Senior Program Officer - AmeriCorps (Contract/ Grant Manager)

BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTION: Volunteer Maine seeks a mission-driven professional to provide senior-level oversight and leadership of Volunteer Maine’s AmeriCorps portfolio, fostering a supportive, collaborative grantor–grantee relationship that balances accountability with responsive support and a shared commitment to program success. The position is responsible for the day-to-day administration of grants from pre-award through closeout and is responsible for contract development, compliance determinations, monitoring, documentation review, performance oversight, with portfolio oversight calibrated based on program risk, size, and organizational capacity. The position will provide supervisory oversight of the Grants Officer involved in the AmeriCorps grants compliance.

The position also leads core grantmaking processes in coordination with the Executive Director, including development of Requests for Applications (RFAs), management of competitive review processes, issuance and revision of grant agreements, and incorporation of annual federal and Commission policy updates. In this capacity, the position exercises substantial independent judgment in regulatory interpretation, allowability determinations, and risk assessment.

In addition to core administrative responsibilities, the role provides targeted technical assistance to strengthen grantee performance and reduce compliance risk. Technical assistance will be delivered in a manner that balances attentive listening, adaptability, and responsive support to grantees, rather than routine training delivery. The Senior Program Officer will also support the Executive Director in strengthening outreach and partnership strategies to grow participation in AmeriCorps programs.

Key Tasks:

• Oversee AmeriCorps grants from award through closeout, including contracts, amendments, documentation review, and compliance determinations.
• Perform risk assessments, lead desk and on-site monitoring, issue findings, and ensure corrective actions and audit readiness.
• Oversee staff involved in grant monitoring and compliance, including workload direction, review, and performance support.
• Develop RFAs, manage competitive review processes, analyze applications, and support issuance and revision of grant agreements.
• Provide technical assistance to grantees and collaborate with leadership on outreach strategy and AmeriCorps program development.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: An eight year combination of education, training, and or progressively responsible experience in procurement support, contract/grant compliance.

Preferred skills include the following:

• Experience managing federal or federally funded grants, particularly AmeriCorps or other national service programs.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal grant regulations, compliance requirements, and fiscal allowability standards.
• Experience conducting risk assessments, monitoring, and compliance reviews.
• Experience directly supervising staff, assigning work, reviewing performance, and building team capacity – ideally in grants, compliance, or program administration context.
• Ability to support grantees through responsive, adaptive technical assistance while maintaining accountability and strong working relationships in a regulatory setting.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders including nonprofits, educational institutions, municipalities, and community organizations.

View the full description and benefits on the State of Maine's website.