Transportation & Grant Specialist

About the role

The Transportation & Grant Specialist manages the full lifecycle of federal, state, and local transportation grants for the University of New Hampshire's transit organization. This position oversees a portfolio of approximately 16 active Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants totaling $17 million, ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations, including FTA requirements and OMB Uniform Guidance.

The role coordinates closely with planning, operations, finance, procurement, and external oversight agencies to develop grant-ready projects, monitor financial activity, and secure ongoing funding to support transit operations, capital projects, and mobility initiatives.

The Specialist also serves as the primary liaison during audits, reviews, and regulatory monitoring, while advancing funding strategies and program development to support UNH Transportation Services.

Duties/Responsibilities

Grant Program Development & Management (40%)

• Research, identify, and recommend federal, state, and local grant opportunities aligned with the organization's transportation priorities.
• Proactively pursue new funding to support transit operations, capital projects, and mobility initiatives.
• Prepare, review, and submit grant applications including narratives, budgets, scopes of work, and certifications.
• Coordinate with internal departments to develop grant-ready projects and track progress, deadlines, amendments, and drawdowns.
• Oversee administration, reporting, modifications, and closeout of 16 active FTA grants totaling $17 million, including all reports and documentation
• Interpret and apply federal regulations including FTA circulars and OMB Uniform Guidance.
• Serve as primary point of contact during audits, triennial reviews, and external oversight evaluations; maintain audit-ready documentation

Transit Operations Support, Financial Coordination & Compliance

• Integrate grant-funded projects into operating and capital budgets in coordination with finance and planning.
• Monitor and reconcile expenditures, cash flow, reimbursement requests, procurement actions, and cost allocations to ensure compliance.
• Prepare required financial and programmatic reports for leadership, board committees, and grant agencies.
• Assist with the development of high-level reports, presentations, and performance summaries related to transit operations, funding, ridership, and program outcomes.
• Support ongoing compliance with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) program requirements, including maintaining documentation, coordinating reporting activities, and assisting with audits and regulatory reviews.
• Serve as a key point of contact for Transit technology systems, including computer-aided dispatch/automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL), automated bus annunciation, and digital bus and shelter signage systems, coordinating with vendors and internal stakeholders to support system functionality and issue resolution.
• Support transit data management activities, including data collection, validation, organization, and reporting to promote data accuracy, regulatory compliance, and informed operational decision-making.
• Coordinate with Transit operations, finance, procurement, and technology partners to support program implementation, resolve operational issues, and maintain effective administrative processes.

Stakeholder Coordination, Policy Development & Continuous Improvement

• Serve as liaison with funding agencies, state DOT, regional planning organizations, and internal/external project partners.
• Coordinate project milestones, deliverables, and timelines to ensure alignment with grant requirements.
• Develop and update policies, procedures, and workflows for effective grant administration and compliance.
• Recommend process improvements and remain informed about evolving regulations, legislation, and funding opportunities.

Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of five years of experience in grant management, preferably within a transit or transportation environment, including federal grant programs.
• Experience in budget development/monitoring, financial analysis, procurement, and project management.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• General understanding of grant funding, including federal and state funding sources, compliance requirements, and grant administration processes, preferably within a transit or transportation environment.
• Proficiency in data management, interpretation, and reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to simplify complex regulatory and financial information.
• High level of organization and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple grants, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with external stakeholders while managing responsibilities independently.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field.
• Experience in grant management, preferably within a transit or transportation environment, including federal grant programs.
• Experience with transit operations or capital project management.
• Prior experience in audit or compliance environments involving federal funding.
• Familiarity with regional transportation planning and metropolitan mobility funding processes.
• CDL or ability to obtain CDL preferred

Applicant Instructions

Applicants should be prepared to upload the following documents when applying online within the My Experience: Resume/CV section of the application: (Maximum of 5 Documents - additional documents can be added to the Application Questions section of the application)

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter

Additional information

Applications that are missing any of the required items may not move forward for consideration. Additional uploaded documents not requested in the position announcement will not be reviewed.

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire's lakes and mountains.

There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

Compensation Pay Range

$47,920.00 - $85,410.00

The pay range for this position is listed above. Actual offer will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity, in addition to relevant business considerations. More information on benefits can be found here: USNH Employee Benefits | Human Resources

Location: Durham