Funding Requests Specialist at Gulf Coast… · Houston

Funding Requests Specialist

Location: Houston, Texas

About GCPD

The Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD) is a special-purpose district created by the Texas Legislature under S.B. 1160, 87th Regular Session, to serve as the non-federal sponsor for the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay (S2G) and Coastal Texas (CTX) coastal storm risk management projects. Partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a 65/35 federal-to-local cost-share, GCPD is responsible for managing nearly $1 billion in state appropriations and coordinating one of the largest coastal infrastructure programs in the nation, protecting millions of people and billions of dollars of assets along the Texas Gulf Coast.

GCPD is a small, high-impact organization with a lean professional staff. Every team member plays a meaningful role in delivering a historically significant public infrastructure program.

Position Summary

GCPD seeks a detail-oriented Funding Requests Specialist to manage the District's grant drawdown cycle, including preparation and submission of advance funding, reimbursement, and other funding request submissions under its cooperative funding agreements. This position ensures GCPD meets submittal deadlines and complies with applicable grant requirements governing eligible costs, supporting documentation, and reporting.

This is a highly deadline-driven role requiring precision, strong organizational discipline, and the judgment to flag documentation or eligibility issues before submission. The successful candidate will work closely with the CFO or designee to manage GCPD's grant funding cash flow and maintain a strong compliance record across all of the District's funding relationships.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Grant Drawdown and Reimbursement Processing

• Prepare and submit requests for funds, advance funding requests, and reimbursement requests in accordance with applicable cooperative funding agreement terms and submittal deadlines.
• Compile and organize supporting documentation for each grant drawdown submission, ensuring expenditures are properly coded, eligible, and audit-ready.
• Track submittal deadlines across multiple funding cycles and maintain a master calendar of grant reporting and drawdown dates.
• Coordinate with the Accounts Payable Specialist and Grant Accounting Manager to ensure expenditure data is finalized in time for each grant drawdown cycle.

Reconciliation and Cash Management

• Perform monthly reconciliation of advance funds received, costs incurred, and outstanding advance balances using GCPD's reconciliation templates.
• Monitor the timing gap between expenditures and reimbursement receipt, alerting the CFO or designee to potential cash flow issues.
• Maintain funding request workbooks and supporting schedules, ensuring figures tie to the general ledger and approved budget.
• Prepare periodic reporting on grant drawdown status, aging, and outstanding reimbursement balances for the CFO or designee.

Grant Compliance

• Maintain current working knowledge of applicable grant requirements, funding methodology, and submittal standards under the District's cooperative funding agreements.
• Monitor GCPD's compliance with applicable federal cost principles (2 CFR 200) and other grant requirements affecting eligible costs.
• Flag documentation gaps, eligibility questions, or submittal deadline risks well in advance of due dates.
• Support preparation of responses to funding partner inquiries, monitoring visits, or requests for additional documentation.

Reporting and Audit Support

• Maintain organized, audit-ready files for all grant drawdown submissions, reimbursements, and related correspondence.
• Support external auditors with documentation and reconciliations related to grant funding activity.
• Assist in preparing Board-level reporting on grant drawdown status and any compliance matters affecting cash flow.

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in grant accounting, grant drawdown processing, or governmental funding administration.
• Strong working knowledge of deadline-driven grant compliance processes and documentation standards.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including reconciliation and tracking workbooks.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational discipline; comfort managing multiple concurrent submittal deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience preparing requests for funds, advance funding requests, or grant drawdowns under a state or federal cooperative funding agreement.
• Familiarity with 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance) cost principles and other applicable grant requirements.
• Experience with cash flow forecasting or grant funding cycle management.
• Experience with Oracle NetSuite or similar ERP/grants management systems.

Core Competencies

Competency

Competency

Submittal deadline management and prioritization

Clear, proactive communication with funding partners

Grant compliance and cost eligibility review

Cash flow awareness and forecasting

Reconciliation and attention to detail

Audit readiness and documentation standards

Sound judgment on escalation timing

Adaptability in a small-team environment

Conditions of Employment

• Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a comprehensive background screening, including criminal history, employment verification, and education verification.
• Pursuant to Section 9502.0203(b), Texas Special District Local Laws Code, an individual may not be employed by the District if, within the preceding 24 months, the individual had an interest in, was employed by, or was affiliated with a person who submitted a bid or entered into a contract for a District project.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.
• Must maintain reliable transportation; occasional travel may be required.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Retirement benefits through TCDRS (Texas County and District Retirement System).
• Group life insurance.
• Paid holidays per fiscal year.
• Paid vacation and sick leave accruing from date of hire.
• Paid parental leave.
• Hybrid work schedule.
• Professional development and training opportunities.

How to Apply

Application can be found here. Inquiries should be sent to recruiting@gcpdtexas.com with the subject line "Funding Requests Specialist Application — [Your Name]:"

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. GCPD reserves the right to close the posting at any time once a qualified candidate pool has been established.

The Gulf Coast Protection District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. GCPD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.