Summary and Duties

If you are considering a new job, work environment or career opportunities you should look at Mercer County Community College. MCCC is a publicly supported college that is open to all and dedicated to student success. In order to support that mission Mercer seeks to attract, retain, and support a skilled diverse workforce which is our most valuable resource. We thrive on and are proud of our diversity and open access. Our students and employees find the College large enough for a multitude of offerings yet small enough to keep the “Community” feel for all. The College consists of two campuses, the James Kerney Campus (JKC) in the capital city of Trenton, NJ and a larger 292 acre suburban campus just six miles north of Trenton.
As part of the comprehensive and valuable benefits package the College offers credit course tuition waivers for employees, spouses and dependents. This allows for employees and their families to take advantage of earning a higher retention degree without the high cost. The College offers students 69 Degree Program Options and 35 Credit Certificates from which to choose.
JOB DUTIES

• This position researches, prepares and, works in collaboration with faculty and staff, facilitates development and submission of compelling proposals.
• Monitors and supports post-grant activities, including reporting requirements, compliance with the grant agreement, and grant implementation procedures.
• Coordinates the pre-award planning, organization, and preparation, of various grants assigned to one or more departments of the college.
• Coordinates with an external grant writing and proposal development firm (when applicable) as determined by the College.
• Must be able to communicate effectively in individual and group settings, representing the College on a professional basis, both orally and in writing.
• Facilitate communication regarding grant opportunities and ideas for proposals across all departments at the college.

• Draft grant proposals as preliminary step for Grants Director review, including:
  • Gathering of information and data
  • Utilization of Boilerplate language to draft general portion of narrative
  • Assisting in drafting budgets and timelines
  • Communicating with PI serving as content expert
• Research and review literature and other information dealing with funds available through federal, state, corporate and private foundation sources to support advancement of the College mission.
• Provide Grants Director with research on potential grant sources
• Maintain and support an institutional grant approval process.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff, at all levels, to develop and maintain an awareness and understanding of grant development, management, and compliance.
• Ensure that grant proposals meet the needs of the College and the requirements of the funding entities.
• Assist Grants Director in building and maintaining stakeholder support and collaboration.
• Maintain detailed files and records that allow ease of program reporting, access to details of funded grants and satisfies the needs of auditors and funders.
• Work with project director and appropriate principle investigators to understand and validate the grant’s evaluation criteria.
• Communicate with college departments to ensure the meeting of all objectives of the grant proposal
• Join Grants Director in strengthening relationships with the statewide grants professional group and together work to identify potential collaboration opportunities therein.
• Assist Grants Director in developing and maintaining an annual plan (ideally in alignment with college planning processes).
• Engages in Pre-award activities and coordinate with a grant writing and proposal development firm (when applicable).
• Coordinates the planning and preparation of grant proposals for one or more departments; provides guidance and assistance to investigators in the interpretation of funding agency regulations and requirements.
• Serves as a liaison between investigators, granting agencies, in the budgeting and preparation of grant proposals.
• Prepares and compiles all components of each grant submission, ensuring that the proposal is formatted, packaged, and submitted in accordance with granting agency requirements.
• Advises and/or assists as appropriate in the design, formatting and preparation of grant documentation, to include creation of computerized statistical summaries and/or graphics.
• Develops and maintains a library of reference documentation, including funding agency requirements and forms, investigator profiles and curriculum vitae, abstracts and reference literature, and other pertinent material.
• When Grant writing and proposal development firm are not available, the Grant coordinator serves in place of the firm.

Required Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in writing successful grant proposals and reporting.
• Three (3) years’ of experience working with grant proposals, reporting, and coordination.
• Proven knowledge and skills of current technologies related to grant development.
• Demonstrated degree of capablity in using collaborative tools such as Office 365 Suite and/or grants management software.
• Experience working within a high-pressure, deadline sensitive environment.
• Must be able to perform essential job functions outlined above.

Preferred Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• MS Excel Proficient
• MS TEAMS Proficient

• Ability to draft grant proposals for Grants Director review, in a coherent and professional manner, adhering to proposal guidelines and timelines.
• Ability to effectively coordinate the preparation of complex and varied grant proposals in support of College goals.
• Ability to learn varied content quickly to communicate a basic understanding of the grant project content.
• Knowledge of, and ability to work with online programs such as grants.gov.
• Knowledge of the Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) federal guidelines for federal award programs – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
• Ability to research federal, state, corporate and private funding and summarize information for leadership to make informed decisions about funding opportunities
• Assist Grants Director in managing multiple grants and prioritizing workload to meet varying deadlines. (i.e., grant submission approval process, grant reporting etc.)
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty and staff, at all levels, to coordinate grant writing, development and submission of proposals and to monitor reporting requirements of awarded grants.
• Ability to work cooperatively with and contribute to a diverse workplace through ideas or experience.
• Ability to keep up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise
• Strong interpersonal, communication and public presentation skills.

Core Competencies

CORE COMPETENCIES

• 
  Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or the work environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
• Building Partnerships: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
• Customer Service: Manages difficult or emotional customer situations. Responds promptly to departmental needs; solicits feedback to improve service; Responds to requests for departmental service and assistance. Meets commitments.
• Formal Presentation: Presenting ideas effectively to individuals or groups when given time to prepare; delivering presentations suited to the characteristics and needs of the audience.
• Negotiation: Effectively exploring alternatives and positions to reach outcomes that gain the support and acceptance of all parties.
• Quality Orientation: Accomplishing tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks; being watchful over a period of time.
• Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
• Stress Tolerance: Maintaining stable performance under pressure or opposition (such as time pressure or job ambiguity); handling stress in a manner that is acceptable to others and to the organization.