Manager, Federal Funding

National Council on Aging•Arlington, VA

31d•Hybrid

About The Position

We believe every person deserves to age well. That’s why we’re on a path to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. Come join an awesome team and learn about the work we do, the people we serve, and why equitable aging matters now more than ever. At NCOA, we represent the interests of the aging population across the nation, while striving to live out our core values of equity, excellence, and innovation. This is meaningful work where we put “people first” and our employees can learn and grow, where work/life balance is prioritized, and have a flexible hybrid work schedule while being part of a dynamic, collaborative team. We are interested in growing our team with passionate, committed, and innovative individuals. The Manager, Federal Funding will join NCOA at a time of dynamic growth. The Manager of Federal Funding role is to lead the organization’s federal revenue strategy and execution. Reporting to the CDO, this role will secure and steward NCOA’s largest revenue stream by cultivating relationships with federal agencies, crafting competitive grant proposals, and aligning federal funding opportunities with organizational priorities. The ideal candidate will balance innovation with compliance, strategic, results-driven, collaborate across teams to amplify impact, and ensure federal investments advance NCOA’s mission and equity goals. Positions at this level typically report to a senior director or chief and require advanced knowledge and experience as well as management capabilities. Incumbents are required to make independent judgements within their scope of work and require minimal oversight. Incumbents generally have eight or more years of experience in their discipline and a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, as well as substantive experience at this level. Graduate level degrees may be considered in lieu of experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree in public administration, Nonprofit Management, or related field preferred.
10+ years of experience securing and managing federal grants/contracts (e.g., HHS, ACL, CMS), with a proven track record of multi-million-dollar awards.
Deep knowledge of federal grant lifecycle, compliance, and agency cultures.
Strategic thinker with ability to translate complex federal priorities into actionable revenue strategies.
Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills for proposals and reports.
Strong financial acumen, including budget development and variance analysis.
Collaborative leadership style with experience working across matrixed teams.
Proficiency with grants management systems (e.g., Salesforce, Grants.gov) and data-driven decision-making.

Nice To Haves

Experience in aging, health, economic security, or related social impact fields strongly preferred.
Existing relationships with federal aging/disability agencies strongly desired.
Commitment to equity and addressing disparities in aging populations is strongly desired.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a multi-year federal revenue strategy aligned with NCOA’s goals.
Proactively identify, assess, and prioritize federal funding opportunities (grants, contracts, cooperative agreements) from agencies including ACL, CMS, DOL, HHS, and others.
Lead cross-functional teams (Programs, Policy, Finance) to align proposals with organizational priorities and community needs.
Monitor federal budget trends, legislative changes, and agency priorities to anticipate risks and opportunities.
Oversee end-to-end federal grant processes, including opportunity analysis, proposal writing, budget development, and submission.
Ensure proposals reflect NCOA’s evidence-based practices, equity lens, and innovation while meeting rigorous compliance standards.
Collaborate with program teams to design compelling narratives, logic models, and evaluation plans.
Build and maintain strategic partnerships with federal agency staff, program officers, and key decision-makers.
Position NCOA as a trusted partner through regular engagement, briefings, and thought leadership on aging-related priorities.
Represent NCOA at federal meetings, conferences, and technical panels.
Ensure adherence to federal grant regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance), reporting deadlines, and audit requirements.
Partner with Finance to monitor grant expenditures, re-budgeting, and financial reporting.
Lead post-award debriefs to refine strategies and improve success rates.
Work closely with the Chief Customer Officer and program leads to align federal funding with service delivery and impact goals.
Advise the Policy team on funding implications of legislative priorities.
Support the CDO in Board and executive-level briefings on federal revenue performance.
Other responsibilities as required.