Managing Director, Strategic Grantmaking & Fund Stewardship

The Commit Partnership•Dallas, TX

31d•$150,000 - $182,000

About The Position

Strategic advisor and steward of $200M+ philanthropic capital to advance one of the most ambitious economic mobility efforts – serving a region responsible for educating 10% of Texas’ and 1% of the nation’s public-school students. The Commit Partnership (Commit), the largest regional educational “backbone” organization in the nation with 70+ employees and an operating budget exceeding $40 million annually, is seeking a bold, strategic, and collaborative leader to serve as the Managing Director of the organization’s Grantmaking Strategy and Fund Stewardship —an executive-level role at the center of accelerating economic mobility in Dallas County and across Texas through one of the most comprehensive, data-driven student success efforts in the country. Since 2023, Commit has secured over $200 million in catalytic funding from Dallas and national institutional funders to deploy through grants that both advance the regional Opportunity 2040 plan – developed in partnership with the Child Poverty Action Lab to place 150,000 young adults on a path to economic mobility -- and support the implementation of aligned education policies across Texas. While serving as a primary external leader (over 50% or more of time) the leader of this new role will oversee the effective deployment, stewardship, and long-term impact of catalytic funding, all strategically designed to help address the underlying root causes hindering student outcomes and living-wage attainment and thus break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the CEO, this leader will oversee a director-level team member responsible for internal grant operations, systems, and analysis ensuring excellence in grant execution, tracking, learning, and reporting. The Managing Director will work closely with the Commit team, funders, and numerous external partners such as the Economic Mobility Center, Education is Freedom, and many others, to help ensure that philanthropic and public capital are being leveraged for maximum return—financial, social, and systemic. If successful, the impact is profound: for every student moved on to the path of economic mobility who earns at least an Associate's degree, gains an estimated $425,000 in lifetime earnings – translating to more than $60 billion in long-term impact for 150,000 students and the region. This role is more than executive grants management; it’s a systems leadership opportunity requiring cross-sector fluency, sharp strategic thinking, disciplined financial oversight, and the ability to drive collective accountability among diverse partners—from K-12 systems and higher education institutions to workforce and advising nonprofits. It also provides the opportunity to influence statewide policy based on the programmatic results, as well as the opportunity to help inform and advise other regions across Texas and the nation.

Requirements

10+ years of professional experience in philanthropy, grant portfolio management, nonprofit leadership, or social impact strategy—ideally with exposure to education or economic mobility efforts.
5+ years managing teams towards successful goal attainment.
At least 3+ years of demonstrated experience overseeing philanthropic grant or investment capital deployment ($5M+ preferred) and implementation towards outcomes.
Demonstrated experience in initiating, building, and maintaining strong relationships with partners and influential decision-makers.
5+ years working across complex partnerships and layers of leadership internally and with external stakeholders to influence decision making in large institutional systems.
Track record of producing data-rich, compelling impact reports for institutional funders.
Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in a related field preferred.
Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships across diverse teams.
Capacity to manage confidential information with discretion and integrity.
Strong analytical skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
Ability to thrive in a mission-driven, collaborative, and evolving environment.

Nice To Haves

Deep experience in strategic grantmaking or regranting, ideally within a foundation, intermediary, or large nonprofit
Strong track record of stewarding multi-year, complex grant portfolios with rigor, transparency, and sound judgment
Ability to Build trust-based partnerships with grantees, balancing support, accountability, and learning
Comfort working across complex systems (education, workforce, public and nonprofit sectors) and aligning diverse stakeholders
Ability to translate strategy and data into clear priorities, decisions, and funder-ready narratives
Strong people management skills valuing high-quality systems, process, and execution
Deep commitment to equity and economic mobility, with a belief in education as a lever for systemic change

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic stewardship of Commit’s philanthropic grant portfolios, including multi-year, complex grants aligned to Dallas County Promise, statewide initiatives, the Opportunity 2040 strategic plan, and related initiatives.
Oversee the deployment and performance of significant philanthropic investments (secured and pending), ensuring disciplined, transparent, and outcomes-driven grantmaking. This includes oversight of over $130 million secured towards the Dallas County Promise efforts.
Ensure alignment between grantmaking strategy and Commit's Priority Systems, including: High-quality Educator and System leader Talent Rigorous Instruction and Curriculum Postsecondary access and success Well-Resources Schools and Neighborhoods
Serve as a senior representative of Commit’s role as a capital aggregator and strategic intermediary, including participation in advisory bodies such as the Dallas County Promise Advisory Board, and others as appropriate.
Ensure disciplined, transparent stewardship of capital across complex, multi-year initiatives, all focused on improving long-term student outcomes.
Serve as a primary lead or through shared relationships with grantees and implementation partners, fostering strong, trust-based partnerships grounded in shared goals and accountability.
Act as connective tissue across a complex ecosystem of partners—including higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, advising entities, and backbone partners—ensuring alignment between grant intent and on-the-ground execution.
Facilitate regular partner and grantee convenings to: Share progress and learning Identify challenges and barriers Drive continuous improvement across initiatives
Lead collaborative investment deployment and stewardship across a growing Dallas County Promise ecosystem that includes Dallas College, SMU, UT-Dallas, UNT-Dallas, Education is Freedom, the Economic Mobility Center and other key actors.
Partner closely with partner grantees and Commit’s Analytics & Insights and Evaluation & Research teams to: Define clear grant outcomes and success metrics Track progress across key indicators (e.g., Pre-K enrollment, 3rd – 8th grade proficiency, college-readiness, enrollment, etc.) Use data to inform strategy, improvement, and storytelling
Oversee the development and use of dashboards, reports, and learning tools that support both internal decision-making and external transparency with funders and grantees.
Translate performance data into clear narratives of impact, learning, and return on investment for philanthropic audiences.
Ensure grant reporting reflects not only compliance, but also insight, learning, and strategic value for funders and partners.
Partner with the CEO, COO, and philanthropy team to: Cultivate new philanthropic relationships Secure aligned growth capital Position Commit as a high-impact, investable partner
Produce compelling, data-informed funder updates and impact reports that deepen trust and long-term partnerships.
Support long-term sustainability strategies, including efforts to: Leverage time-bound philanthropy Transition successful initiatives toward public funding or other durable financing mechanisms where appropriate
Serve as a strategic advisor to Commit’s executive leadership team on grantmaking priorities, funder alignment, and organizational strategy.
Support development of grants and funding strategies aligned to: Annual organizational goals Long-term Dallas County Promise and economic mobility outcomes Opportunity 2040 Plan Statewide Initiatives
Help ensure coherence between grant-funded work and broader organizational strategy, capacity, and systems.
Directly manage and support a Director responsible for grant operations and systems, ensuring: Strong internal infrastructure for grant tracking, compliance, and reporting Clear roles, timelines, and accountability across teams High-quality execution of grant requirements
Set expectations, coach performance, and build internal capacity for excellence in grantmaking and stewardship.
Ensure grant systems (e.g., Salesforce and related tools) effectively support transparency, learning, and scalability.