Grants Operations Associate

About Current AI

Founded at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February 2025, Current AI is a global, first-of-its-kind partnership of governments, philanthropists, researchers, grassroots builders, and industry leaders. Together we're catalyzing the movement for public-interest AI.

Most of the AI systems are controlled by a handful of private companies, leaving governments worried about AI sovereignty and millions of dependent users vulnerable to one policy change or geopolitical shift. We believe the solution is to build open and public technology infrastructure that serves people over profit.

Across the world, brilliant people are building AI that serves the public interest, but the work is fragmented. What's missing is strategic coordination at scale.

Technology companies operate with a unified roadmap and resources, giving them an advantage. Current AI exists to give public-interest technologists the same advantage by investing in the connective tissue among people and projects so that every effort is coordinated and amplified.

Role Overview

Current AI’s Programs Team is a small team building its programmatic work from the ground up. This newly created position will support the team in the set up of our Grant Management System and manage the day-to-day of our grant rounds and additional programmes: intake, review, due diligence, approval, contracting, and reporting. You will report to the VP Programs and work closely with the Program Manager, as well as other teams across Current AI. This multi-faceted role evolving with the grant lifecycle suits someone adaptable who wants breadth, cares about the people behind the projects we fund, and enjoys putting order into things that may not yet have any.

What you'll do

Your responsibilities will span the following areas evolving throughout the grant lifecycle and Current AI’s program strategy:

Program operations & processes (80%)

General program operations

Support the VP Programs in putting together proposals to run the grant programs within different modalities (including challenges, prizes, open calls, etc.)

Run operations and logistics required to manage run these grant programs

Grantmaking operations

Support the setup and management of intake forms, surveys and open calls

Support the operational side of grantee communications, ensuring a smooth and professional grantee experience throughout

Support due diligence: grantee financial, operational, programmatic and organizational fit

Manage grantmaking third-party providers as the case may be

Grant Management System (GMS)

Support the set up and day-to-day administration of Current AI's grant management system

Help configure and maintain workflows, pipelines, forms, and fields to reflect our grantmaking process

Keep grantmaking data accurate and up to date in the GMS

Act as a point of contact for team questions on the system, escalating issues to the GMS provider as needed

Support onboarding of new staff to the GMS and grants processes

Contracting & payments

Prepare grant agreements and contracts, and route them for signature, with support from our legal team

Collaborate with Current AI’s Operations team to track disbursement against contract terms and limits and support grantee payment processing

Manage grant-related contracts in compliance with our procurement policy

Data & monitoring

Create and manage dashboards to report on pipeline, portfolio, and funding flows

Prepare grants data for board meetings, funder reporting, and audits

Support the annual audit process from a grants operations perspective

Program content & relationship management (20%)

Grant rounds & review

Track and maintain our pipeline, keeping information accurate and current

Prepare recommendation materials for internal review and approval

Grantee relationships

Support grantees with reporting requirements and help troubleshoot issues as they come up

Support a smooth and professional experience for grantees from first contact through the life of the grant

Reporting & learnings

Help prepare grant and portfolio materials for senior leadership, board meetings, funder reporting, and the annual audit

Support the synthesis of grantee reports and learnings across the portfolio, tracking progress against milestones and outcomes and flagging risks or delays early

General programmatic support

Support the Programs team with document preparation, briefings, and materials as needed

What we're looking for

Essential Qualifications

2 to 5 years of experience, ideally in grants management, operations, or a similar role

At least Bachelor or equivalent in a relevant field

Experience with a grant management system

Careful with detail and critical thinking

Comfortable reviewing budgets, financial statements, and organizational documents

Fluent English and French, written and spoken

High discretion, you will handle confidential funder and grantee information

Comfortable in an organization that is still building its processes, where the answer is sometimes that there is no process yet

Interest in AI for public good projects and initiatives

Nice-to-haves

Experience in a nonprofit, foundation or grant-funded organization

Experience in a fast-paced startup environment

Experience with a range of donor types (governments, philanthropies, private sector) and grantee profiles, including different reporting and compliance requirements

An interest in using automation and AI tools to remove repetitive work

Character traits

We're looking for people who:

Put the mission before personal credit and work well in low-ego, highly collaborative teams

Exercise good judgment and integrity, including knowing when to push back or say no

Enjoy building from scratch and making progress with imperfect information

Have a bias to action - shipping useful things and helping others do the same

Are comfortable moving between strategy and hands-on execution as needed

Work effectively across cultures, time zones and disciplines comfortable in a distributed team

Believe AI can serve the public interest, and are willing to do the practical, hands-on work to make that true

How to apply

Please upload your resume and answer the prompt questions (no more than 500 words in total)

Equal opportunity commitment

Current AI is committed to ensuring equal access to employment and preventing all forms of discrimination. All applications will be reviewed fairly, without regard to origin, sex, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religious beliefs, views held, or any other criteria unrelated to professional qualifications. Selection will be based solely on skills, experience, and suitability for the role.

Current AI does not accept unsolicited applications from recruitment agencies with whom we do not have a signed agreement. Current AI will not be liable for any fees or commissions in the event that a candidate submitted in this manner is subsequently hired.