Research and Policy Director of Grants Management
Job Description
OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION
The Director of Grants Management manages the full grant lifecycle for SCORE’s philanthropic investments. A core part of this work is developing grant proposals, writing grant reports and updates, and creating other communications to convey the impact of SCORE’s work across initiatives, aligned with the organization’s strategy. This individual implements key development and grants management processes and provides support on grants management for a portfolio of strategic investments. In these ways, this individual strengthens trust-based relationships with current and prospective funding partners to ensure SCORE has the resources to execute on its mission.
This individual engages regularly with SCORE’s finance team to monitor grant spending and develop reports. The Director of Grants also engages regularly with SCORE’s programmatic teams, members of SCORE’s leadership team, and external partners to monitor progress on grant commitments and to effectively champion evidence of impact across the organization’s work. This role also serves as a nexus between SCORE’s finance, operations, and programmatic teams.
The Director of Grants engages regularly with SCORE’s leadership team and programmatic teams as well as external partners to ensure SCORE grant portfolio management is aligned with funder goals and SCORE’s key priorities and strategy. The Director of Grants supervises the organization’s Grants Manager and leverages external consulting support as needed.
The successful candidate must bring a learning mindset and a personal commitment to student-focused education policy and driving success for all students across Tennessee.
ABOUT SCORE
“The progress that our students have made in recent years is inspiring — there is no doubt that they are capable of achieving at high levels and leading Tennessee into a bright future. While education stakeholders are already working together in exciting ways in Tennessee, it is our responsibility to redouble our innovative efforts to ensure that we are supporting our students to truly excel and thrive. The future of our state depends on it.”
– Senator Bill Frist, Chairman and Founder, SCORE
Tennessee has been making significant progress in advancing a bold education reform plan over the last decade and is now a leader in the nation in dramatically improving student achievement. Tennessee is among the fastest improving states for student achievement according to the Nation’s Report Card.
While Tennessee has made significant gains, there is much still to do — in public K-12 education, in college and career readiness, and in postsecondary completion. The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) plays a critical role in advancing student achievement, aligning K-12 and postsecondary, and ensuring that all students can achieve career and life success. We work to monitor statewide progress in support of a prioritized agenda that drives collaboration across the state on policy while generating proof points and providing targeted support for implementation across the state.
SCORE is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization founded by former US Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and is dedicated to the goal that that all students can achieve success in college, career, and life. SCORE supports student success in public schools across Tennessee by ensuring all schools and systems meet high expectations; preparing, recruiting, supporting, and retaining excellent teachers and leaders; and aligning K-12 and college with career and life success.
SCORE is based at Vanderbilt University’s John Seigenthaler Center. This role is eligible for hybrid work with the expectation of 15-20 hours per week in the office and the balance remote. For more information on SCORE, please visit www.tnscore.org.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop philanthropic-facing grant reports and proposals focused on building and sustaining SCORE’s relationships, partnerships, and investments with the organization’s funders.
- Monitor and meet deadlines for grant reports and communication, ensuring the organization is meeting donor reporting requirements.
- Collaborate with the Director of Finance to develop grant budgets and financial reports and collaboratively monitor the expenses connected to grants and strategic investments.
- Manage and coach a Grants Manager to execute on grants management and grants support functions.
- Collaborate with SCORE’s leadership team to support the organization’s development strategy, including:
- Tracking prospective funding partners and opportunities
- Conducting prospect research
- Planning for grant renewals
- Preparing presentation materials for donor engagements
- Support SCORE’s donor stewardship, including:
- Maintaining deep knowledge of donor interests and priorities
- Drafting personalized communications for donors that are reflective of their interests
- Developing acknowledgement letters and pledge reminders
- Tracking donor touchpoints
- Partner with SCORE’s Senior Director of Impact to support the full lifecycle of SCORE’s strategic investments — both subgrants and fiscal sponsorship projects. This includes:
- Supporting proposal and reporting processes
- Meeting regularly with strategic investment partners to monitor project progress as needed
- Fielding questions from and problem solving with strategic investment partners
- Communicating investment outcomes back to donors and the SCORE team
- Collaborate with the Senior Director of Impact in drafting monthly board and funder updates on SCORE’s work and SCORE’s annual Impact Report.
- Develop recurring communications about SCORE’s work and impact for SCORE’s donor base, in partnership with the program and impact leads.
- Monitor current grants and strategic investments and track grant deliverables.
- Maintain a database of grants management records.
- Work closely with the programmatic team to support on the development of scopes of work for contracts and agreements supported through grants to ensure alignment with grant guidelines.
- Develop and revise policies, processes, and workflows to guide SCORE’s grants management.
CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
SCORE is looking for a Director of Grants Management who:
- Demonstrates commitment to SCORE’s mission and SCORE’s core values.
- Has demonstrated success (at least six to eight years preferred) in grants management, development, program evaluation, and/or philanthropic engagement for nonprofit organizations, governmental organizations, or philanthropy.
- Is an outstanding writer with expertise in impact writing; the ability to synthesize information and convey complex concepts in compelling ways to external partners and investors is paramount.
- Has some management experience and a desire to grow as a manager and coach.
- Is a strategic thinker with a high tolerance for ambiguity.
- Has a high bar for excellence and a proven track record of being organized, detail-oriented, and thorough.
- Understands grant cycles and effective donor engagement.
- Can navigate and understand grant language as well as grant financial and budget documents.
- Is trustworthy, discerning, and committed to confidentiality.
- Fosters strong, collaborative relationships with others and excels in collaborative work environments.
- Has a demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and prioritize well in a fast-paced, rapid-growth, and high-intensity environment.
SCORE is committed to providing opportunities for professional growth by providing team members with feedback and opportunities to grow in their work.
COMPENSATION
SCORE offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience.
BENEFITS
SCORE deeply values team members and their well-being and is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits plan. All full-time SCORE employees are eligible for benefits, including:
- Medical insurance, including access to a high-quality network with SCORE paying for most medical coverage costs; dental insurance options; vision insurance options; employer-paid disability, life insurance, and EAP benefits; access to Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) benefits.
- Eligibility for participation in a 401K program with employer match after 90 days of service.
- Paid parental leave time, including paternity, maternity, and adoption leave, available after six months of service.
- Paid time off, holiday office closures, and paid floating holidays.
- Free on-site parking.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
At SCORE, we are committed to creating a workplace where all team members bring their whole selves to work and thrive both personally and professionally. We deeply value collaboration, optimism, excellence, and innovation in our student-centered work and in how we work together and support each other as a team. We also believe that it is important for our team to reflect the rich diversity of students in Tennessee, and that we intentionally create space for diverse viewpoints to meaningfully contribute to our work.
SCORE is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all roles without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.
