Federal Grant Writer & Specialist

Company Overview

At Unleashing Leaders, we empower organizations to overcome barriers and achieve meaningful results through tailored leadership, strategy, operations, and change management solutions.

 

Role Summary

The Grant Writer & Specialist researches federal funding opportunities, develops compelling and compliant grant proposals, and supports post-award grant activities. This role combines grant writing, business process improvement, research, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration to translate complex requirements into actionable processes and improve the efficiency and quality of grant-related work.

The ideal candidate is a strong writer and business thinker who can analyze requirements, identify gaps and opportunities, organize information from multiple stakeholders, and develop practical solutions that support successful grant outcomes and sustainable business processes.

Key Responsibilities

Federal Grant Development & Writing

· Research and identify relevant federal grant opportunities aligned with client and organizational priorities.

· Monitor federal funding announcements, Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs), agency priorities, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and other applicable guidance.

· Analyze grant requirements and translate complex federal guidelines into clear, actionable requirements for internal teams and clients.

· Lead or support the development of federal grant proposals, including narratives, statements of need, project descriptions, goals and objectives, work plans, performance measures, evaluation plans, and other required components.

· Develop clear, persuasive, evidence-based grant narratives that align organizational priorities with federal funding objectives.

· Coordinate with subject matter experts, program leaders, finance teams, data analysts, and other stakeholders to gather information required for proposals.

· Develop and maintain grant writing templates, content libraries, proposal tools, and other resources to improve consistency and efficiency.

· Review proposals for completeness, accuracy, consistency, compliance, and alignment with solicitation requirements prior to submission.

Grant Specialist Support

· Support the administration and coordination of awarded federal grants, including tracking requirements, deliverables, milestones, reporting obligations, and deadlines.

· Maintain organized grant documentation and supporting materials to facilitate reporting, compliance, audits, and future grant development.

· Support the collection, compilation, and organization of program, financial, and performance data needed for grant applications and reporting.

· Track changes to federal grant requirements, policies, regulations, and reporting expectations and communicate relevant updates to stakeholders.

· Assist with monitoring grant performance against established goals, timelines, budgets, and performance measures.

· Support preparation of federal grant reports and other required submissions.

· Identify potential compliance, process, documentation, or performance gaps and work with stakeholders to develop solutions.

Business Process Innovation

· Evaluate current grant development and administration processes to identify inefficiencies, redundancies, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

· Document current-state ("as-is") grant processes, workflows, roles, requirements, and pain points.

· Develop and recommend standardized processes, tools, templates, and procedures that improve grant development and management.

· Apply structured problem-solving and process improvement techniques to improve the quality, efficiency, and consistency of grant-related work.

· Gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative information through interviews, observation, document review, data collection, and other appropriate methods.

· Translate complex policies, grant requirements, and business needs into actionable operational processes and requirements.

· Develop process documentation, standard operating procedures, workflow diagrams, checklists, and other tools that support consistent execution.

· Monitor process outcomes and use data and stakeholder feedback to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Required

· Bachelor's degree in English, communications, public administration, business, nonprofit management, public policy, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

· 3–5 years of relevant experience in federal grant writing, grant management, proposal development, business process improvement, program management, or a related field.

· Demonstrated experience researching and responding to federal grant opportunities, NOFOs, RFPs, or similar funding solicitations.

· Strong federal grant writing and editing skills with the ability to develop clear, persuasive, and compliant proposals.

· Ability to interpret complex requirements and translate them into clear, actionable processes and deliverables.

· Strong research, analytical, organizational, and critical-thinking skills.

· Strong written and verbal communication skills.

· Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.

· Ability to work independently in a virtual environment while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.

Preferred

· Experience with federal agencies, federal grants, or government-funded programs.

· Experience with post-award grant administration, compliance, performance reporting, or monitoring.

· Knowledge of federal grant regulations, policies, and grant lifecycle processes.

· Experience with process mapping, Lean, Six Sigma, or other process improvement methodologies.

· Experience developing standard operating procedures, workflows, requirements, or process documentation.

· Experience working in healthcare, public sector, government consulting, or other highly regulated environments.

· Experience with grants management systems or federal grant platforms.

· Lean Six Sigma Yellow or Green Belt certification preferred, consistent with the Business Process Specialist level.