Job Description: Grants Manager
Organizational Overview
Founded in Chelsea, Massachusetts in 1988, Roca’s mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty
and incarceration by helping young people transform their lives.
Our evidence based Intervention Model engages the highest risk, 17-24 year old young
people in a long term process of behavior change and skill building opportunities. With
two years of intensive engagement and two years of less intensive follow-up, Roca’s
Intervention Model provides a robust combination of services, including relentless street
outreach, data driven case management, stage based education and employment training.
We focus our efforts on two groups of very high risk young people: young men trapped in
cycles of crime and incarceration and young mothers with a multitude of risk factors.
Ultimately, our goals for these young people is to help them get off the streets, reduce their
involvement in crime and, stay out of jail, get jobs, and become better parents and better
community members.
Understanding that we cannot and should not do this work alone, Roca partners with an
important array of leaders and institutions from the criminal justice field, government,
social service sector and business, to create system improvements in the way our society
responds to the these young people and the crises and trauma that affects their lives.
Roca’s Intervention Model is a cognitive‐restructuring and skills development intervention that
was developed and implemented to address the high‐risk, underserved population of 17‐24
males who are either: 1) aging out of the juvenile justice or juvenile probation systems with a
strong propensity for reincarceration as an adult; 2) connected with the adult justice system; or
3) are high‐risk members of the community being served who have a strong propensity for
incarceration as an adult. Our goals are to avert continued or future incarceration, help young
people stay out of jail, and to help young men develop the skills they need to succeed and stay
at work. Roca also works with young mothers in Chelsea, Revere and East Boston. The
programming includes the Healthy Families Home Visiting Program and a pilot project for high
risk young mothers.
Roca has recently expanded and is now providing services to young men in the following
communities: Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge, Charlestown, East Boston, Everett, Lynn,
Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville, Winthrop, Agawam, Chicopee, East Longmeadow,
Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Springfield, West Springfield and Westfield. Roca is also
planning for its first out of state replication and a process for long term scale and impact.
At 27 years old, Roca is honored and excited to be the service provider for the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ first and largest pay for success project – designed to
avert future incarceration of high risk young men who have been involved with the
criminal justice system. This project is one of the first three in the country and the largest
to date; Roca will serve 929 young men though the pay for success initiative!
Roca has a strong organizational culture where learning, personal experience, leading with
values, and having deep faith are essential to achieve bold goals with disenfranchised
young people. Roca helps young people to change their behavior and shift the trajectories
of their lives to move toward the outcomes of economic independence and living out of
harm’s way.
Position Overview
The Grants Manager will oversee the quality and frequency of grant fundraising at Roca.
Initial responsibilities include: oversight of grant submissions, cultivation and stewardship of
private foundation relations, oversight and coordination of all grants reporting. Under the
supervision of the Chief Strategy Officer, the Grants Manager will serve as the primary grant
writer for the organization and will oversee the strategy, voice, and pitch of federal, state, and
private foundation fundraising. Excellent writing skills are a requirement for this position.
This position has the potential for long term growth and expansion at Roca.
Responsibilities
Grant management responsibilities:
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Write and supervise writing of all proposals, budgets, reports, and other ancillary
materials
Write, edit, and oversee the quality of grant boilerplates
Assist in developing grant budgets and support financial reporting in conjunction with
Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Research and generate proposals for unique projects and programs
Regularly review each program’s budgetary needs and adjust grant writing efforts
accordingly
Monitor the grants work list and tracking systems, assigning new grants to grant
writers as appropriate, planning pitch and ask amount
Work one-on-one with grant writers as necessary to refine grant language and develop
unique proposals
Work with program staff to ensure that each project or program is meeting proposal
conditions and expectations
Develop and prioritize projects and proposals: meet and work with staff to identify areas
that need support
Work with Roca team on fundraising for expansion within the Commonwealth and to
other states
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Develop and foster relationships with funders; find personal connections with staff
and/or board that will ensure attention given to funding requests
Ensure that each team member is conducting regular foundation follow-up and outreach
is happening; seek out feedback on declined requests
Monitor and manage monthly and annual targets for grant fundraising and deliverables
Lead weekly meetings with grant writers, reviewing prospective grants, pitch and
grant-writing strategy
Arrange and lead foundation site visits
Assist with other fundraising projects as needed
Qualifications include: The successful candidate for this position will have the following
qualifications:
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5-10 years of professional development experience with progressive responsibility, and
master’s degree or equivalent experience
Extensive experience with development communications, e.g. proposal writing, pitch
writing, etc.
Demonstrated ability to craft strategic proposals that clearly elucidate organizational
goals and vision
Experience in developing and understanding grant budgets and in reporting on those
budgets
Experience with fundraising campaigns, capital campaigns, and fundraising planning
Excellent written and oral communication skills, organizational skills, and time
management
Demonstrated capacity to lead and work with a team, board members, heads of
foundations, and partners for fundraising (as well as political acumen)
Experience within the human services field, in particular high-risk populations
Demonstrates integrity, strives for excellence in one’s work, and a sense of humor
Strong organizational and time management skills, i.e. ability to
implement/monitor/maintain a range of systems.
Relentless commitment to helping high-risk young people change their lives
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team.
Experience working with multicultural programming.
High personal level of motivation, desire to learn, and willingness to accept feedback.
Understanding and knowledge of youth and community development programming.
Commitment to and understanding of Roca’s Mission, Vision and Core Values.
Requirements for the position:
 Travel around the State
 Working with diverse cultures
 Valid MA Driver’s License
In addition, the ideal candidate for this position will be a trustworthy decision-maker.
He/she will have a sense of humor, feel passionate and committed to direct work with high
risk youth, and demonstrate interest in coaching and supporting coworkers. Bilingual
(English/Spanish) is preferred but not required.
To Apply: Please email a thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience
meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, and
resume (both in Word format) to Roca at HR@rocainc.com, subject line “Grants Manager.”
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Roca is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.