Federal Grant Program Officer

Are you seeking a new and challenging opportunity where you can apply your grants management, leadership and policy experience and make a significant impact on the State of Wisconsin?

Apply today to the Federal Program Officer (DOT Officer - Career Executive) where you will oversee the department's federal discretionary grant program

This full-time permanent Career Executive position is located within the Division of Business Management, Department of Transportation. This position offers a hybridized work schedule. The individual hired will be headquartered at and required to work from the Hill Farms State Office Building on the near west side of Madison at least 2 days per week. All employees are expected to telework from within the State of Wisconsin. This topic will be discussed more at the time of the interview.

WisDOT is a great place to work In addition to meaningful and rewarding work, we offer a competitive benefits package featuring:

• Substantial leave time including at least 3.5 weeks of paid leave time to start, 9 paid holidays, and 130 hours of sick time that roll over each year.
• Excellent and affordable health, vision, and dental benefits (health plan options start at just $49/month for single plans and $122/month for family plans after two months of employment)
• A casual office atmosphere, flexible work schedules, and telework options depending on the position's requirements
• An exceptional pension plan with employer match and lifetime retirement payment, plus an optional tax advantaged 457 retirement savings plan
• Well Wisconsin Wellness Program
• A free and confidential employee assistance program that offers employees and their immediate family dependents a variety of tools, resources, and professional consultation services to support their health, goals, and overall well-being
• Use this Total Rewards Calculator to see the total value of our competitive benefits package

In addition to our generous employee benefits, we strive for inclusivity and celebrate different religious holidays and cultural observances and provide flexibility for utilizing paid time off for such celebrations. For more information on WisDOT you can visit our website by clicking here.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is an organization dedicated to creating transportation solutions through innovation and exceptional service. We are committed to fostering an environment rooted in Integrity, Diversity, Excellence, and Accountability. Click here to learn more about how we apply these values in our work.

The successful applicant in this position will provide leadership and function as a key policy advisor with responsibility for managing the department's federal discretionary grant program; This position will guide the department through the process of evaluating various grant opportunities, as well as developing grant proposals. The grant programs will be solicited, reviewed, and awarded by US DOT through a national competitive process. Demand greatly exceeds the funds available for these programs, so a high-quality application process is the key to a successful award.

This management position will coordinate the identification of viable grant programs, eligible Wisconsin projects and grant application development. Coordination would be internal (WisDOT staff) and external (USDOT staff, consultants, business partners) as needed. The Federal Program Officer will also be responsible for the development of a tracking process and oversee the reporting of applications and successful awards. In addition, the manager will continuously review and make recommendations for improvement in WisDOT's grants process to increase opportunities for success. The successful applicant will also work with WisDOT's public affairs team to develop and maintain communication materials.

This position is in schedule-range with an annual salary of $93,600 - $111,092 (or $45 - $53.41 per hour) plus excellent benefits. A 2-year career executive trial period is required. Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the Wisconsin State Compensation Plan.

This position will require infrequent travel within the State of Wisconsin as well as outside of the State for business purposes.

WisDOT does not sponsor work visas. Any appointment made will be contingent on the applicant being able to prove valid status to work in the United States. WisDOT is not an E-Verify employer.

Prior to any appointments for position(s) filled from this announcement, candidates may be subject to a comprehensive criminal background check which may include FBI fingerprinting.

Qualified applicants must detail having experience in all of the following:

• Working with others within the grant acquisition process to review grants, analyze criteria, apply funds, etc.
• Grant experience (i.e. development and implementation of grant awards, development of application forms, analysis of applications, communication with involved staff, etc.)
• Coordinating with and making recommendations to leadership, program managers, internal/external business partners/etc.
• Researching and analyzing state and/or federal programs
• Project management

In addition to having experience in all of the above criteria, well qualified applicants will also have experience with one or more of the following:

• Working with transportation related grants
• Developing and implementing a new grant-based program based on federal, state or other official guidelines
• Creating efficiencies related to grant application management and monitoring
• Developing policies and procedures related to grants, grant funding, or grant related implementation
• Managing consultant contracts

Apply online To apply, click "Apply for Job" to start the application process. Then, you will access your existing account or to create a new account if you don't have an account. Once you are logged in, click "Apply for Job." Follow the steps outlined in the application process and submit your application.

Your application materials are very important parts of your application and are used during our evaluation process to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. For instructions on how to develop and what should be included in these materials, click here. For more information on the basics of the selection process and how the State of WI ensures fair and equitable treatment of all applicants, click here. The vast majority of applicants are able to outline their background and experience in their resume in 1-3 pages. Any resumes submitted with more than 3 pages will not be considered after page 3. If this job posting requires a letter of qualifications, the same limit applies.

Current Wisconsin state employees with Career Executive status need only apply with a resume and letter of qualifications submitted directly to Vicki Kaul at

The State of Wisconsin offers a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment {HYPERLINK page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program.

Submitted materials will be evaluated by a panel of job experts and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. For general user information and application technical assistance, please see the Frequently Asked Questions page. Questions related to obtaining the job description can be directed to Vicki Kaul at or

All application materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. CST on November 4th, 2025.