Grants Specialist

Job Title - Grants Specialist

Company - Zero To One Strategic

Location - Remote, Canada-based

Position Type - Full-time

Start date - Immediate

Salary - $75,000 - $80,000 / yr

About Us

Zero To One Strategic is a specialized consultancy that helps innovative companies maximize revenue from Canadian R&D and innovation programs. We work with startups and scale-ups across multiple sectors and take a long-term, outcomes-driven approach to non-dilutive funding, including grants, subsidies, and tax credits.

The Grants team works closely with founders and technical leaders to design and execute integrated funding strategies that support R&D, commercialization, and scale. To date, we have helped clients secure millions of dollars in non-dilutive funding and continue to grow as demand increases. We support clients end-to-end, from identifying and matching to the right funding opportunities, through grant writing and submission, to post-award support, delivering a well-rounded, non-dilutive funding experience. 

We operate in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and are passionate about supporting Canadian innovation and entrepreneurship. Our team works across disciplines and in close partnership with founders to help translate key milestones, technical ideas, and growth plans into funded, scalable outcomes. We look for team members who are equally excited to work alongside founders to help bring ambitious ideas to life.

Position Overview

We are looking for a Grants Specialist to manage and execute grant strategies across a large portfolio of active clients. This role is focused on client management, opportunity oversight, and ownership of funding outcomes, rather than grant writing alone.

You will be responsible for managing 50+ client accounts, staying ahead of new and existing funding opportunities, coordinating contractors and internal resources, communicating with funding agencies, reviewing and editing submissions, and ensuring applications are delivered on time and to a high standard.

This is an integral role on our Grants team and is well-suited to someone who is highly organized, tech-savvy, comfortable operating at scale, and confident managing multiple stakeholders simultaneously.

Key Responsibilities

Client / Portfolio Management

• Own a portfolio of 50+ active clients with ongoing grant strategies
• Serve as the primary point of coordination for grant related work
• Work directly with founders and their leadership teams to translate business priorities, projects, and technical roadmaps into fundable grant strategies
• Ensure clients are informed of relevant opportunities and timelines
• Manage active, submitted, and awarded opportunities through to final outcome & reporting

Grants Opportunity Management

• Monitor federal and provincial funding programs relevant to assigned clients
• Assess eligibility, effort, timing, and likelihood of success
• Advise clients on which opportunities to pursue or deprioritize based on eligibility, past success, etc.
• Maintain visibility across the full grants pipeline for each client
• Proactively flag risks, dependencies, and resourcing needs

Contractor and Workflow Management

• Coordinate internal and external grant writers and subject matter experts
• Provide clear briefs, context, and deadlines
• Review, edit, and quality check all submissions before final delivery
• Ensure alignment with client positioning and funder requirements
• Collaborate closely with Customer Success, SR&ED, and other internal teams to ensure a well-rounded, client-first funding experience.

Writing Support

• Contribute to writing full applications, where appropriate
• Edit and strengthen drafts written by others for QC, clarity, compliance, and impact
• Use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude to support research and drafting with strong human oversight

Process, Documentation, and Follow Up

• Track deadlines, submission status, and outcomes across your portfolio
• Maintain accurate records and documentation
• Support post submission follow ups and funder questions

Qualifications

• Two or more years of experience in grants, funding advisory, or related roles
• Experience managing a high volume of clients or projects simultaneously
• Strong editing, review and QC skills
• Solid understanding of Canadian government funding programs (e.g., federal, provincial, municipal, sector-specific)
• Tech-savvy and comfortable using tools such as G Suite, CRM platforms (e.g., HubSpot), and modern AI-assisted productivity tools
• Excellent organization and time management skills
• Clear and professional written and verbal communication
• English and French speaking skills are required
• Experience working with startups or scale-ups is a strong plus
• Exposure to software, AI, med tech, cleantech, or advanced manufacturing is beneficial
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced consulting environment with evolving priorities
• Experience working with startups or scale-ups is a strong asset

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive full-time salary based on experience
• Remote first work environment
• Opportunities for growth as the grants function scales
• Work closely with a senior team in the innovation funding space