Grants Support Specialist

The Michigan State University (MSU) Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) within the Department of Community Sustainability is seeking a full-time, fixed-term Grants Support Specialist for the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center (GLM-RFBC). This position is classified as Academic Specialist – Outreach.

The Grants Support Specialist will assist farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs across IL, IN, MI, and WI with grant writing and building skills with finding and applying for relevant grant opportunities. The GLM-RFBC is a large, 5-year federally funded project with regional partners that will offer assistance and a grant program for farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs, prioritizing those who have been historically marginalized.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Outreach to, and educating, farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs about relevant grant opportunities from various funding sources, including federal grants;
• Developing and implementing training and other capacity building opportunities (virtual and in-person, etc.) to increase grant writing skills, knowledge and experience among farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs;
• Supporting individuals or groups in the region to find, prepare, and apply for grant opportunities for their respective farm and food businesses, including the GLM-RFBC’s Business Builder grant program;
• Prioritizing and following up on requests for grant writing support and/or making referrals for assistance for available grant opportunities;
• Supporting network building and connections between business owners and actively developing, managing, and nurturing working relationships with internal and external interested groups, including funders;
• Consulting on all phases of the Business Builder Grant Program implementation and administration, including to improve and refine it in future phases based on experiences and feedback from farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs;
• Regularly meeting with the Business Builder Grant Program Manager and participating in project meetings, including to communicate and advocate for the needs of farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs;
• Developing and tracking metrics on outcomes of funding received by businesses, including through Salesforce;
• Supporting project evaluation activities led by the Evaluation Specialist;
• Contributing to project reports, work plans, and other deliverables;
• Regularly communicating activities with GLM-RFBC partners, the CRFS leadership team and staff, and ensuring activities accurately reflect project partnerships, goals, and values; and
• Performing other duties related to this role not explicitly stated above.

Expectations for CRFS Academic Specialists

• Contribute to relationship-building and regularly convene and/or collaborate with CRFS staff and state, regional, and national partners virtually and in person;
• Engage with relevant networks led by CRFS and/or partners and appropriate professional organizations;
• Provide leadership for outreach, training, technical assistance, research, data collection and/or analysis, including through web-based platforms, electronic surveys, etc., and share results;
• Develop papers, resources, and other creative forms of scholarship in a timely fashion for diverse audiences, including practitioners, stakeholders, the general public, and academics. Publication examples include reports, fact sheets, guides, videos, webinars, and journal articles;
• Present on outreach, research and/or education projects and findings at conferences, meetings, and other venues, which may include scholarly, government, association, and community audiences;
• Document and share project work and accomplishments; maintain regular internal and external communication about project activities; and develop and report on an annual plan of work;
• Actively participate in CRFS staff and strategic meetings and stay current on CRFS projects, activities, resources, and publications as relevant to this work;
• Represent projects and CRFS in a professional manner in all forms of engagement and communication; and
• Help to foster, facilitate, and maintain the CRFS culture of anti-racism, trust, support, and accountability.

Status

This is a full-time, annual year (12-month), fixed-term position. Initial appointment will be for one year with annual reappointment throughout this 5-year project (ending 6/30/2028) contingent upon funding and performance.

Current MSU Benefit Highlights

Compensation for this academic specialist position includes generous paid time off; a 10% retirement match with a 5% employee contribution to the base retirement plan; health and dental insurance plan options; education assistance benefits for employee and dependents; employer-paid life insurance; and a large menu of voluntary benefits. Additional details about benefits at Michigan State University can be found on the MSU Benefits website.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Bachelors

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least five years of grant writing experience, with federal grant writing experience strongly preferred.
• Experience providing technical assistance, training, and/or outreach.
• Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service.
• Proven ability to effectively and diplomatically engage and collaborate with diverse stakeholders and groups.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills and experience using a broad range of communication tactics.
• Demonstrated leadership, facilitation, and project and team management skills in collaborative work environments.   
• Proven ability to self-direct and balance multiple streams of programming, information, and deliverables simultaneously and to easily shift between working independently and collaboratively, including as part of a team.
• Demonstrated resourcefulness, collaboration, and ability to problem-solve and think critically, with a detail-oriented approach.
• Experience fulfilling responsibilities such as program coordination and delivery, project management, and data collection, analysis, and reporting preferred.
• Experience using approaches that foster equity in programming and working with multicultural and diverse populations; experience or familiarity with working with sovereign tribal nations and other historically marginalized communities preferred.
• Understanding of, and committed to, a culture of anti-racism and inclusivity.
• High degree of knowledge of, and comfort and flexibility with, using technology in completing job requirements including Microsoft Office suite; online search, file-sharing, and collaboration platforms; electronic survey and data analysis software; and phone/web conferencing systems. Prior experience with Salesforce, Asana, and Qualtrics preferred.
• Available and willing to occasionally travel by car throughout the state and by plane within the U.S., including overnight. Possession of a valid, current state driver’s license required.
• Preference will be given to applicants residing in, or willing to relocate to, the GLM-RFBC region of IL, IN, MI, and WI.

Advertised: Oct 31, 2024 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 11:55pm EST, Nov 25, 2024 Eastern Standard Time

Apply through careers.msu.edu here: https://careers.msu.edu/en-us/job/521027/specialist-outreachfixed-term