Director, Grants Management

About the role

The Simons Foundation seeks a Director of Grants Management to provide strategic leadership across all grants administration functions, including continuous system and workflow improvements to both the pre- and post-award grantmaking processes. The Director will work closely with the Vice President of Grants Management and provide grant administration support to The Simons Foundation International.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the Grants Managers and their grant portfolios, including their output and their team's success
• Supervise and mentor Grants Managers and their direct reports, leveraging project management, continuous learning, and cross-functional team techniques to achieve shared goals
• Streamline grant operations across the funding divisions at SF
• Oversee grantmaking timelines and workflows to ensure internal equity and that program goals and deadlines are met
• Review and approve requests for applications (RFAs), award letters, award modifications, and financial statements submitted by the Grants Managers
• Develop metrics to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative outputs of the foundation and its funding divisions, and presents findings to senior leadership as requested
• Facilitate relationships internally and externally to ensure program compliance with SF and SFI policies and procedures
• Serve as the business owner of the Simons Award Manager (SAM), built on the SmartSimple platform, the online tool for pre- and post-award grants management
• Supervise the Senior Systems Manager who oversees the SAM
• Accountable for the Senior Systems Manager's output and the SAM team's success
• Review and approve all technical assistance requests for internal and external stakeholders
• Serve as a point of escalation for the SAM team when new configuration requests may conflict with existing decisions across award types or funding divisions
• Ensure SOPs related to SAM are developed and maintained
• Manage SAM enhancements and upgrades to support efficient grant operations
• Collaborate with the Chief Technology Officer, Vice President of Business Technology, the Vice President of Grants, the SAM team, and Grant Managers to foster the continuous improvement of SAM to meet SF and SFI needs
• Lead the development, implementation, and oversight of grants management strategy to optimize operational efficiency and ensure alignment with organizational mission
• Identify and develop process improvement initiatives in collaboration with the Vice President as the foundation's needs evolve
• Collaborate with the Vice President to build and maintain a robust data and analytics program that delivers timely, relevant reporting to stakeholders across the organization
• Build and maintain relationships with SF and SFI senior leadership to inform grants management strategy and ensure visibility into departmental initiatives and priorities
• Stay current within the field of grant-making to ensure that SF and SFI follow proven best practices
• Build relationships with peer grant-making organizations and sponsored project personnel to assess grantee capabilities and the sustainability of SF and SFI policies and processes
• Promote SAM and the SmartSimple platform to other peer foundations and grant professionals
• Partner with legal and finance to develop grant agreements, exercise expenditure responsibility, and ensure international grantmaking compliance
• Ensure SAM and department practices support audit readiness across all grant portfolios

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in nonprofit management, public administration, business, or a related field preferred
• At least 10 to 15 years of progressively responsible experience in grants administration, preferably at a private foundation or comparable research-focused organization
• Demonstrated people management experience, including supervision of professional staff
• Hands-on experience with SmartSimple is preferred, including the ability to provide technical direction and perform basic configuration; experience managing or overseeing a SmartSimple implementation is ideal
• Deep familiarity with the full grant lifecycle, including the online application and scientific peer review process, pre-award due diligence, award execution, compliance monitoring, financial oversight, US laws, and IRS rules and regulations applicable to private foundation grantmaking

Skills

• Ability to manage, develop, and empower a high-performing team while balancing multiple competing priorities
• Strong analytical skills; ability to design and interpret reporting to inform operational decisions
• Strong technical acumen, with the ability to provide technical direction to the SAM team and perform basic system configuration in SmartSimple/SAM
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to engage senior leadership and external stakeholders
• Proficiency in Excel; familiarity with Artificial Intelligence (AI), data visualization, and reporting tools is a plus
• Sound judgment, adaptability, and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment

Benefits

The Simons Foundation provides employees with an outstanding benefits package.

Pay

The full-time annual compensation range for this position is $175,000 to $200,000, depending on experience and qualifications.