Grants Manager

Vertex Education•Chandler, AZ

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Be the one who makes a difference! At Vertex Education we are a team of high achievers, courageous leaders, and passionate believers in changing lives through education. As a purpose-led education services provider, our mission is destined to benefit many and yet it starts with just one person inspired to work together with us to make a memorable and meaningful difference for our clients, schools, students, and communities. Be the one who makes a difference—with us. The Grants Manager is responsible for leading and overseeing the full lifecycle of grant funding across the organization, including competitive, entitlement, and formula-based grants. Reporting to the Accounting Director, this role serves as the primary bridge between program leadership, campuses, and finance to ensure grants are strategically pursued, effectively implemented, financially compliant, and successfully closed out. This position provides direct supervision to the Grant Coordinators and maintains hands-on involvement in competitive grant development while ensuring strong fiscal oversight, compliance, and alignment with organizational priorities across Arizona, Nevada, Texas, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required (education, public administration, business, finance, or related field preferred).
5+ years of experience in grant development, management, and compliance, preferably in an education or public-sector environment.
Demonstrated success writing and managing competitive grant proposals.
Experience supervising or leading grant or program staff.
Strong working knowledge of grant budgeting, reimbursements, and post-award compliance.
Strong written communication skills, particularly in grant narrative development.
Ability to balance programmatic priorities across multiple states.
Working knowledge of federal and state grant regulations (e.g., Title programs, IDEA).
Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
Strong collaboration skills across finance, compliance, and program teams.
Ability to analyze grant requirements and translate them into actionable guidance for staff and campuses.
Periodic travel between campuses required.
Ability to meet background and fingerprinting requirements as applicable.
Position may require extended periods of focused work, document review, and deadline-driven tasks.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage the organization’s grants portfolio, ensuring alignment with programmatic goals, student outcomes, and funding requirements.
Supervise, coach, and support the Grant Coordinators, setting clear expectations and ensuring consistency in grant processes and deliverables.
Establish and maintain standardized grant management practices, timelines, and internal controls across the department.
Serve as the primary point of contact for grant-related matters with internal stakeholders, campuses, and external funding agencies.
Write, review, and submit high-quality competitive grant proposals, narratives, and supporting documentation.
Oversee the development and submission of entitlement and formula-based grant applications.
Maintain and update existing grant applications and narratives to ensure continued compliance and funding eligibility.
Coordinate prospect research and assess funding opportunities for alignment with organizational needs and capacity.
Partner with campus and program leaders to develop grant-aligned action plans, budgets, and program narratives.
Provide guidance to campuses on allowable activities, documentation requirements, and grant implementation expectations.
Ensure completion of all required programmatic monitoring activities, including state and federal monitoring systems (e.g., EMAC).
Support post-award program monitoring, including data collection and outcome reporting.
Collaborate closely with the Accounting Director and Grants Business Manager to ensure accurate budgeting, reimbursement, revenue recognition, and grant closeout.
Oversee grant reimbursement processes, timelines, and supporting documentation to ensure timely and accurate submissions.
Monitor grant expenditures for compliance with approved budgets, funding restrictions, and regulatory requirements.
Support audit, fiscal monitoring, and compliance reviews by coordinating documentation and responding to inquiries.
Ensure timely completion of grant amendments, interim reports, and final closeout reports.
Identify opportunities to improve grant management workflows, documentation, and cross-department communication.
Develop tools, guidance, and training to build grant compliance and financial awareness among campus and department staff.
Stay current on federal, state, and local grant regulations and ensure the team applies updates consistently.
Directly supervise Grant Coordinators
Provide ongoing performance feedback, professional development, and workload prioritization.
Ensure clear role differentiation and collaboration within the grants team.