Climate Resilience Grant Manager

The Climate Resilience Grant Manager at the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation will oversee a collaborative project aimed at enhancing climate resilience in the Monterey Bay region. Responsibilities include managing flood risk reduction and fire prevention projects, developing the Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Action Network, and supporting workforce development initiatives. The role requires substantial experience in managing large federal grant projects and coordinating with various stakeholders.
About the position

The Climate Resilience Grant Manager at the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) will play a pivotal role in leading a large collaborative multi-institutional project aimed at enhancing climate resilience in the Monterey Bay region of California. This position is essential for managing various activities that focus on adaptation actions to support low-lying coastal communities that are increasingly threatened by climate change impacts such as sea level rise, storm surges, flooding, and wildfires. The successful candidate will work closely with regional municipalities, universities, research institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to implement effective strategies for climate adaptation and resilience. The responsibilities of the Climate Resilience Grant Manager will include overseeing ten flood risk reduction projects designed to improve coastal, estuarine, and riparian habitats, which are crucial for moderating extreme flood flows. These projects aim to deliver significant benefits to marginalized communities, particularly in areas like Watsonville, Pajaro, and Castroville. Additionally, the manager will coordinate five fire prevention projects across 7,150 acres, which will involve the installation of shaded fuel breaks and the implementation of prescribed and cultural burning practices to mitigate fire risks. Another key aspect of this role is the development and launch of the Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Action Network (MBCAAN), which will serve as a platform for coordinating future adaptation and resilience actions in the region. This network will facilitate planning and information sharing among local and regional governments, researchers, NGOs, and other stakeholders, ensuring that marginalized communities and Tribes are meaningfully engaged in the process. The Climate Resilience Grant Manager will also support workforce development initiatives in collaboration with local educational institutions, including Watsonville Wetlands Watch, Hartnell College, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), and the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). This comprehensive approach aims to build a skilled workforce capable of addressing climate resilience challenges in the region.

Responsibilities
• Provide overall project management for a large multi-project multi-institutional federal grant, ensuring successful completion of all grant activities on schedule and within budget.
,
• Ensure timely grant reporting and invoicing in compliance with the Grant Agreement, including consolidating subcontractor quarterly reports and writing Federal grant quarterly progress reports and final reports.
,
• Provide on-the-ground leadership, motivational team building, and problem-solving across 20+ climate adaptation and workforce development projects.
,
• Keep project partners on schedule to meet milestones and resolve problems as they arise.
,
• Create newsletters, blogs, social media posts, and other communications materials for both internal and external audiences.
,
• Coordinate and collaborate with CMSF leadership, grant managers, and other stakeholders.

Requirements
• Substantial experience with leading large, multi-institutional, Federal grant projects, including grant reporting, tracking, and budgeting.
,
• Experience leading projects associated with climate change adaptation.
,
• Demonstrated exceptional aptitude in working collaboratively with organizations, especially municipalities, universities, research institutions, and NGOs.
,
• Demonstrated ability to document performance and impact through monitoring and evaluation of past projects.
,
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills.
,
• Demonstrated charismatic public speaker, able to communicate complex projects to a lay audience.
,
• Demonstrated experience with environmental compliance (CEQA and NEPA) and permitting.
,
• Experience planning, organizing, and facilitating both in-person and virtual meetings, with the ability to report out notes and results from these meetings.
,
• Ability to create complete, concise reports documenting project activities and successes for a public audience.
,
• Work positively and efficiently with staff from CMSF and partner organizations.

Nice-to-haves
• Master's degree or Ph.D. in a relevant field.

Benefits
• Vacation
,
• 12 paid holidays
,
• Sick leave
,
• Medical benefits
,
• Dental benefits
,
• 401K savings plan with 3% employer match and full vesting after 1 year