Grant Director (internal)

Porch Light Health•Grand Junction, CO

About The Position

The Director of Grants turns the organization’s vision into funded programs by identifying and pursuing funding opportunities, building the grants function, and establishing the fiscal and contractual compliance foundation needed to manage complex federal and state awards. The Director leads grant readiness for the organization’s newly developed non-profit/foundation, supervises the Grant Specialist, partners with the Grants Project Manager and Grants Coordinator, approves grant invoicing, and serves as a key point of contact for funders. The role develops and maintains a funding strategy and prioritized pipeline aligned with organizational priorities and growth. It oversees the identification, evaluation, pursuit, and proposal development for federal, state, foundation, opioid settlement or abatement, and other funding opportunities. The Director oversees complex federal and state awards, including compliance, reporting, contract interpretation, award setup, invoicing approval, fiscal monitoring, and close-out, while maintaining audit-ready systems and processes. The Director also partners with Finance on grant budgets and documentation, advises leadership on funding opportunities for the new foundation, cultivates funder relationships, and leads and develops the grants team. Major funding decisions and significant compliance risks are escalated to the Senior Director.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in grant writing and grants management, including at least 3 years managing federal and/or state awards.
Demonstrated ability to develop and carry out a funding strategy aligned with organizational goals, including a record of securing new funding.
Demonstrated experience interpreting and managing grant contracts and compliance requirements.
At least 1 year of experience supervising or leading staff.
Strong writing, analytical, and communication skills.
Proficiency with Google Suite and Microsoft Office, especially Sheets/Excel and Docs/Word.
Valid driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related field.
Grant Professional Certification (GPC).
Experience establishing or building grant readiness for a new non-profit or foundation.
Experience with Salesforce or a similar grant management system.
Experience in healthcare, behavioral health, or substance use treatment funding.

Responsibilities

Translate organizational strategic priorities and program vision into a funding plan.
Scan federal, state, foundation, opioid settlement or abatement, and other funding landscapes for opportunities aligned with organizational direction.
Build and maintain a prioritized funding pipeline and report progress against funding goals.
Direct identification, evaluation, and pursuit of funding opportunities; review team eligibility assessments and recommendations and make go/no-go decisions with leadership.
Cultivate funder relationships to understand priorities and position the organization ahead of solicitations.
Identify gaps between desired programs and available funding and develop strategies to address them, including through the new foundation.
Write and oversee complex grant proposals and applications.
Escalate major funding decisions and significant compliance risks to the Senior Director.
Oversee management of complex federal and state awards, including funding and deliverable terms, compliance, and reporting requirements.
Lead setup of high-risk, complex awards, including Salesforce configuration, and transition routine maintenance to team members.
Ensure program implementation is consistent with grant contracts and fidelity requirements.
Lead contracting, award, and close-out steps; review funding and deliverable sections of contracts and award terms, coordinate legal review of full contracts and subcontractor agreements, co-lead internal grant kickoffs with the Grants Project Manager, and ensure funder-compliant close-out.
Identify compliance risks and coordinate corrective action with program and finance partners.
Partner with the Grants Project Manager on post-award implementation, risk monitoring, and funder reporting.
Lead monthly fiscal monitoring of grant awards, including budget spending, allowable costs, and spend-down, and escalate fiscal compliance concerns.
Approve grant invoices prepared by the Grant Specialist for accuracy and consistency with contract terms before submission.
Oversee grant management systems, source documentation, and standard operating procedures that maintain audit readiness.
Partner with Finance, including a planned grants accountant, on budgets, allocations, coding, and time and effort documentation.
Lead grant readiness for the newly developed non-profit/foundation, including governance documents, budgets and financial documentation, and funder-facing materials.
Advise leadership on the funding landscape and build the pipeline for the new entity.
Serve as a primary funder contact and maintain positive, proactive relationships; represent the organization in funder meetings, site visits, and reporting discussions.
Supervise, coach, and evaluate the Grant Specialist I.
Set priorities, assign work, and manage the Grant Specialist’s pre-award and invoicing deadlines, coordinating handoffs with the Grants Project Manager and Grants Coordinator.
Develop team capacity through training and continuous improvement of grants processes.
Build redundancy across grants processes to maintain coverage during absences and when high-priority awards require senior attention.