About TAF

TAF is a regional climate agency that invests in low-carbon solutions for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and helps scale them up for broad implementation. We are experienced leaders and collaborate with stakeholders in the private, public and non-profit sectors who have ideas and opportunities for reducing carbon emissions. We advance the most promising concepts by investing, providing grants, influencing policies and running programs. We’re particularly interested in ideas that offer benefits beyond carbon reduction such as improving people’s health, creating new green jobs, boosting urban resiliency, and contributing to a fair society.

Talk to our staff and they will tell you that working at TAF comes with amazing advantages. We’re on the leading edge of urban climate change solutions and our work makes a tangible difference. We build meaningful relationships with all kinds of stakeholders – from thought leaders advancing concepts to the people who implement change on the ground. Join our dedicated and collaborative team to contribute to the value and impact of our work.

Building an inclusive community with a shared purpose is critical to our work and mandate. We are Equalx30 signatories and believe that equity, diversity, and inclusion make climate action more just and effective. We believe that teams work best when they vary in background and approach, including diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other fascinating characteristics that make us different.

About you and the role:

TAF funds high impact climate solutions to promote low-carbon, equitable cities in the GTHA. As a grant-maker, we distribute $1-2 million per year. The Senior Grants Manager will magnify TAF’s impact by cultivating innovative and strategic grant projects, promoting effective and inclusive program design, and building and strengthening relationships with key community partners. 

We’re looking for someone who is driven by learning, curiosity, collaboration and results to lead the direction, promotion and day-to-day management of TAF’s grants program.  If you have experience running complex programs to deliver impactful outcomes, then we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll do:

Grant Program Design and Improvement

• Lead TAF’s overall grants strategy in response to key opportunity areas and emerging trends.

• Enhance TAF’s grants program through continuous improvement, drawing on philanthropic best practices and insights.

• Develop the capacity and skills of TAF grantees to improve project design and delivery.

• Lead special projects designed to improve the effectiveness and impact of TAF’s grants program. 

Grant Program Management and Reporting 

• Administer clear and efficient application, review and reporting processes for TAF’s grants program. 

• Provide timely and diplomatic responses to grant-seekers throughout the application and decision-making processes. 

• Support and facilitate the smooth functioning of TAF’s volunteer Grants and Programs Committee as the primary liaison.

• Utilize software tools (Salesforce, SharePoint, Slack, etc.) to manage information and relationships in support of effective and transparent program delivery.

• Capture and share outcomes and learnings of TAF-funded projects to maximize their impact.

• Oversee the grants-related tasks performed by the Office Co-ordinator and support their professional development.

Grant Cultivation  and Community Liaison

•  Lead the identification and advancement of high impact granting opportunities by fostering long-term relationships with community collaborators, evaluating project concepts, consulting with stakeholders to develop effective approaches, and articulating the grant-making rationale to TAF’s Committee and Board. 

• Collaborate with TAF program leads to develop and manage targeted calls for grant proposals to advance strategic priorities. 

• Pursue collaborative funding opportunities with other grant-makers to maximize impact.

Community Liaison and Advisory

• Lead the identification and advancement of high impact granting opportunities with community collaborators

• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with  community groups in the GTHA. 

• Support grant-seekers during project development, application, and project implementation phases, and effectively rally other TAF staff involved in this task. 

• Pursue collaborative funding opportunities with other grant-makers to maximize impact.

• Represent TAF in the community with excellence and in a manner consistent with TAF’s professional standards and reputation as a rigorous and collaborative grant-maker. 

The kind of skills and experience we’re looking for:

• At least five years’ experience managing complex, multi-year programs or projects, including planning, implementation, and evaluation.  Prior experience managing a grants program is an asset

• Post-secondary education in a relevant field or equivalent work experience. 

• Strong working knowledge of (and lots of passion for) urban climate solutions and concepts including technical, policy and behaviour change approaches. 

• Proven expertise in stakeholder relations, managing diverse community stakeholders.

• Exceptional critical thinking and strategic planning abilities.  

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for professional and effective communication, including public speaking to a wide range of audiences.

• Strong organizational, administrative, and problem-solving skills. 

• Ability to exercise mature judgement, initiative, diplomacy and tact. 

• Familiarity with social innovation approaches (e.g., partnership brokering, design thinking, developmental evaluation) for improving outcomes.

• Natural curiosity and aptitude for learning new concepts and processes. 

• Ability to manage uncertainty, adapt to quickly changing circumstances and pursue new opportunities and as needed. 

• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint Word). Familiarity with SalesForce an asset.

What’s in it for you:

In addition to your salary, you'll benefit from:

• Paid time off:

  • 15 vacation days per year to start.

  • A generous and compassionate personal leave policy.

  • TAF-wide office closures on 13 City-designated and statutory holidays (includes Easter Monday, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day), as well as the week between Boxing Day and New Years’ Day.

• Comprehensive employer-paid extended health, vision, dental, life insurance and long-term disability benefits package after successful completion of your three-month probationary period.

• Contribution to your retirement savings plan after three months of employment.

• Supplies for your virtual office setup, including hardware and a monthly stipend for internet and other expenses.

• Access to financial support and time off to pursue relevant professional development.

The Intangible Stuff:

• In consultation with your supervisor, flexible work hours and remote work options.

• Work that directly helps to reduce carbon emissions and improve health, create new green jobs, boost urban resiliency, and contribute to a fairer and more just GTHA.

• Staff socials and lunches, picnics, and many other activities.

• Team-wide trainings and learning.

• Input to and participation in TAF’s annual and strategic planning.

• A work environment that’s seeking to be open and inclusive, supported by a staff-led Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Working Group

Next steps:

Start your application by clicking on the yellow button on the top right of this page.

You’ll upload your resume (no cover letter is required) and answer some questions that are related to your relevant experience and day-to-day job. You don't need to do it all in one sitting; you'll get direct link and will be able to come back and edit until you click submit. After the job closes, your answers will go through our de-biased sift process: all answers will be anonymized, randomised and then scored by members of our team. Responses will be screened for AI-generated content (e.g. ChatGPT), and candidates who use these tools may be disqualified.

If your responses to the questions score in the top 10% of applicants, we’ll review your resume. We use this step to confirm that you meet our minimum requirements for the role, but place more value on your responses to our sift questions than your on-paper qualifications.

If you are shortlisted, we’ll invite you join us for an in-person interview at our Toronto office (virtual interviews can be accommodated on request). After that, a few top candidates will be invited to participate in a second interview. In the final stage we will connect with your professional references.

Depending on the volume and quality of applications received, we may add an additional step to our process. We anticipate it will take about six weeks from the job posting closing date to making a hiring decision. Whether you are successful or not, you will hear back from us once the process is complete.