Grants & Finance Specialist, Air Quality Program
Program Overview:
WRI’s air quality program is a global initiative that seeks to identify, build awareness of, and eliminate the root causes of air pollution that damages climate, human, and ecosystem health. The program has three main areas of work:
- engagement with city stakeholders to use participatory science to diagnose and develop targeted, cost-effective clean air solutions to protect human health and climate,
- working with the science community to convert innovative methods into tools and products that communities and policymakers can use to better manage their impact on the atmosphere, and
- working with national governments and business networks to design and implement broader regional-to-global air quality governance
It is a part of the WRI Ross Center on Sustainable Cities. This position will primarily support the Clean Air Catalyst project, a USAID-funded project, and will provide additional support to other air quality projects within the air quality program’s portfolio. The Clean Air Catalyst (CAC) is a flagship program launched by The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), World Resources Institute (WRI) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to accelerate clean air solutions by working with communities around the world to identify and raise awareness of local pollution sources and build focused, robust coalitions to deliver interventions that lead to cleaner, healthier air. The project is working in three initial pilot cities: Indore, India, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Nairobi, Kenya. Through these pilots, the project will not only generate new, societally relevant scientific findings, but will also create a practical, field-tested playbook for convening collaboration among key stakeholders, identifying and building awareness of air quality priorities, and leveraging USAID missions’ strengths to deliver and sustain cleaner air.
Job Summary:
The Grants and Finance Specialist (GFS) will primarily support the Clean Air Catalyst project, as well as other air quality projects within the air quality program at the Ross Center for Sustainable Cities by providing project management, financial, contracts, and administrative support. This position will be working on budgets, contracts, and grants across different funders, projects, and continents, so we are looking for a meticulous individual with an ability to prioritize multiple tasks.
This position can be remote or be based at WRI’s office in Washington, DC once restrictions have been lifted.
Job Responsibilities:
Financial Management (50% time)
- Regularly reviews, updates, and supervises all transactions, commitments, and revenue prospects for all team projects
- Update and maintain project budgets using WRI’s budgeting and forecasting software (TM1)
- Update and maintain project funding and allocations in coordination with workstream director(s) and project managers
- Coordinates and advises team monthly on budget management and supplies financial review template(s) for review with workstream director(s) and operations staff
- Develop fiscal year budget forecasts on a yearly basis in coordination with operations and your workstream director
- Follows WRI’s internal processes and deadlines related to funding, including quarterly reviews, monthly & annual closeouts, and future fiscal year annual budget submission
- Processes invoices and pay applications for projects in compliance with established governance
- Prepares and supports financial reports to donors, under supervision
Contract Management (40% time)
- Processes documentation for project commitments (i.e. Agreements, Contracts, work authorizations, and purchase orders)
- Supervises program/project performance against contract requirements and deliverables
- Drafts grant proposal budgets and assists in the collection and submission of formal proposals for team fundraising efforts
- Supports donor and grants management by keeping database software (Salesforce) up-to-date
- Supports preparation of detailed proposal budgets and institutional knowledge management for all grants and proposals
- Supports reporting on grants including gathering information on accomplishments, activities, and challenges for funders
Administration (10% time)
- Coordinates and schedules team meetings and assists in the coordination of the team’s planning processes
- Update and maintain new hire staffing information with operations
- Provide timesheet guidance to team members on a bi-weekly basis
- Manage various program, department, and interpersonal trackers
- Supports teams with financial management for conference and event logistics as needed, including participant travel Other duties, may be assigned.
Job Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, accounting, business, public policy, political science, non-profit management, international affairs, or similar subject requires
- Minimum of one year of relevant, full-time work experience, preferably in financial management, budgeting, administration, or nonprofit operations
- Keen curiosity about the mission and work of the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
- Experience handling budgeting structures
- The position requires a diligent, highly organized individual with experience and curiosity about program management, financial management, budgeting, and writing
- Must be adaptable to rapidly changing priorities and can run multiple projects with varying deadlines
- Strong process orientation with sensitivity to quality, timeliness, and organizational systems
- Able to work independently with minimal direction
- Strong writing, database management, and proofreading skills
- Excellent digital literacy in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook), especially Excel
- Budgeting experience with Excel or other budgeting software is helpful
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to work well in a team and with international colleagues
- Additional language skills are a plus, especially in Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Chinese, French, Hindi
- Existing US work authorization is required for all WRI US opportunities, WRI is unable to provide visa sponsorship
Potential Salary:
$46,000-$60,000 Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.
How to Apply:
Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. Please include a cover letter and your resume.
About Us: Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.
The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.
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Our culture: WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.
Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.