Grant Execution Manager

State of Colorado • Denver, CO

6d

About The Position

The Grants Operations Manager leads the State Historical Fund's post-award grants operations team and is responsible for the overall performance, quality, and continuous improvement of grant administration after award. The position oversees contract administration, payments, closeout, property protections, workflow administration, and operational performance to ensure grants move efficiently from award through closeout while meeting State of Colorado and History Colorado requirements. The manager supervises a functionally organized team responsible for Contract & Procurement, Payment & Closeout, Property Protections, and Systems & Data Administration. The position establishes priorities, balances workloads, develops staff, monitors performance, and collaborates with Resource Specialists, Finance, Procurement, Accounting, Legal, Information Technology, and other History Colorado departments. The position serves as the operational lead for post-award workflow administration within Fluxx, helping improve business processes, reporting, and service delivery while ensuring operational consistency and compliance.

Requirements

• Five (5) years of professional experience in grants administration, grant operations, contract administration, procurement, public administration, fiscal administration, accounting, project management, or a closely related field; OR a combination of education and relevant professional experience equal to six years.
• Your application must be completed in detail, documenting the specific dates and duties that demonstrate this qualifying experience.
• Part-time experience will be pro-rated based on a 40-hour workweek.
• Operational leadership: Ability to establish operational priorities, monitor team workloads, and guide day-to-day grant administration workflows.
• Staff supervision: Skills to effectively recruit, onboard, manage, coach, and evaluate a functionally organized professional team.
• Grant administration: Deep understanding of the operational requirements governing post-award grant processes from contract to closeout.
• Contract and fiscal oversight: Ability to review and approve complex contracts and payment requests for compliance with state and departmental rules.
• Customer service & Cross-functional collaboration: Exceptional communication skills to build collaborative, trust-based relationships with internal divisions and external community partners.
• Process improvement: Proven ability to monitor performance metrics, document standard operating procedures, and recommend workflow improvements.
• Workflow management
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Technical Operations Leadership: Experience leading grants operations or comparable business operations.
• Supervisory Competence: Experience supervising, coaching, and developing professional staff.
• Technical Knowledge: Demonstrated knowledge of grants, contracts, procurement, and fiscal compliance.
• Process Improvement Capabilities: Proven ability to improve workflows and manage competing priorities.
• Interpersonal Communication and customer service skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supervising professional staff.
• Experience managing grants or public funding programs.
• Experience with State of Colorado contracting, procurement, or fiscal processes.
• Experience using Fluxx, Excel, CORE, or similar grant/accounting management systems.
• Knowledge of historic preservation, public history, archaeology, anthropology, museums, or cultural resource management is a plus but not required.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer service and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day post-award grant operations, including contracts, payments, closeout, property protections, and operational workflows.
• Establish operational priorities and monitor workload distribution.
• Provide final SHF operational approval for contracts and payment requests before submission to Finance.
• Monitor operational performance, contract aging, payment timelines, and service standards.
• Resolve operational issues and elevate significant risks when appropriate.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, supervise, coach, and develop staff in partnership with the SHF Director.
• Assign work, balance workloads, complete performance evaluations, and support staff development.
• Foster a collaborative, customer-focused team culture.
• Support succession planning and recognize staff accomplishments.
• Coordinate with Resource Specialists and History Colorado departments including Finance, Procurement, Accounting, Legal, and Information Technology.
• Ensure grant administration complies with State fiscal, procurement, contracting, and SHF requirements.
• Resolve operational issues through cross-functional collaboration.
• Elevate significant compliance or operational risks when appropriate.
• Serve as the operational administrator for post-award workflows within Fluxx.
• Monitor dashboards, reports, and operational performance metrics.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures and workflow documentation.
• Recommend process improvements that increase efficiency, consistency, and customer service.

Benefits

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401K and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
• Paid life insurance, plus additional optional life insurance options
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave accruals
• BenefitHub state employee discount program
• State of Health employee wellness program
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree