New York, NY

Grants and Knowledge Manager, MetLife Foundation

The Organization

Role Value Proposition:

The Grants and Knowledge Manager will be a core member of the Foundation Program team and work in partnership to coordinate domestic and international grantmaking processes, review the grant application materials to ensure compliance with Foundation and IRS requirements, oversee grants management systems, processes and database.   The successful candidate will be skilled in managing information, creating process and work flows, using databases in strategic ways, and leveraing reports to inform the Foundation’s ongoing work, and enjoy learning about the range of organizations in the Foundation’s portfolios using excellent research skills.

Guided by our Purpose, “always with you, building a more confident future,” this team member will build relationships across internal teams and with our grantee partners, managing information about and from multiple program areas, creating, ensuring existing tools and databases are strategically used, recommending improvements to how we capture and understand data for learning purposes, and leveraging knowledge shared by our partners and the field to inform how MetLife Foundation refines its work to achieve its mission .

In today’s constantly changing environment, we have an opportunity to challenge ourselves to think boldly about how to deliver greater social impact to our communities and build on our core business strengths and commitments.   The successful candidate will blend energy and passion with strong business acumen and the ability to make connections across a diverse global portfolio to identify common themes for an intentional, forward thinking approach and structured delivery to grantmaking.  This person will be part of a team to help MetLife Foundation advocate for and achieve measurable change in communities around the globe.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Serve as a key point of contact for grantee partners, providing technical assistance for application and report submission, responding to inquiries on financial due diligence requirements and verifying grantee partner information.
  • Develop and maintain appropriate grants management procedures, including but not limited to due diligence procedures, grant reporting, award letters, grant agreements, and procedures to ensure availability of funds.
  • Ensure the systems accord with the Foundation’s work processes, align with the needs of program staff, and fulfill regulatory compliance requirements; ensure integrity of data and fully accurate coding and information is entered in the foundation grantmaking system.
  • Works with international intermediaries to determine grantee institutions are eligible to receive funding, as well as to confirm all personnel on a grant and institutional official are not the U.S. Department of Treasury and UN Sanctions Lists, Terrorist Exclusion list, and/or Internpol Notices.
  • Maintain grantee records, with particular attention to monitoring, outcomes, modifications, and payment information.
  • Conduct ongoing grants administration, program, and foundation management research, including analyses of grant reports and program trends.
  • Identify opportunities to streamline the grants process to minimize administrative load (for grantee partners and the foundation staff).
  • Collaborate with Finance team to make sure all grants and grants-related activities are properly recorded in the accounting system.

Knowledge Data & Reporting

  • Monitor grantee reports and develop reporting mechanisms to share information n grantee accountability with relevant parties.
  • Work with Program and key internal stakeholders to prepare analysis, reporting and presentation of qualitative and quantitative data regarding grantee awards, learnings and outcomes to support Board presentations and other internal/external communications and share with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Produce regular and ad hoc grantmaking reports and perform data analysis.
  • Maintain integrity of grants data and work across teams to anticipate data needs.
  • Prepare clear and accessible materials shaping complex data into easy-to-use items for communications, the board docket, and external facing reports and issue briefs.

Training/Other

  • Drive a foundation learning agenda and trainings to foster development use of best practices and improve outcomes in grantmaking and initiatives.
  • Recommend and participate in ongoing professional development for self and foundation team.

Essential Business Experience and Technical Skills:

Required:

  • Three to five years of relevant professional experience in philanthropy, grants administration and management in a non-profit, and/or relevant technical experience.
  • Strong proficiency with grants management systems and databases required.   Experience with Salesforce grants management system a plus.
  • Track record demonstrating sound judgement, discernment, and critical thinking skills especially when faced with new opportunities or challenges.
  • Problem solver who takes initiative to identify/design right-sized solutions to data management and workflow challenges.
  • Strong verbal and written communications skills combined with a customer service approach for internal and external stakeholders.
  • Experience with and/or excitement about presenting data creatively and compellingly with the ability to synthesize and “find the story” in large and complete sets of data. This can include data visualizations and data dashboards for key internal stakeholders.
  • Flexible and eager to contribute to a new strategic approach at MetLife Foundation and lean into an “all hands on deck” approach as responsibilities continue to be developed and refined.
  • Collaborator who works closely internally with teammates and colleagues across the enterprise; ability to work with peer funders;  builds trusting relationships with grantees; and engages and leads active thought partnership with others.
  • Understands and is engaged in the philanthropic landscape and current on trends and partnerships related to strategic focus areas as a funder.
  • Ability to represent the organization with professionalism and authenticity, demonstrate thought leadership, and encourage diversity of ideas and perspectives.
  • Proficiency in Outlook, Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

Preferred:  Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

How To Apply

View the job description and start the application using the following link: Grants and Knowledge Manager (metlife.com)

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