Grants Manager

About This Role

Managing grants for the North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven (NTB) transformation is the core of this interim/freelance role, leading the full grant lifecycle for eligible NTB projects. This includes identifying funding, assessing eligibility, preparing and submitting applications, and managing awards, reporting, and audits. The focus is on Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding at the EU level and BAFA programmes in Germany, supporting initiatives across terminal modernisation, electrification, energy efficiency, decarbonisation, infrastructure resilience, and sustainable transport.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an NTB grant funding roadmap aligned with terminal transformation, electrification, energy efficiency, decarbonisation, infrastructure, and sustainable transport priorities
• Monitor relevant EU and German funding cycles, with a primary focus on CEF and BAFA opportunities
• Lead end-to-end grant applications, including eligibility assessments, business case alignment, budget inputs, drafting, evidence gathering, stakeholder coordination, and submission
• Manage grant documentation, agreements, reporting obligations, payment requests, audit trails, change requests, and close-out activities
• Maintain grant governance covering decision gates, ownership, document control, risk tracking, and compliance monitoring
• Build effective relationships with funding bodies, public authorities, external advisors, and internal stakeholders throughout the funding lifecycle
• Ensure funding activities comply with applicable EU, German, APM Terminals, Maersk, and NTB governance requirements
• Translate funding rules and requirements into practical actions while maintaining accurate documentation and meeting formal deadlines

Requirements

• Continuous improvement mindset: curious about how work gets done and motivated to make meaningful, sustainable improvements over time
• Leadership expectation: consistently puts customers first, leads by example with respect for people, delivers results with integrity, and drives continuous improvement by solving problems at the root, developing people, and raising standards every day
• 5–7 years of experience in grant management, public funding, project finance, public administration, infrastructure funding, or a related field
• Proven experience preparing, submitting, and managing EU, German federal, infrastructure, energy, climate, transport, or industrial funding applications
• Strong understanding of CEF, BAFA, or comparable funding schemes, including eligibility, documentation, reporting, and audit requirements
• Strong financial understanding, including budgeting, cost eligibility, co-funding, payment milestones, and documentation requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, Law, Engineering, Sustainability, European Studies, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred