Manager II, Grants & Institutional Giving

Job Summary

The Manager II, Grants and Institutional Giving, leads Goodwill of Colorado's grants program and is responsible for the strategy, management, and performance of the organization's foundation, corporate, and government grants portfolio.

Essential Functions

• Grants Strategy and Portfolio Leadership: Develop and execute the organization's comprehensive grants strategy. Manage a diverse portfolio of foundation, corporate, and government funders. Establish annual grant revenue goals and maintain a qualified grants pipeline sufficient to achieve organizational objectives. Evaluate funding opportunities and determine pursuit strategy based on organizational priorities, capacity, competitiveness, and return on investment. Collaborate with executive leadership to align grant opportunities with strategic initiatives, capital projects, and program growth. Monitor portfolio performance and recommend strategic adjustments as needed.

• Funder Cultivation and Relationship Management: Develop, cultivate, and steward relationships with foundation, corporate, and government funders. Represent Goodwill in meetings, site visits, conferences, and presentations. Coordinate cultivation strategies, stewardship activities, and recognition opportunities that strengthen long-term funder relationships. Identify opportunities to expand existing partnerships and secure new funding sources.

• Proposal Oversight and Grant Management: Establish proposal strategy, messaging, and competitive positioning for grant pursuits. Oversee all proposal development, providing direction, review, editing, and final approval of grant applications. Develop grant budgets in collaboration with Finance and Program leadership. Ensure proposals accurately reflect organizational priorities, financial requirements, and program outcomes. Approve final submissions and ensure compliance with all funder requirements. Oversee post-award administration, including grant agreements, payment tracking, reporting schedules, compliance monitoring, and budget oversight. Ensure timely submission of narrative and financial reports.

• Team Leadership and Operational Excellence: Supervise, coach, and develop the Grant Writer. Establish priorities, workflows, quality standards, and best practices for grant development and administration. Ensure accurate grant documentation and customer relationship management (CRM) management. Continuously improve grant processes, templates, and reporting systems. Foster collaboration across Program, Finance, Development, Marketing, and Executive leadership to support a high-performing grants program.

Qualifications

• Education: A Bachelors degree is preferred; or education and equivalent professional experience in lieu of degree.

• Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in grant development, institutional fundraising, or grants management, including foundation, corporate, and/or government funding. Demonstrated success securing and managing a diverse grants portfolio, including multiple six (6)-figure awards and multi-year funding opportunities. A minimum of two (2) years of experience managing the full grant lifecycle, including prospect research, cultivation, proposal development, budgeting, reporting, compliance, and stewardship. A minimum of one (1) year of experience supervising staff, consultants, interns, or volunteers, with demonstrated ability to manage workflows, priorities, and performance. Experience developing and monitoring grant revenue pipelines, forecasts, and funding strategies to achieve organizational goals. Demonstrated experience building relationships with internal departments and institutional funders, including foundations, corporations, and government agencies. Proficiency with grant prospecting tools, donor databases, CRM systems, and grant management software.

• Other: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex programmatic and financial information into compelling, funder-centered proposals. Strong project management, organizational, and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.