The Grant Program Coordinator serves as the operational owner of the Tennessee Aquarium's enterprise grants process. This position manages the grant lifecycle from opportunity approval through award closeout by coordinating proposal development, cross-departmental collaboration, financial and programmatic compliance, reporting, and grant administration. The position partners with Finance, Development, Conservation, Education, Animal Care, Operations, and external grant professionals to ensure grants are submitted accurately, administered effectively, and managed in compliance with all award requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Grant Administration and Compliance
- Maintain the institutional grants calendar and monitor all proposals, reporting, reimbursement, amendment, and closeout deadlines.
- Coordinate grant award kickoff meetings and establish standardized grant files.
- Prepare reimbursement requests, financial reports, supporting schedules, and documentation.
- Monitor compliance with federal, state, local, and private funding requirements, including Uniform Guidance where applicable.
- Coordinate grant closeout activities and retain records in accordance with organizational policies.
- Support internal and external audits.
Grant Project Management
- Develop and manage proposal workplans and timelines.
- Coordinate activities among departments to ensure timely completion of technical and financial report narratives, reimbursements, contracts, attachments, approvals, and submissions.
- Facilitate meetings and communicate project status to stakeholders.
- Identify schedule risks and recommend corrective actions.
Proposal Development Coordination
- Coordinate proposal development regardless of whether writing is completed internally or externally.
- Compile organizational information, financial data, budgets, and required attachments.
- Review applications for completeness, consistency, and compliance prior to submission.
- Submit approved applications through Grants.gov and other electronic portals.
Financial Management and Reporting
- Coordinate with Finance to reconcile grant budgets and expenditures.
- Monitor restricted grant revenue and reimbursement status.
- Support SEFA preparation and other federal reporting requirements when applicable.
Continuous Improvement
- Maintain grants management software, templates, SOPs, policies, and reporting dashboards.
- Recommend workflow improvements and standardization.
Key Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Communications, or related field.
- Three years of progressively responsible experience in grants administration, nonprofit finance, project management, or a related field preferred.
- Experience administering federal grants and interpreting grant regulations preferred.
- PMP, CGMS, GPC, or similar professional certification is desirable but not required.
- Excellent project management, organizational, and facilitation skills.
- Working knowledge of federal grant regulations, Uniform Guidance, and grant lifecycle management.
- Strong budgeting, financial analysis, and spreadsheet skills.
- Ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct supervisory authority.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Grants.gov, and grant/project management software.
Full-time, hourly ($24.03 – 26.44/hour, commensurate with education and experience); Monday through Friday schedule, normal business hours.
To apply, submit an online application and resume through the Aquarium’s career site at https://tnaqua.org/get-involved/ (https://tnaqua.org/get-involved/)
All submissions must be received by September 16, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
