Federal Projects Manager

Federal Projects Manager

Grant-Funded, Term-Limited Position, Expected Three-Year Term

Position Summary

The Utah Lake Authority is seeking a highly capable, self-directed Federal Projects Manager to lead implementation of three major congressionally directed spending awards totaling approximately $7.7 million. These projects include recreation access improvements, development of a Utah Lake Nature Center, and invasive species mitigation.

This is a grant-funded term position expected to last approximately three years, with the potential for extension depending on future federal, state, or other grant funding.

The Federal Projects Manager will be responsible for the full lifecycle management of these federal awards, including project planning, procurement, contracting, consultant and partner coordination, federal reporting, budget tracking, compliance documentation, stakeholder communications, and day-to-day execution. The ideal candidate is not only comfortable with federal grant requirements and administrative detail, but also capable of driving complex public projects forward with autonomy, diplomacy, and sound judgment. The ideal candidate will work well with a small, innovative, collaborative team, each member of whom will have key roles to play in the completion of the projects.

This position will work closely with Utah Lake Authority leadership, public agency partners, consultants, contractors, elected officials’ offices, federal agencies, local governments, and community stakeholders.

Current Federal Projects

The position will initially focus on three congressionally directed spending projects:

1. Recreation Access Improvements
2. Management of planning and implementation efforts to improve public recreation access at Utah Lake, including development of a southern Utah Lake access master plan, lakewide recreation vision, stakeholder coordination, and priority infrastructure implementation.
3. Utah Lake Nature Center
4. Management of planning, predevelopment, partner coordination, procurement, federal compliance, and implementation activities related to the development of a Utah Lake Nature Center.
5. Invasive Species Mitigation
6. Management of federal project activities related to invasive species planning, mitigation, monitoring, contracting, reporting, and coordination with technical partners and agencies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Federal Award and Grant Management

• Manage day-to-day implementation of assigned federal grant awards from startup through closeout.
• Maintain project files, grant records, compliance documentation, reporting calendars, procurement files, reimbursement documentation, and closeout materials.
• Prepare or coordinate required federal reports, progress updates, financial documentation, draw/reimbursement materials, and performance reports.
• Track grant deliverables, milestones, budgets, obligations, expenditures, and deadlines.
• Ensure grant activities remain aligned with approved scopes of work, budgets, award terms, federal requirements, and Utah Lake Authority priorities.
• Coordinate with federal agency staff, congressional offices, state partners, and internal leadership as needed.
• Support budget amendments, scope clarifications, grant modifications, and agency approvals as needed.
• Maintain organized documentation sufficient for audit, monitoring, and federal review.

Project Management and Execution

• Develop and maintain project schedules, workplans, task lists, risk registers, decision logs, and implementation trackers.
• Coordinate planning, design, procurement, contracting, public engagement, and implementation activities across multiple projects.
• Keep projects moving by identifying bottlenecks, resolving issues, coordinating decisions, and escalating matters when necessary.
• Translate high-level project goals into executable tasks, timelines, scopes of work, and deliverables.
• Coordinate consultants, contractors, agency partners, local governments, and technical advisors.
• Prepare project briefings, staff updates, board materials, partner updates, and public-facing summaries.
• Monitor project quality, schedule, budget, and compliance performance.

Procurement, Contracting, and Consultant Management

• Develop or coordinate scopes of work, requests for proposals, requests for qualifications, bid documents, evaluation materials, and procurement schedules.
• Support procurement processes consistent with federal, state, and organizational requirements.
• Coordinate contract development, review, routing, execution, amendments, invoicing, and performance tracking.
• Manage consultant and contractor deliverables, timelines, invoices, and documentation.
• Conduct or coordinate cost reasonableness reviews, procurement records, selection documentation, and contract compliance files.
• Track federal clauses, flow-down requirements, and project-specific compliance obligations.

Compliance and Documentation

• Support compliance with applicable federal grant requirements, including 2 CFR 200, procurement standards, reporting requirements, financial controls, records retention, and award-specific conditions.
• Coordinate with finance staff to track direct project costs, indirect costs, allowable expenses, budget categories, and supporting documentation.
• Help distinguish project costs, administrative costs, capital costs, and grant-funded personnel costs for budgeting and reporting purposes.
• Coordinate environmental review, permitting, labor standards, domestic preference requirements, civil rights requirements, or other federal compliance obligations as applicable to each award.
• Prepare for and support federal monitoring, audits, site visits, and closeout reviews.

Relationships, Communications, and Stakeholder Coordination

• Serve as a central point of coordination for assigned federal projects.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with federal agencies, congressional staff, local governments, state agencies, consultants, contractors, nonprofit partners, landowners, and community stakeholders.
• Coordinate meetings, agendas, notes, follow-up items, and project communications.
• Support public engagement processes related to recreation access, the Nature Center, and invasive species mitigation.
• Prepare clear written materials for technical, public, executive, and board audiences.
• Help communicate project progress, needs, risks, and accomplishments.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, planning, environmental policy, business administration, construction management, project management, natural resources, communications, or a related field.
• At least three years of relevant experience in grant management, project management, public administration, planning, procurement, government programs, infrastructure projects, environmental programs, or a related field.
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects at once.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, exercise judgment, and move projects forward with limited day-to-day supervision.
• Experience coordinating with public agencies, consultants, contractors, elected officials, community partners, or other external stakeholders.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records, documentation, and deadlines.
• Proficiency with common office, project management, spreadsheet, and document management tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing federal grants, congressionally directed spending, community project funding, cooperative agreements, or state/federal infrastructure funding.
• Familiarity with federal grant requirements, including 2 CFR 200, procurement standards, allowable costs, records retention, reporting, and closeout.
• Experience with HUD, USFWS, Department of the Interior, transportation, natural resources, environmental, or infrastructure-related funding.
• Experience with public procurement, contracting, consultant management, or construction/project delivery.
• Experience with environmental review, permitting, public lands, water, recreation, conservation, invasive species, or natural resource projects.
• Experience preparing board materials, public presentations, grant reports, scopes of work, RFPs, contracts, or project briefings.
• Project management certification, grant management certification, or related training.
• Familiarity with Utah local government, special districts, state agencies, water/natural resource issues, or Utah Lake is helpful but not required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Turn complex, multi-party projects into clear workplans and executable next steps.
• Manage administrative detail without losing sight of project outcomes.
• Communicate effectively with technical experts, public officials, community members, contractors, and agency staff.
• Exercise sound judgment in a dynamic public-sector environment.
• Track budgets, deadlines, deliverables, compliance obligations, and documentation requirements.
• Write clearly and professionally for multiple audiences.
• Build trust with partners and keep projects moving through ambiguity.
• Balance compliance, transparency, speed, and good public stewardship.
• Identify problems early and propose practical solutions.
• Work with a high degree of autonomy while keeping leadership appropriately informed.

Employment Status and Funding

This is a grant-funded term position expected to last approximately three years, subject to continued availability of grant funds, satisfactory performance, project needs, and organizational approval. The position may be extended if additional federal, state, local, or private funding is secured.

The position is expected to be assigned exclusively to management and implementation of federally funded projects. Time and duties may be allocated across multiple federal awards based on project needs, grant budgets, and documented level of effort.

Compensation

Salary range: $70,000 - $105,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

• Benefits: Excellent state health benefits.