Uniting People with Opportunities.”

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply for this position or any other position currently advertised on our website. Please visit us at www.upo.org to view all of our vacancies and to learn more about our company and services.

POSITION: Associate Director of Resource Development & Research

DIVISION/OFFICE: Office of Resource Development

BULLETIN No: 02042024

SALARY RANGE: $85,000-$93,000 (Commensurate with experience)

OPENING DATE: April 24, 2024

CLOSING DATE: Open until filled

JOB SUMMARY:

The Associate Director of Resource Development & Research will oversee and participate in all aspects of grant submissions and conduct timely research projects. Develop and maintain annual grants search calendar. Prepare and manage proposal submissions in accordance with funders’ policies and legal requirements; assisting with the negotiations of deliverables with potential partners in cooperation with program staff and chief executive staff.

Develop grant proposals for government, corporation, and private foundation grants. Conduct research and background assessments needed to inform executive or program decision making. Prepare UPO’s Community Needs Assessment and using research to identify and to communicate the impact of UPO’s work and to enhance grant proposals.

MAJOR DUTIES:

Recruit and retain content specific grant writers for preparation of agency responses to grant opportunities. Serve as the direct agency liaison for contract grant writers. Produce proposals in response to government and private foundation grant opportunities. Coordinate prospecting of potential grant makers with the Director of Development and other, relevant inter-agency offices and divisions. Review grant opportunities at the local, state, and federal levels to determine fitness and alignment with UPO’s mission and divisions’ programmatic goals. Collaborate with and coordinate internal units on major grant making projects. Develop profiles and briefs for reporting purposes as required for the UPO Board and Executive Team. Work in conjunction with the Director of Development and other, relevant inter-agency offices to seek out funding opportunities, review 990’s and other activities leading to securing new or recurring resources. Assess the funding needs of program units to meet their strategic plan deliverables. Review iterative and final grant submissions for content and compliance documents required by funder guidelines, ensuring timely submission. Present summary and outcomes of resource development efforts to UPO’s Development Committee of the Board of Directors quarterly. Oversee development and improvement of the internal Development Management System (DMS) on the networked share drive. Maintain a catalogue of grant submissions and award notification letters. Contact grant making entities for follow up on grant application denials. Convey budget, legal, and other relevant documents of new and continuing grants to finance, legal, and executive offices. Attend internal and external meetings as designated. Create and maintain communication with internal staff and external organizations as required. Establish annual calendar of application submissions. Coordinate the research and production of UPO’s tri-annual Community Needs Assessment. Coordinate the research and production of white papers resulting from inquiries assigned by UPO’s chief executive staff to aid in organizational decision making and strategic planning including raising funds to support strategic direction. Supervise Social Science Research Analyst to support UPO’s grant seeking, proposal development, and research projects. Manage the Resource Development and Research division’s budget to ensure efficient and prudent spending. Support UPO’s non-programmatic offices by conducting research they require to operate effectively. Periodically administer surveys that provide organizational insights needed for continuous organizational and resource development improvement.

Oversee efforts to produce annual updates to the UPO triennial Community Needs Assessment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree in public administration, public policy, statistics, business administration, English, social sciences or a related field and at least five years of relevant work experience. Knowledge of standards, concepts, practices, and procedures for competitive proposal development. Possess the experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Excellent communication, writing, organization, research and verbal presentation skills are a must.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Master’s degree or Ph.D. in public administration, public policy, statistics, business administration, English, social sciences, or a related field and at least 8 years of relevant work experience. Knowledge of standards, concepts, practices, and procedures for competitive proposal development. Advanced grant writing, review, and general research project management experience; analytical and problem-solving skills to organize research teams; and ability to produce outstanding research products is desirable. Adaptability to adjust grant prospect and organizational research methodologies (quantitative and qualitative) and approaches based on research designs and resource needs; and ability to use sound judgment and consider broad organizational impacts when making decisions desired. A sense of urgency and a results-oriented approach to solving complex issues; very strong conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills also desired. Possession of experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Excellent communication, writing, organization, research and verbal presentation skills are a must. Must be able to work sensitively and effectively with individuals of diverse educational, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidate is a self-motivated, technology savvy, creative problem solver, with excellent collaborative working skills. Must be able to work sensitively and effectively with individuals of diverse educational, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds. Maintain grant databases, best practices resource material and develop the resource development library. Deliver quarterly reports on grant-seeking outcomes. Assess and share grant reviews and comments with agency staff for quality improvement. Curate all UPO research and grant proposal work products in an easily accessible repository that permits ease of use by UPO staff. Contribute to the maintenance of an easily accessible repository of commonly requested organizational documents to facilitate ease of retrieval and use by staff.

ELIGIBLE FOR REMOTE/TELEWORK: n YES (Hybrid)

ESSENTIAL POSITION: n NO

This position IS NOT in the collective bargaining unit of the CWA Union.

To be considered for this position:

Submit your cover letter and resume to the Career Center Online.

Join our team and enjoy a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being and peace of mind. Our benefits include:

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Company Paid Life & Disability Insurance

Parking & Transit Flexible Spending

Plus:

15.6 Days Annual Leave, 15.6 Days Sick Leave

14 Paid Holidays, 2 Personal Days

UPO is an Equal Opportunity Employer