Senior Grant Writer

Senior Grant Writer

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C.

NRDC is seeking a Senior Grant Writer to work with the Development team in New York, Chicago, or Washington, DC.

Position Summary

The Senior Grant Writer develops effective fundraising materials for a range of current and prospective funders, with a primary focus on foundations and corporations. Many of these funders are highly sophisticated, with deep expertise and extensive networks in the fields of climate, nature, and environmental health. With this audience in mind, the Senior Grant Writer will be responsible for crafting concept notes and proposals, project budgets, narrative and financial reports, as well as other formal and informal written donor communications.

The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035).

Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions:

• Support efforts to maintain and grow revenue from institutional donors by writing fundraising materialsincluding concept notes, letters of intent, proposal narratives, program updates, and narrative grant reports.
• Collaborate with U.S. and international program teams, capacity teams, and front-line fundraising strategists to develop narratives that effectively demonstrate how NRDC's work aligns with funder priorities and follow relevant guidelines, templates, and forms.
• Create project plans and timelines, coordinate and facilitate communication between internal teams to provide input for funder documents.
• Compile and integrate information about NRDC's issues and programmatic work, often very technical, from a variety of sources and describe our activities in clear and compelling language.
• In partnership with colleagues on the Principal and Institutional Giving Operations team, front-line fundraising strategists, and the finance department, finalize required financial documents for proposal and report submissions, including budgets and expense reports.
• Lead the submissions process to funders, respecting deadlines and requirements.
• As needed, provide copy editing support for fellow writers on the Principal and Institutional Giving Operations team to address errors, ensure clarity, and promote messaging consistency.
• As needed, serve as lead writer on select deliverables for Principal Gifts donors during high volume periods.
• Actively seek updated information about NRDC and NRDC Action Fund initiatives related to climate, nature, and environmental health in the U.S. and internationally.
• Maintain a working knowledge of the interests and expectations of the organization's institutional funders.

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position's responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 4-7 years' experience writing for a high-volume non-profit Development department.

Skills, Abilities, Competencies

• Superior writing skills and demonstrated experience developing proposals for large institutional foundations; experience working with international teams and programming a plus
• Experience working in a complex, fast-paced organization
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Able to work independently to manage, prioritize, and meet a high volume of deadlines
• Windows and Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and Salesforce database software proficiency
• Ability to travel to NRDC U.S. based offices for team meetings and retreats
• Commitment to NRDC's mission, values, and DEI principles

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $100,000 to $110,000.

NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Employees are required to come to the office 8 days per month.

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.