Grants Acquisition Specialist

The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to develop and scale technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. To accomplish this, forging and maintaining relations with governments and other relevant stakeholders is essential. The Ocean Cleanup seeks a Grants Acquisition Specialist to guide the Global Public Affairs team in identifying, unlocking, and securing institutional funding opportunities. In this role, you will become part of an international, diverse organization and will have the opportunity to contribute to our mission by addressing one of the greatest global challenges today: plastic pollution.

"We are at a pivotal moment in expanding our funding opportunities to scale our mission of removing plastic from our oceans and rivers. We are excited to welcome an experienced and resourceful Grants Acquisition Specialist who will play a key role in unlocking institutional funding to drive our impactful initiatives forward at scale" - Montgomery Simus, Global Director of Public Affairs, Policy, and Blue Finance.

THE ASSIGNMENT

The Global Public Affairs Team is responsible for engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders. The team monitors global developments, political trends, potential risks, and opportunities for the mission. In line with our institutional funding ambitions, we are looking for an experienced Grants Acquisition Specialist.

RESPONSIBILITIES

You add value to the team through the following responsibilities:

• Identify grant opportunities through monitoring, screening, and networking
• Manage grant application processes, including internal coordination and writing of grant applications
• Prepare reports in compliance with the funding requirements of the funding bodies
• Monitor the whole cycle of projects throughout their lifespan and guarantee all the administration and files are in place & up to date and reporting requirements are met on time
• Act as a spider in the web for the organization collecting all the necessary data and input and ensuring internal alignment
• Collaborate with financial and technical leads on grant projects in their portfolio to provide ongoing guidance for successful project implementation and project audits
• Support in the identification of institutional funding opportunities beyond grants
• Contribute to stakeholder management of the Global Public Affairs team
• Perform other duties as assigned

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• An advanced degree in international relations, public administration, communications, finance or another relevant field
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in management and writing of publicly funded grants
• The candidate should have knowledge of grant administration regulations, procedures, application, and reporting processes. United Nations, European, and national grants experience is preferred
• Knowledge of Microsoft environment
• Work experience at a scale-up organization is a plus

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Excellent writing skills, able to articulate well technical, financial and strategic areas
• Goal-oriented with attention to details
• Accurate and structured way of working and absolute attention to detail
• Resilient and capable of prioritizing tasks
• Self-starter with a service mindset, drive for improvement
• Ability to coordinate efforts of a team, work independently, and maintain flexibility.
• Intrinsic motivation to work on our ambitious and meaningful mission
• Languages: proficient in English, Dutch is preferred

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

• Starting date: As soon as possible
• Work permit needed: a valid European Union work permit is highly preferred for this position (the role is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands)
• Please note: because we are a non-profit, our salaries reflect that of an organization fully reliant on donations rather than that of a commercial entity. Conducting a pre-employment check is part of our recruitment process.
• At The Ocean Cleanup, we believe we are stronger together, while harnessing the uniqueness each individual brings. That is why we take a fair, equal opportunity, and transparent approach to hiring and welcome special needs requests.

Curious to hear how it is to work at The Ocean Cleanup? Listen to our team members explain their work in our podcast.