Director of Grants Research & Development

 

About ECC:

Elgin Community College serves over 9,000 students at every stage of their educational journeys, including university transfer programs, career and technical education, continuing education classes, and adult basic education. As a community, we pride ourselves on nurturing a welcoming campus where every person—students, staff members, faculty members, and campus visitors—feels valued. The work of each ECC employee is central to the college’s mission, and as an employer, the college fosters a positive environment through professional challenges, excellent benefits, and opportunities for recognition and camaraderie.

Work Schedule:

Monday - Friday 8AM - 5PM

Rate of Pay:

This position is a grade 16 with a minimum annual salary of $72,417 and a mid-point of $96,556. Salary offer will be commensurate with the education/experience, in alignment with the College’s compensation philosophy, and the current CBA, if applicable.

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Grant Funded:

No

Job Summary:

An employee in this classification is responsible for collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to secure institutional and private grants. This includes researching and identifying grant opportunities and working with staff, faculty, Deans, Administrators, program leadership, and external partners to develop grant projects. The role involves setting multi-year priorities for grant research and development, seeking competitive grants from federal, state, and private sources, and raising awareness of grant opportunities among employees. Additionally, the incumbent will guide faculty in grant-related activities, facilitate college-wide discussions on grant applications and budgets, and maintain comprehensive grant records.. General supervision is received by the assigned manager.

 

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

 

1. Bachelor’s degree required.
2. Proven leadership skills with experience in leading teams or projects.
3. Minimum of three to five years of writing experience, including grant writing, proposal writing, business/technical writing, journalism, or similar fields.
4. Knowledge of or experience in non-profit fundraising techniques.
5. Experience in deadline-driven, project-based environments.
6. Ability to work effectively in a team, manage multiple assignments, and meet deadlines.
7. Capability to develop and monitor income goals.
8. Strong written communication and editing skills for clear, structured, and persuasive proposals.
9. Attention to detail.
10. Knowledge of fundraising information sources and proposal writing for institutional donors.
11. Project management knowledge.
12. Understanding of basic fundraising techniques and strategies.
13. Familiarity with research techniques for fundraising prospect research.
14. Strong collaboration and communication skills

Desired Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

 

1. Advanced degree or certification in relevant area.
2. Familiarity with Salesforce and Financial Edge software

Essential Duties:

 

1. Grant Research: Monitor grant portals and agency websites; identify and prospect grants; perform research on foundations and corporations to evaluate potential grants.
2. Grant Development: Collaborate with staff, faculty, and external partners on early-stage project development; develop projects and plans; meet with key stakeholders to align projects with grant priorities; act as a resource leader in grant-making strategies; solve complex problems and find creative solutions in higher education grant-making; manage projects across various departments; provide grant training and build grant teams.
3. Grant Writing/Editing: Lead and edit grant applications; facilitate stakeholder reviews and incorporate feedback into proposals; maintain records related to grant writing and applications; communicate post-award reporting expectations and timelines to implementation leads; engage in stewardship and other foundation-related fundraising activities; provide regular updates to current grantors; track and report development statistics; contribute to institutional materials such as the Annual Report and President’s Report.
4. Working with Grantors: Expand expertise with internal and external stakeholders; arrange onsite tours for supporters; maintain current records in databases and physical/electronic files, including grant tracking and reporting.

Other Duties:

1. Provide development input for institutional materials, including the Annual Report and President’s Report.
2. Work with the Foundation team to develop budgets, and perform other duties as assigned by the Office Institutional Advancement and the Foundat