Associate Director, Scholarships & Grants Management

The Community Foundation For Greater Atlanta•Atlanta, GA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Scholarships & Grants Management provides strategic leadership for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta’s scholarship portfolio and discretionary grantmaking operations. Reporting to the Vice President, Community Impact, the role leads scholarship donor stewardship and development, directs end-to-end scholarship and discretionary grant administration, and supervises a Scholarships and Grants Associate. In partnership with program leadership and cross-functional teams, the Associate Director oversees portfolio budgets, establishes due-diligence standards, and guides systems implementation and process improvement. The position combines relationship management, data-informed portfolio oversight, and people development to support equitable, effective administration aligned with donor intent. The role leads approximately 30 scholarship funds and related donor relationships, supports a scholarship partnership, and cultivates and onboards new scholarship donors and programs. It oversees approximately $12 million in scholarships and $10 million in discretionary grants in partnership with the Director, Community Impact, and coordinates operational handoffs and compliance with Finance, Shared Services, General Counsel, IT, and other departments. The Associate Director also manages selected fiscally sponsored relationships and represents Community Impact operations on Foundation-wide projects. This is a full-time, exempt position in a hybrid work environment. Staff work in the office three days per week and may work remotely two days per week if in good standing. The anticipated salary range is $110,000–$130,000, based on experience and qualifications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and at least 8 years of professional experience relevant to the role, including people leadership, or equivalent experience.
A community perspective informed by lived experience and professional engagement, and an asset-based view of community.
Commitment to equity of opportunity and respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Demonstrated experience managing donor, funder, or client relationships at a senior level.
Demonstrated experience setting due-diligence, compliance, or grantmaking standards and managing related systems and platforms.
Leadership ability to manage and motivate direct reports to strong performance and engagement.
Demonstrated experience managing cross-department workflows and relationships.
Strong strategic, budgeting, portfolio management, and data-analysis skills.
Ability to be flexible, resourceful, and self-directed while managing multiple competing priorities.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
Demonstrated success building constructive cross-departmental partnerships and navigating professional relationships with care and emotional intelligence.
Commitment to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta’s mission of equity and shared prosperity for all.

Nice To Haves

Experience with grants or scholarship systems; Foundant and Blackbaud philanthropy products are preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead approximately 30 scholarship funds and aligned donor relationships, providing strategy, stewardship, and guidance on fund design, use, and impact.
Lead strategy and coordination for a supporting organization scholarship partnership.
Coordinate donor referrals and scholarship-fund relationship handoffs with the Philanthropy department.
Cultivate, scope, and onboard new scholarship donors and programs, and develop standard program packages for donor conversations.
Coordinate with Marketing and Communications on external scholarship communications, collateral, donor cultivation and stewardship, and storytelling about portfolio impact.
Represent the scholarship portfolio to donors, families, community and university partners, and other external stakeholders, including at donor and recognition events.
Direct end-to-end scholarship and discretionary grantmaking operations, ensuring quality, timeliness, equity, and alignment with donor intent.
Partner with the Director, Community Impact to oversee approximately $12 million in scholarships and $10 million in discretionary grants, monitoring commitments, payouts, and budget variances.
Set and monitor scholarship portfolio indicators, dashboards, and reporting; analyze results to identify improvements, services, and ways to strengthen scholar retention and postsecondary persistence.
Develop annual workplans, cycle calendars, and resource plans for scholarships and discretionary grants, aligning staffing with portfolio volume and complexity.
Partner with the Director, Community Impact to establish and maintain scholarship and discretionary grant due-diligence standards aligned with industry best practices, and use data to guide strategy, reporting, and decisions.
Serve as department liaison to Finance and Shared Services for transaction handoffs, disbursements, reconciliation, and payment resolution.
Partner with Shared Services to establish and uphold compliance standards covering eligibility, applicant and grantee risk, award terms, expenditure responsibility, and reporting, in accordance with IRS and Foundation requirements.
Partner with General Counsel on scholarship and discretionary grant agreements and contracts, providing expertise on scholarship regulations and best practices.
Partner with IT to oversee implementation, configuration, and change management for Asana and Foundant Scholarship Lifecycle Management and Grants Lifecycle Management platforms.
Establish departmental relationship-management workflows for fiscally sponsored organizations and manage selected fiscally sponsored relationships.
Improve scholarship and discretionary grant policies, processes, and workflows; maintain documentation and lead cross-role training.
Support Foundation-wide initiatives and represent Community Impact operations on cross-departmental projects.
Recruit, hire, orient, coach, manage the performance of, and support the professional development of a Scholarships and Grants Associate.
Set shared standards, priorities, and accountability for the Scholarships and Grants Associate.
Model equitable, accountable, and community-centered leadership aligned with the Foundation’s core values.

Benefits

Paid time off, including two weeks of accrued paid vacation, two weeks of accrued paid sick leave, four mental health days, two personal days, two floating holidays, and ten holidays.
Employee-only medical, dental, and vision insurance plans that are 100% employer-paid.
Employer-paid life insurance and AD&D, short-term disability, and long-term disability.
Employer-paid downtown Atlanta parking or a monthly MARTA card.
Affordable legal insurance, critical illness coverage, supplemental life insurance, and other plans.
Immediate eligibility to contribute to a 403(b) plan, plus a 6% employer-paid contribution after one year of employment, regardless of employee contributions.
Cell phone stipend.
Employee Donor Advised Fund after one year of employment.
Employee Assistance Program.
Individual Development Plans with training, resources, and development opportunities.
Two wellness rooms with self-care items.
Monthly employee engagement activities.