Overview

The International Crane Foundation (ICF) is a global conservation organization that works in 55 countries to save the world’s cranes, the flyways, and habitats on which they depend.  ICF is committed to working across cultures to improve livelihoods for people and the habitats where cranes live. We are known for our collaborative work and effective conservation work to save cranes and their landscapes globally. We are currently looking for a talented Senior Grants Officer for our Asia Programs.

The right candidate will have extensive experience developing program focused grants.  The preference is the candidate has experience with programs that support conservation and/or programs operating on the Asia continent. This position will either be located at one of the ICF offices or can work remotely from home.  This position is open to international and US based applicants.

Position Summary:

The Senior Grants Officer – Asia supports the mission of ICF by leading on four core objectives for ICF’s Asia Program: fundraising strategy development, identification of new funding streams, writing grant proposals, and tracking/reporting on secured grants.  The incumbent works in close collaboration with the Vice President—Asia Program, China Program Director, Southeast Asia Program Director, and major partners in Asia, as well as the HQ-based ICF Senior Leadership, Development, and Finance teams and support staff.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Funding strategy development – Work with the Vice President – Asia and Asia Program staff to lead the development and implementation of a funding strategy for ICF’s Asia Program that addresses our needs for scaling up the impact of our programs, diversifying our funding sources, sustainably financing our long-term projects, and advancing institutional capacity. Provide advice on strategy development for funding work in wealthier Asian countries (especially China and Korea).
• Grant sourcing – Actively seek to develop major new funding streams for ICF’s Asia Program, with particular focus on multilateral and bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) (e.g., GEF, USAID, climate funds), corporate sponsorship and impact investment, carbon financing, and philanthropic sources. Actively engage with the Conservation Finance Alliance and other networks to increase ICF understanding and investment in cutting edge conservation finance opportunities such as carbon offsetting, impact investment, and others.
• Grant writing – Lead the writing of major grant proposals in coordination with Asia Program management and senior technical staff. Provide support for the development of project proposals by Asia Program regional staff and partners.
• Grant management (tracking/reporting) – Coordinate budget development, tracking and reporting for secured grants, and maintain the grants database for the Asia Program in coordination with the Finance and Administration Officer – Asia. Collect information from program staff and draft quality grant reports.  Manage deadlines and people to get reports in on time and maintain strong communications and relationships with grantors.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide input to the annual budget development process for the Asia program, in coordination with the VP – Asia Programs and Finance and Administration Officer – Asia.
• Provide support for financial reporting on Asia Program activities in relation to grant sources and donor requirements in coordination with the Finance and Administration Officer – Asia and other Asia Program staff.
• Coordinate with HQ Senior Leadership and Development teams on donor relations for US based funding sources for Asia Program activities.
• Provide capacity development and mentoring support on grant writing and grant management for Asia Program staff (I.e., China, Southeast Asia), key partners, and other relevant ICF staff.
• Participate in ICF group discussions relating to fundraising, grant management, donor relations, and regional programs.
• Carry out any other relevant tasks as required by and mutually agreed with Asia Program supervisor.

Core Competencies:

• A strong sense of personal responsibility, professional ethics, respect and sensitivity for others, and ability to work as a constructive member of a team.
• Proven capacity to work on your own initiative and with minimal supervision on fundraising and donor management tasks.
• Confidence and cultural sensitivity to work with donor community in diverse Asian settings.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, including the ability to effectively draft correspondence and documents in a clear, concise, logical, and grammatically correct manner.
• Ability to manage financial information in a well-organized, logical, and clear manner with attention to detail.
• Ability to travel regionally and internationally, visiting donors located in Asia and other regions as needed.
• An appreciation for cranes, birds, wetlands, and/or nature conservation is a plus.

Qualifications Required:

• Demonstrated experience of writing successful grants to develop six-figure plus proposals, pitches and budgets involving diverse sources (multilateral, bilateral government, private sector, philanthropic, etc. sources).
• Great writing skills, accompanied by fluency in the more technical language of agency grants with the ability to write grants that meet the standards and expectations of those agencies and convey language that clearly fits with their priorities.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a conservation-related field—demonstrating knowledge of a range of conservation topics, including climate change, agriculture, water resources, biodiversity, etc.
• International experience and strong understanding of the Asia program context, including strong understanding of the global and Asian regional donor landscape for biodiversity conservation and related environmental / sustainable development fields.
• Experience using project / financial management systems.
• Demonstrated proficiency in using essential office software (MS Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat); proficiency in accounting and financial tracking software (e.g., SAP Concur) would be an advantage.

Physical Abilities and Work Environment:

The physical abilities and work environment characteristics described below are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to operate computer and phones.
• Ability to communicate with fellow staff and donors. Communication will include both one-to-one communication, small, and large group communication.
• Ability to work flexible hours to accommodate meetings with staff in different time zones.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for 5-7 hours a day.
• Occasionally required to lift and move items up to 20 pounds.
• Occasionally required to move throughout the building and throughout the site.
• Ability to travel regionally and internationally.

The work environment includes office work. The office environment is clean and climate controlled.

To apply send cover letter and resume to icfjobs@savingcranes.org  Please include salary goals in your cover letter. Please list subject: Asia Grants Officer.

“ICF is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. We hire great people.”

ICF is an equal opportunity employer.