Grants & University Chairs Manager – The Jarislowsky Foundation

The Jarislowsky Foundation

Located in Montreal, the Jarislowsky Foundation was created in 1991, and provides grants to charitable initiatives across Canada. Our mission is to promote, support, and foster excellence and ethics in the areas of education, medicine, the arts and the environment. The Jarislowsky Foundation has endowed fifty University Chairs across the country and supports more than 150 organizations annually through grantmaking.

Job Description

The Grants & University Chair Manager’s main responsibility will be to oversee the annual donations process from intake and processing of grants to monitoring, evaluation and reporting on impact to the Foundation’s Board. The Manager will also be responsible for coordinating and overseeing the annual review process for Jarislowsky University Chairs, with support from our Administrative Coordinator. We are looking for a new colleague who has experience and confidence, is creative and can adapt easily to change. The ideal candidate will be ethical, autonomous, have sound judgement, be organized, detail-oriented, and enjoy working inoffice, in a small, collaborative team.
This is a new position, and the responsibilities are likely to evolve over time.

Responsibilities

Annual Granting Process

• Lead the annual grants process from application review to due diligence and selection of grantees (including review of proposals, reports, financial statements and regular follow-up).
• Provide guidance and support to grantees throughout the grant lifecycle, ensuring compliance with funding requirements and objectives.
• Evaluate the effectiveness and impact of grants, making recommendations for continued development.
• Use the Foundation’s database management system, working with and supervising the Administrative Coordinator to ensure accurate and up-to-date records of grants, programs, and stakeholders while tracking metrics and generating reports as needed.
• Support Jarislowsky Foundation Board Members with sub-committee meetings and Board discretionary giving.
• Collaborate with other foundations on shared granting.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director and Director of Grants and Programs to develop board materials, presentations, proposal briefs and updates and outcome reports related to grants and programs.

University Chairs Coordination

• Oversee the management and coordination of annual committee meetings for Chairholders (including attending meetings, mandate renewal follow-ups, evaluating progress, and other correspondence as required).
• Foster relationships with Chairholders and institutional stakeholders to ensure alignment with the Foundation’s strategic objectives.
• Meet with institutions to discuss potential new Chairs and Chair-related granting, prepare recommendations for the Board and negotiate terms of agreement with institutional partners.

Skills & Qualifications

• A university degree is preferable, in a field relevant to the position.
• Five (5) years relevant experience and knowledge of philanthropy and the work of registered charities acquired from either working at a foundation or within fund development in the non-profit sector.
• Experience in administration, project management and budgeting skills.
• Excellent knowledge of spoken and written French and English are required.
• Experience working with universities is an asset.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office, especially Outlook, Word and Excel, and strong general IT skills.
• Demonstrated experience in using a database (Salesforce experience is a strong asset).
• Attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines and complete tasks in a timely manner.
• Proactive, resourceful team player, who can also work autonomously.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, strong integrity and discretion.

How to apply

This is a full-time position, with a minimum of 80% of the work being done in person, at our office in Montreal.
To apply for the Grants & University Chairs Manager position, please submit your CV and a cover letter in one document via email, detailing your relevant experience and why you are the ideal candidate. Please include the title of the position (Grants and University Chairs Manager) in the subject line of your email.

Email address for submission: hr@jarislowsky.ca

Deadline to submit: October 15, 2026.

Please note that the information we receive will be kept confidential. Only retained candidates will be contacted. We look forward to hearing what you can bring to the Foundation’s team!