Grant Specialist- Parks Division

Full Job Description

Important Note: In addition to the current opening we seek to fill now, this recruitment may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to fill future Grant Specialist positions within the Parks Division during the next 6 months of the job closing date.

King County Parks is seeking a highly motivated Grant Specialist to join the Grant Operations and Administration Unit within the Community Investments Team.

King County Parks’ mission is to steward, enhance, and acquire parks to inspire healthy communities.

We work in close partnership with community organizations to expand access to parks, recreation, and open spaces for all King County residents—today and for generations to come.

About the Role:

This is an excellent opportunity to combine your passion for enhancing community access to parks and recreation with your strengths in organization, administrative support, analytic thinking, and systems and data management.

As a key member of the Community Investments Team, the Grant Specialist performs a wide range of grant administration and monitoring functions to support grantmaking, grant management, and grant closeout.

This role works closely with internal staff and external partners throughout the grant lifecycle and plays a critical role in ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant distribution of funding to community partners.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities while working collaboratively as part of a team.

Prior experience with grant management is helpful but not required- training and support will be provided. This is the first level within a three-level Grants classification series.

About the Team:

The Grant Specialist is part of the Grant Operations and Administration Unit within the Community Investments Team, a collaborative group dedicated to advancing equitable investments in parks, recreation, and open spaces across King County.

The Community Investments Team administers over $100 million in funding through a diverse portfolio of Parks grant programs, including:

• Youth Amateur Sports Grant (YASG)
• Healthy Communities and Parks Fund (HCPF)
• Parks Capital & Open Space Grants
• Aquatics Facilities Grant
• Open Space and River Corridors Grant
• Ballfield Preservation & Access
• Climate Resilience
• Get Active Stay Active (GASA)

Together, the team supports community partners in delivering projects that enhance access, equity, and environmental stewardship throughout the county.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world.

Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees.

In this role, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career at the Parks Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP).

Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities.

Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.

Requirements

What You Will Be Doing:

In this role, you will:

Grant Administration & Operations

• Review and process grant payment requests using Oracle E-Business Suite, coordinating with Finance to ensure timely payment.
• Track and reconcile grant payment data in Oracle and Foundant (grant management software); prepare reports as needed.
• Support grant administration activities, including fiscal and contract setup, preparing contract documentation, and ensuring required materials are complete, accurate, and timely.

Contract Compliance Monitoring

• Monitor grantee insurance compliance by reviewing insurance documentation for alignment with King County requirements.
• Assist with monitoring public access compliance, including reviewing documentation and coordinating with grantees and the Recorder’s Office.
• Assist with collecting required documentation from grant recipients and contractors.
• Analyze compliance issues and provide recommendations regarding violations of grant or contract provisions, policies, and procedures.

Additional Responsibilities

• Develop reports and presentations to support program operations.
• Follow up with grantees on pending action items and required documentation.
• Maintain organized files to support audit readiness and program accountability, etc

Qualifications

Qualifications You Bring:

• Demonstrated experience providing administrative, financial, contract, compliance, or program operations support in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong organizational, time management, and administrative skills.
• Research and analytical skills, including the ability to independently gather information and make recommendations.
• Experience managing multiple operational tasks, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word) and ability to learn new databases and software.

Competencies You Bring:

• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Manages Ambiguity: Operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Experience using grant, finance, or contract management systems and databases (such as Oracle E-Business Suite, Foundant, or comparable systems).
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion, and experience working collaboratively with teams or partners to support fair, accessible, and inclusive grantmaking or funding processes.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret financial information, program data, and documentation to support informed decisions and compliance.
• Familiarity with grant management principles and lifecycle processes, including application, contracting, monitoring, and closeout.

Additional Information

Working Conditions:

Work Location Details: The Grants Operations and Administration team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting.

The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104.

Other work locations may include King County Parks properties.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely.

The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment.

Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is covered under the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is not represented by a union.
• Duration: This recruitment aims to fill a Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position with an anticipated duration of 2 years. If the position is filled by a King County employee who has successfully completed their initial probation, they will be offered the role as a Special Duty Assignment.

Application and Selection Process:

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all background to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application (Please fill out your application as fully as possible. We cannot accept attached resumes (or "see resume") in lieu of the application section.)
• Resume
• Answers to Supplemental Questions (When applicable)

Note: Please note Cover Letters are not required and will not be reviewed if submitted.
Please be aware that other documents won't be considered or reviewed during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact: Divya Mathew at dmathew@kingcounty.gov

Discover More About King County Parks:
Learn more at www.kingcounty.gov/parks. And check us out on the socials at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vimeo.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our webs­ite, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News.

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce.

To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity.

Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards.

We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.