About Us
Lean Scaper is evolving the green industry through efficiency, growth, and innovation. Our mission is to empower 100,000+ landscaping professionals with lean systems, smart technology, and a shared community of knowledge and mentorship. Lean Scaper AI is powered by the Lean Scaper Operating System, the same framework used to scale one of North America’s Top 100 landscape companies. We believe in people-first success, leadership development, and operational excellence.
As we expand sustainability-driven initiatives across Canada and the USA, we are building strategic funding partnerships to accelerate impact.
Role Overview
We are seeking a proactive and strategic Grant Specialist to lead the identification, development, submission, and management of grant funding opportunities that support Lean Scaper's sustainability, workforce development, innovation, and industry advancement programs. Working closely with the CFO and Director of Accounting & Finance, this role will ensure compliance, build funder relationships, and help translate funding into measurable impact — directly enabling Lean Scaper to accelerate industry transformation across North America.
Key Responsibilities
1. Grant Pipeline Development
Identify relevant federal, provincial, and private grant opportunities across Canada (e.g., Innovation Canada, Can Export, SDTC, NRC-IRAP, and provincial/industry programs)
Build and maintain a prioritized grant pipeline in Lean Scaper's Grant Tracker, including statuses, deadlines, and owners
Apply Lean Scaper's Grant Opportunity Scorecard to assess eligibility, competitiveness, and ROI of each opportunity
Develop grant calendars and submission roadmaps, with internal deadlines set at least 2 weeks ahead of funder deadlines
Prepare and distribute a monthly Funding Opportunity Report to the leadership team
2. Proposal Development and Submission
Lead the end-to-end grant writing process
Collaborate cross-functionally with the CEO, Department Leads, and Product & Engineering team to gather program, financial, and impact data
Develop compelling narratives aligned with funder priorities and Lean Scaper's strategic objectives
Prepare budgets and financial justifications in collaboration with the CFO
Ensure all submissions are compliant, complete, and on time
3. Grant Management and Compliance
Track reporting deadlines, deliverables, and funder correspondence
Ensure compliance with grant terms, funding agreements, and audit requirements (7-year record retention)
Coordinate financial and impact reporting with CFO and assigned Project Leads
Ensure grant expenses are coded to dedicated accounts in ERP
Maintain audit-ready grant documentation
4. Budget and Financial Integration
Work with the Finance team to embed all approved grants into Lean Scaper's annual budgets and rolling forecasts
Support cash flow modeling for milestone-based disbursements
Contribute to monthly actual vs. budget tracking included in financial reports to the Executive Leadership Team
Track and report the funding impact per crew as a measure of added capacity or profitability
5. Impact Measurement and Reporting
Define measurable KPIs tied to each funded initiative
Build reporting frameworks for sustainability and workforce outcomes
Support development of impact reports and case studies
Translate grant outcomes into marketing and partnership stories that position Lean Scaper as a credible sustainability partner
6. Relationship Development
Build and maintain relationships with funding agencies, industry associations, and strategic partners
Represent Lean Scaper in funding-related meetings and information sessions
Support strategic partnership development aligned with grant funding opportunities
Qualifications
Required:
3+ years of experience in grant writing or grant management
Proven success securing Canadian government or institutional funding
Strong understanding of compliance and reporting requirements
Excellent writing and storytelling skills with the ability to craft persuasive, funder-facing proposals
Strong financial literacy and ability to interpret and build budgets
Exceptional organizational and project management skills
Proficiency with Notion, Google Drive, One Drive, Office 365 and AI tools
Preferred:
Experience with sustainability, climate, workforce development, or industry transformation programs
Familiarity with both Canadian and US funding systems
Experience with ESG, impact measurement, or outcomes-based reporting
Familiarity with ERP systems
Background working in startups or high-growth organizations
Competencies
Strategic thinker with operational discipline
Highly detail-oriented without losing big-picture alignment
Self-starter who thrives in ambiguity
Strong cross-functional collaborator
What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)
5+ relevant grant opportunities identified and entered into the pipeline
Submitted a slate of high-quality grant applications with a target ≥50% success rate
Secured funding aligned with Lean Scaper's strategic priorities
Average turnaround from opportunity identification to submission of ≤8 weeks
100% of approved grants embedded in budget, forecast, and monthly financial reporting
Built a repeatable grant management system with clear compliance and reporting frameworks
Positioned Lean Scaper as a credible sustainability and innovation funding partner
Role Type:
full-time contract or fractional (to start, with growth potential)
Why This Role Matters
This role will directly enable Lean Scaper to accelerate industry transformation, expand sustainability programming, and unlock scalable impact across North America. The Grant Specialist is a key strategic contributor — turning funding opportunities into real capacity for the landscaping professionals we serve.
