Senior Associate, Federal Grants

Why Ryan?

• Global Award-Winning Culture

• Flexible Work Environment

• Generous Paid Time Off

• World-Class Benefits and Compensation

• Rapid Growth Opportunities

• Company Sponsored Two-Way Transportation

• Exponential Career Growth

The Senior Associate, Federal Grants will work directly with Ryan team members and Ryan clients/companies to support the development of government funding applications and proposals by playing a key role in researching requirements and writing and editing application and proposal content as a member of a grant writing team. They may also support Ryan in post-award compliance activities and provide other grant-related support requested by clients. In addition, the Senior Associate will lead research on U.S. government grants, loans, and contracts and related legislation to ensure the firm's grants knowledge is continually updated. The position will demand high attention to detail and the ability to multi-task in constantly changing environments. The position requires strong writing, critical thinking, decision-making, and analysis skills as well as an ability to comprehend and synthesize complex concepts and communicate clearly with stakeholders. The position requires the ability to effectively use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance workflow efficiency while exercising independent judgment and critical thinking when evaluating information and making decisions.

The position involves significant project management skills to research and support the development and writing of grant and loan applications and contract proposals that are anticipated to range from $100,000 to $100,000,000+ in size. These funding applications are positioned to assist our clients’ businesses with their unique projects and could cover a wide array of industries included, but not limited to: energy, agriculture, health, manufacturing, industry, education, and research and development.

Duties and responsibilities, as they align to Ryan’s Key Results

People

• Overall Team Support: Our team works together to support multiple clients and priorities simultaneously. The Senior Associate will be communicating, collaborating, and working directly with Ryan Managers and Consultants and third party stakeholders.

• Project Management: This role involves leading and writing multiple, concurrent projects and managing them effectively to ensure the final products meet internal and client standards.

• Administrative Duties: Recordkeeping and reporting to senior management, including use of Ryan’s internal file and client management systems.

• Internal Meetings: Meeting preparation and facilitation for internal weekly Grant team meetings. (The primary Grants team members are currently located in Washington, DC on Eastern Time so the Senior Associate shall assume that the weekly meetings, and any client support meetings, will occur in line with Eastern Time zone.)

• Other: The Senior Associate will be called on to support special projects, high-priority items, new/existing funding program research, review of existing materials, and updates and enhancements to team products and marketing materials, etc.

Client

• Funding Strategizing and Project Scoping: The Senior Associate will be responsible for researching specific funding opportunities for Ryan clients and as such will need to develop a strong understanding of our clients’ projects and areas of investment. The Senior Associate will gather/synthesize project information, identify possible grants and funding opportunities of potential relevance, and prepare reports and materials to summarize the scoped opportunities for review by Ryan staff and ultimate presentation and sharing with clients.

• Information Gathering and Analysis: Support client engagements, company and project information gathering, project scoping and strategizing, and communicating program and project details to Ryan staff and clients, if/as requested.

• Client Relationship Management: The Senior Associate may be invited to client meetings and as such will be required to manage client requests and expectations effectively. They will develop strong working relationships with Ryan staff and clients to ensure project completion and successful submission of requested deliverables.

Value

• Conduct Ongoing Grants Research (30%): Support with ongoing grant program research to ensure the Firm’s knowledge is up to date. This involves researching through a variety of online sources, including current U.S. Federal appropriation and legislative materials, reviewing client data and publicly available reports and information on grant and funding vehicles.

• Support Application and Proposal Research, Preparation, Writing, and Reviewing (30%): Either on their own or with a Ryan team member, work on the preparation and submission of funding applications and proposals for clients. This includes synthesizing project information gathered from research, client meetings, notes from the sales team or Manager, and previous funding proposals. They will evaluate and interpret quantitative and qualitative information from credible sources; identify supporting evidence and trends, and incorporate properly cited data into applications. The Senior Consultant will be asked to  develop narrative content, budget materials, and graphically rich appendices and executive summary materials. An Engagement Manager, Director, or Senior Consultant will review work and provide feedback for changes or improvement before submitting.

• Support Systemization and Document Management (20%): As documentation for a project comes in, the Senior Associate will be responsible for filing and storing the documents appropriately on our system and ensuring they can be located for later use. The Senior Associate is responsible for maintaining the integrity and consistency of our file management system. The Senior Associate may be asked to analyze qualitative and quantitative data to identify trends, measure effectiveness, and provide data-driven recommendations.

• Provide Sales and Marketing Support (20%): The Senior Associate will support, and sometimes lead, the development of marketing materials and sales tools and other thought leadership documentation to assist in the marketing and sales process for the U.S. federal grants sub-practice.

Education and Experience:

A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Business/Administration, English or Communications/Journalism, or a related discipline is required. Prior experience in Grants, familiarity with U.S. government programs, and broad business experience and business plan writing would be strong assets. 

Qualifications Required:

• 2-3 years of experience in industry with progressive responsibility

• Strong proficiency in Salesforce CRM

• Excellent writing skills and experience presenting written submissions C level executives

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal

• Strong analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills

• High comfort level working independently and in a team environment

• Strong decision-making skills: ability to work with limited information

• Strong research skills

• Ability to work confidently under pressure with tight timelines

• Experience working in a client facing role

• English fluency, both oral and written

Qualifications Preferred:

• Experience writing grant or contract proposal narratives

• Expertise leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support research and content development

• Experience reporting to, or working with, clients and business leaders

• Strong ability to manage client expectations

• Industry experience in roles that include strategic planning, project management, or similar

• Demonstrated editorial, graphic design, or marketing skills

Computer Skills:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have intermediate knowledge of Microsoft® Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, and Internet navigation and research. Experience with generative AI tools is also preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.