Foundation Grants Facilitator

Job SummaryThe Faculty of Arts Foundation Grants Facilitator provides advice and guidance to faculty members and the Dean’s Office on grant opportunities and applications to underutilized funding opportunities such as foundations, not-for-profit and governmental agencies, and opportunities specializing in community-based research. This position is responsible for identifying, developing, preparing, and coordinating research grant and academic proposals and other documents from various research funding agencies. The major responsibility of the position is to increase research capacity by assisting faculty and other research personnel to maximize their success with and removing barriers in the way of applying to external research funding agencies and internal research funding sources.Organizational StatusThis position reports directly to the Director, Research Development. The incumbent works closely with the Associate Dean, Research & Graduate Studies and interacts frequently with faculty members, students, and staff in the Faculty of Arts. This position will also establish productive relationships with staff in central UBC units such as the Office of Research Services (ORS), Support Programs to Advance Research Capacity (SPARC), the University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO), and other units within the Office of the Vice-President Research & International (VPRI). External to the University, the incumbent may also liaise and build relationships with partners in these funding agencies as well as other universities.Work PerformedDevelops and maintains in-depth knowledge of research activities across the Faculty of Arts, and actively identifies potential foundation funding opportunities for specific research projects and teams.Identifies new funding opportunities and partners and cultivates new funding relationships relevant to research projects across Arts. Establishes and maintains productive relationships with foundations and other granting agencies on behalf of Arts in order to develop and maintain current knowledge of research funding landscape.Fosters relationships with researchers from a diversity of backgrounds and research perspectives. Acts as a knowledge broker providing information and resources around less commonly pursued grant opportunities for faculty members working in emerging research areas in alignment with the strategic priorities in the Faculty of Arts.In consultation with the Director of Research Development and the Associate Dean of research and Graduate Studies distributes surveys, and meets with faculty and researchers across the faculty in order to seek to understand their grant facilitation needs and develops increased supports and removes barriers in the way of applying for research grant opportunities. Makes recommendations to the Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies on ongoing requirements and potential avenues of future foundation grant approaches.Acts as a bridge between grant recipients and other administrative units such as ORS, the Arts Service Centre and Research Finance to support post-award reporting and monitoring activities. Troubleshoots and liaises with research teams and central administrative units when procedural challenges and gaps are identified.Stewards grant applications by providing advice to researchers on all aspects of foundation and other grant opportunities including eligibility, criteria, budget requirements, and best practices for addressing the needs of a particular call for proposals.Plans, manages, and facilitates support services and resources to improve foundation funding success for Arts faculty and researchers including designing and facilitating workshops and seminars, and creating and maintaining a repository of successful grant applications.Collects (data base creation), manages, and analyzes data on foundation grant submission outcomes across the Faculty and develops plans toward supporting renewal applications. Develops reports for the Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies around foundation grant and awards and the impact of grant support service processes.Works closely with Arts Development team to identify and determine suitability of specific foundation funding opportunities and approaches, and to ensure that foundation funding applications align with development projects and priorities.Provides back-up support and coverage for members of the Faculty of Arts Research Development team as needed.Consequence of Error/JudgementThe incumbent must consistently exercise sound judgement and discretion. This position works in an environment in which faculty members are often competing with colleagues for limited funding opportunities. The Foundations Grant Facilitator must therefore be impartial at all times ensuring that the same level of advice is provided in a consistent manner. It is in this context that discretion is critical. The impact of decisions and consequence of error is significant. Incorrect advice on grant application procedures and deadlines can derail a submission for at least a year, possibly longer. Advice provided in terms of completing application forms can also influence success.Supervision ReceivedWorks independently and is expected to use a high level of initiative. Reports directly to the Director, Research Development. The incumbent must possess a considerable amount of judgement in managing workload demands in order to meet multiple deadlines.Supervision GivenMay delegate work to CUPE employees and temporary staff and/or work-study students.Minimum QualificationsUndergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of three years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusionPreferred QualificationsExperience with research grant facilitation preferred.Ability to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships with groups and individuals such as researchers, funding agencies, and UBC administration.A strong people-focused mentality, and ability to work collaboratively with people from a diversity of backgrounds.Ability to adjust to changing priorities and work within unique requirements of funders.Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing and to summarize relevant information in clear and succinct English.Strong ability to establish own priorities, multi-task, and work under pressure to meet deadlines.High degree of confidentiality, accuracy, attention to detail, thoroughness, flexibility, and dependability.Proven analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving skills.Ability to work both independently and within a team environment.Ability to deconstruct program guidelines and break them down into clear descriptions and break them down into clear descriptions of actions and essential steps for faculty members.