NRTC serves more than 1,500 rural utilities and affiliates in 48 states. Our purpose is to help provide solutions to electric and telephone members to bring all the advantages of today’s evolving technology to rural America. NRTC has helped its members successfully obtain government funding support to enable broadband deployment across unserved and unserved communities. Several federal and state/local funding programs are emerging to bridge the digital divide, and modernize rural America’s electricity sector through advancements in network resiliency, renewable energy, and Smart Grid solutions. Moreover, cybersecurity programs continue to gain traction to protect our nation’s telecom and electrical networks. NRTC aims to expand our Funding Practice. NRTC is seeking a Research Analyst to support members take advantage of these funding opportunities through engaging in robust research efforts to identify, review, analyze, publish and explain emerging funding programs in a timely, clear, comprehensive yet concise manner.     

Job Summary 

Seeking an experienced grant writer to lead the process and creation of materials to support the NRTC Funding Services Team’s mission to assist member engagement in federal and state infrastructure grants opportunities. The Grant Administrator will help identify, summarize, and explain emerging federal and state/local funding programs to NRTC’s members. These include programs for broadband deployment and adoption, energy initiatives (e.g., Smart Grid, resiliency, renewable energy), and network/cybersecurity enhancements. The Grant Administrator will be a key resource to NRTC staff and members explaining guidelines and rules to members in a clear, succinct manner, distilling key best practices and key success factors for successful applicants from prior funding rounds. This includes writing proposals, briefings, reports, and other materials as requested. Manages the preparation of Member grant applications, including financial statements and proformas, due diligence, and program award documentation. Provides programmatic guidance, such as translating financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cashflow); project budget and financial forecasts and program deliverables, through due diligence, program award documentation, and post award compliance reporting. 

Responsibilities  

• Works with the Sr Director on member engagement, grant preparation, grant readiness and post award compliance member engagements, as well as, reporting and compliance activities 

• Works with the Sr Director to offer timely, accurate and complete reporting to federal and state grant authorities, including annual proposals and modifications, performance data and performance narrative reporting, and financial reporting including reimbursement requests and status reporting 

• Can lead team of cross discipline individuals, using project management techniques to assemble large quantities of data required by state and federal infrastructure grant authorities 

• Extensive knowledge and demonstrated skills in accounting, finance, budgeting, forecasting, reconciliations, preferably of Federal Grant Funds  

• Closely read and distill key points regarding objective, eligibility criteria, scoring framework, compliance requirements, and application submission guidelines.  

• Preparation of RFP responses, including Financial Statements in compliance with program guidelines 

• Summarize key points through authoring variety of outputs (e.g., program briefs, memos, blogs, slides) and presentations (e.g., workshops, webinars, individual meetings, etc.)  

• Manage multiple simultaneous priorities for information gathering and analysis with short deadlines, diverse information sets, and complex government rules and guidelines.  

• Develop and scrutinize grant applications, ensuring that all applications are supported by proper documentation in order to make the application highly likely to be awarded. 

• Maintain a comprehensive, well-organized shared directory of grant application narratives and resources. 

• Familiarity with electric & telephone cooperative financial statements and ability to translate into state and federal financial statements required for grant applications 

• Familiarity with/Utilize federal grant related programs, such as IDIS, SAM, etc., for grant administration 

• Practical knowledge and application of 2 CFR 200 

• Prepare reports, track activities, and maintain up-to-date documents for grant activities 

• Correspond with government stakeholders to obtain clarifications and updates regarding rules and guidelines  

• Other duties as assigned 

Qualifications 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities  

• Demonstrated success in researching and developing reports, memos, briefs, slides, etc.  

• Track record in having performed research across a complex set of issues and topics; prefer that research involve grants, telecom, utilities, and economic development 

• Ability to work well with others in high pressure, deadline focused environment  

• Cooperative and member-focused mindset 

• Strong oral and written communication skills that include demonstrated ability to write and edit grant applications, and program summaries  

• Has an eye for detail, in both written and financial documents creation  

• Well-organized and self-directed 

• Highly attentive to details and accurate 

• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and work with multiple business units 

• Ability to excel in a team environment 

• Excellent proficiency in Microsoft tools, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint  

• Ability to interact well with external parties such as members, and partners and internal leaders and colleagues  

• Ability to complete multiple tasks within critical deadlines 

Minimum Education and Experience  

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, business administration, economics, technology, liberal arts and sciences; Masters-level education considered but not required 

Physical Demands 

• Work is typically performed in an office or remote setting. 

• Ability to travel up to 10% 

About NRTC

NRTC is Member Driven and Technology Focused – providing solutions that help our 1,500 electric and telephone members bring all the advantages of today’s evolving technology to rural America. NRTC’s solutions are developed specifically to meet the needs of rural utilities and their customers, and include integrated smart grid solutions, metering networks, next-generation energy, demand management, broadband, managed services, mobile and video. We are a dynamic, growing cooperative with more than 650 employees operating out of seven office locations. We are looking to add experienced staff to our Smart Grid Solutions (SGS) team to enhance and accelerate the development of those solutions for the benefit of our members.

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