Strategic Initiatives and Funding Manager

Defender Association of Philadelphia • Philadelphia, PA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Defender Association of Philadelphia is seeking a strategic and highly motivated Strategic Initiatives and Funding Manager for our development and policy efforts. This role acts as a critical link between executive vision and financial execution, managing all aspects of institutional grant activities in strict alignment with the organization’s strategic goals. The Manager will provide executive oversight for the entire external funding portfolio, operating as a trusted partner to leadership to offer guidance on non-public budgets and align funding with macro and micro-level policy initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited institution of higher education is required.
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience with a proven track record of organizational development and fundraising management is required.
• Demonstrated experience with, or strong knowledge of, the non-profit fundraising landscape is also required.
• Demonstrated proposal writing skills, verifiable by the submission of a writing portfolio containing at least two successful, professional proposals.
• Robust editing skills with sharp attention to detail are a must.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools and familiarity with publishing software.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, strong problem-solving capabilities, and prior experience actively collaborating in multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to independently oversee grant management, track deadlines, and handle prolonged periods of sitting at a desk working on a computer.
• Willingness to occasionally travel to community events, which may require occasional nights and weekends.

Nice To Haves

• A Master’s degree is preferred.
• Familiarity with grant management systems such as eGrants or JustGrants is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Direct institutional grant strategy and serve as the principal architect for narrative frameworks.
• Discuss available sources of funding with the executive and management teams to prioritize funding needs and authorize submissions.
• Partner directly with the Chief Defender, Chief Financial Officer, and executive team to review confidential, non-public organizational budgets.
• Analyze personnel costs, projected staffing restructures, and labor allocations required to execute grant deliverables.
• Evaluate the fiscal impact of collective bargaining agreements on future programmatic sustainability.
• Oversee the grant application process from research to inception to reporting, and handle government RFPs.
• Establish and govern institutional compliance protocols, data integrity standards, and master tracking systems for all external funding instruments.
• Ensure compliance with all awarded grant requirements and coordinate the monitoring and evaluation of funded programs.
• Research various types of grants to further strategic initiatives, including criminal justice reform, indigent defense, youth justice, child advocacy, community education, and non-profit leadership.
• Work closely with the Finance Department to develop grant budgets, and with data analysts to implement program data collection.
• Deepen relationships with current foundation funders and potential funders to drive sustainable growth.

Benefits

• Affordable medical care options plus employer paid vision, dental, life and long- term disability insurances
• 25 days of paid time off (PTO) annually, in addition to all federal holidays
• Dedicated, separate sick leave policy alongside organizational programming to support your physical and mental health
• 10 weeks of paid parental leave
• Generous retirement savings plan with Employer Match
• Free Septa All Access Key card
• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer
• Meaningful, mission-driven work within a supportive, learning-focused, and collaborative environment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level