Grants & Strategic Funding Advisor

Cochrane is located in the breathtaking Bow Valley corridor in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta. With a population of over 37,000 people, and growing steadily every year, Cochrane is a thriving town, surrounded by world-famous ranch country. Our western heritage is reflected in the Town’s architecture and our friendly people. The Town of Cochrane welcomes innovative and skilled individuals to join our team of over 250 employees.

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking a Grants & Strategic Funding Advisor to serve as a key lead in securing external funding and providing strategic analysis within our Strategic Services section. This role is designed for a professional who can navigate the complexities of grant development while offering high-level advisory recommendations to inform senior leadership and Council.

As a key member of the Strategic Services team, you will identify and assess funding opportunities, ensuring they align with organizational priorities and long-term financial feasibility. If you are a collaborative leader with a sharp eye for legislative trends and a talent for building intergovernmental relationships, this is a unique opportunity to directly impact Cochrane’s growth and sustainability.

Why build your career with Cochrane?

Cochrane is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Canada, creating unique opportunities for professionals to influence how essential services are delivered. By joining our Strategic Services team you aren't just writing applications; you are building a strategic framework for the Town’s future.

As the Grants & Strategic Funding Advisor, your first year will involve high-impact initiatives including:

• Process Leadership: Establishing a structured intake and coordination process for all grant applications.
• Strategic Growth: Developing a comprehensive grants register and a proactive opportunity pipeline.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Conducting a departmental "roadshow" to map existing and potential funding opportunities across the organization.
• Visionary Planning: Beginning the development of a 3–5 year funding roadmap aligned directly to Council priorities.

 What are some of the duties of the Grants & Strategic Funding Advisor?

• Manage the full lifecycle of the grant process, from intake and development to submission and reporting compliance.
• Provide clear recommendations on whether to pursue or decline funding opportunities based on alignment with organizational priorities, feasibility, and financial risk.
• Build and maintain critical relationships with funding agencies, community organizations, and federal/provincial partners to strengthen awareness of upcoming opportunities.
• Conduct environmental scanning and research on government programs, legislation, and budgets to identify potential advocacy points and funding impacts.
• Work across departments to gather necessary project details and financial information to align upcoming capital and operational projects with funding cycles.
• Support departments in meeting all reporting, compliance, and audit requirements for awarded funds.
• Collaborate with departments to develop a proactive organizational grant strategy and maintain a centralized internal grants registry to coordinate funding efforts town-wide.
• Develop clear and persuasive business cases for funding opportunities, articulating the strategic rationale, financial implications, and organizational risks.
• Prepare and deliver presentations to confidently share complex policy information, funding trends, and strategic recommendations with senior leadership and Council

Qualifications, skills and abilities
 
Education and experience:
Required:

•  Post-secondary education in Public Administration, Political Science, Business, Communications, or a related field.
• Approximately 3–5 years of related experience in grant writing, development, or funding strategy, preferably in a public sector context.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.

Skills and abilities:
Required:

• Expert ability to develop clear, persuasive business cases and compelling grant applications with a high level of confidentiality and diplomacy.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex government policies, legislation, and budget decisions into practical organizational impacts and strategic recommendations.
• Exceptional coordination skills to manage timelines and multiple contributors while identifying funding risks, trade-offs, and resource implications.
• Demonstrated ability to build influential relationships across the organization and confidently present strategic information to senior leadership and Council.
• Sound judgment and the ability to work effectively with a moderate level of independence in an evolving environment.

Certifications, Licenses and/or Designations:
Required:

• A valid Alberta Class 5 Driver’s License

Cochrane is committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment for all employees, which means that everyone is responsible for health and safety. This means that you must take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of your colleagues, contractors, the public, and of course, yourself by following all relevant health and safety legislation and corporate policies.
 
Still interested? Here’s how to apply:

• Qualified individuals are encouraged to submit a resume detailing how their professional experience in funding strategy and grant development matches the required qualifications for this advisory role.
• All candidates will be requested to complete an online suitability survey.
• Applications for this position will be accepted until 9pm MST May 14,2026. Please apply at www.cochrane.ca/jobs
• The salary for this position is between $52.36/hr and $57.47/hr and is based on a 35-hour work week.
• To assess the core capabilities essential for success in this role, selected candidates will be required to complete a technical assessment during the initial screening phase. This exercise is designed to measure:
  
  • Written Communication
  • Strategic Thinking and Advisory Judgment
  • Financial Literacy
  • Risk Awareness

For candidates who advance to the formal interview round, this assessment will serve as a key discussion anchor. Following formal interviews, successful candidates will participate in a meet and greet with leaders from the Town.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All applicants must be legally entitled to live and work in Canada.

Land Acknowledgement 

In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.