Grants management officers work professionally in the administration and management of grant funds. They look at grant applications from individuals, charities, community groups or university research departments and decide whether to award funding given out by charitable trusts, government or public bodies or not. However, sometimes they may refer the grant application to a senior officer or committee.
A bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance, business administration, public affairs, communication, education, journalism, or a related field is generally required to work as a grants management officer. Some employers may prefer candidates with a master’s degree in these fields.
An extensive experience as a project manager is often an asset for such position.
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
Grants management officer is a Skill level 4 occupation.
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of grants management officer.
Financial management: The field of finance that concerns the practical process analysis and tools for designating financial resources. It encompasses the structure of businesses, the investment sources, and the value increase of corporations due to managerial decision-making.
These skills are necessary for the role of grants management officer.
Report on grants: Inform the grant giver and grant receiver accurately and in time about new developments.
Find grants: Detect possible grants for their organisation by consulting the foundation or agency offering the funding.
Grant concessions: Grant rights, land or property from governments to private entities, in compliance with regulations, and ensuring the necessary documentation is filed and processed
Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.
Keep grant applicant informed: Inform grant applicants such as individuals, charities, community groups or university research departments about the progress of their grant application.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Check grant applications: Observe grant applications from individuals, charities, community groups or university research departments in order to make sure that they meet the funding criteria.
Guide staff: Lead and manage team in order to keep them informed about a variety of rules and regulations regarding to grants.
This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of grants management officer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Mathematics: Mathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to prove the truth or falsity of these conjectures. There are many fields of mathematics, some of which are widely used for practical applications.
Budgetary principles: Principles of estimating and planning of forecasts for business activity, compile regular budget and reports.
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of grants management officer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Work in an international environment: Guide your career to an international level which often requires the ability to interact, relate and communicate with individuals from different cultures.
Coach employees: Maintain and improve employees’ performance by coaching individuals or groups how to optimise specific methods, skills or abilities, using adapted coaching styles and methods. Tutor newly recruited employees and assist them in the learning of new business systems.
Comply with legal regulations: Ensure you are properly informed of the legal regulations that govern a specific activity and adhere to its rules, policies and laws.
Use different communication channels: Make use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.
Keep task records: Organise and classify records of prepared reports and correspondence related to the performed work and progress records of tasks.
Think analytically: Produce thoughts using logic and reasoning in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Study topics: Carry out effective research on relevant topics to be able to produce summary information appropriate to different audiences. The research may involve looking at books, journals, the internet, and/or verbal discussions with knowledgeable persons.
Show intercultural awareness: Show sensibility towards cultural differences by taking actions which facilitate positive interaction between international organisations, between groups or individuals of different cultures, and to promote integration in a community.
Use communication techniques: Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.
Respond to enquiries: Respond to enquiries and requests for information from other organisations and members of the public.
Meet deadlines: Ensure operative processes are finished at a previously agreed-upon time.
Check official documents: Check an individuals’ official documentation, such as driver’s licenses and identification, to ensure compliance with legal regulations, and to identify and assess individuals.
Ensure proper document management: Guarantee that the tracking and recording standards and rules for document management are followed, such as ensuring that changes are identified, that documents remain readable and that obsoleted documents are not used.
