Grant Operations Manager

Grants Operations Manager

Manager: Maria Vastakis

Make a living and a difference at The Fellowship! Our amazing team selected us as a 2021 Best Nonprofit to Work For*. We have a great opportunity for you to join us as we continue our remarkable mission of bridgebuilding between Christians and Jews in order to be a ray of hope to the most vulnerable Jews around the world.

We are currently seeking a Grants Operations Manager as part of our Office of the President team. The Grants Operations Manager will oversee the day-to-day back-end operations of our grantmaking and matching grants program. This role is vital in ensuring the successful management of the workflow for these programs, including communication of grant allocation, grant payment tracking and scheduling, coding and reporting, and oversight of optimization of processes.

Primary responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage the day-to-day back-end operations of the grantmaking and matching grant programs
• Communicate grant allocations to associated stakeholders
• Schedule and track grant payments, working with Finance to ensure timely processing and adherence to grant criteria and internal coding requirements
• Maintain files and records system for all internal and external documents (grant projects, including grant timelines, submission and award tracking reports, interim project reports, meeting minutes, budgets, MOUs, award letters, financial documents, assessment reports and other documentation identified)
• Evaluate and recommend changes to optimize the back-end grant workflow processes and procedures, ensuring best practices are incorporated
• Serve as key point-of-contact in the U.S. office for grantees, considering sensitive nature of grant data where required
• Provide grantees with communications related to grant allocations and payments
• Assist with management of grant budget and related questions

The ideal candidate will have the following experiences and abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in non-profit management or finance disciplines or equivalent experience
• Minimum of 5 years of experience successfully managing back-office processes and procedures Experience in grantmaking, matching grants, or similar operations or programs in the non-profit environment a plus
• Budget management experience at the multi-million-dollar level
• Proven experience in the execution of projects and systems within matrixed structure with demonstrated success in leading and facilitating project teams
• Successful experience working with internal and external executive leadership
• Knowledge of US grantmaking practices a plus
• Excellent project management skills
• Intermediate to advances skills with primary software of Microsoft 365(Excel, Work, Teams, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Skilled in using donor databases and Accounting software (Sage Intacct a plus). Salesforce knowledge and experience a plus.
• Familiarity with terminology used in association with project management, grant management, financial reporting and budget management
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to build strong, collaborative relationships at all levels with internal and external partners
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to effectively manage competing priorities
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and maintain a positive attitude within a changing fast-paced environment.

The Fellowship offers a friendly, rewarding place to work, great benefits, and an office located in downtown Chicago.  To date, we have been fortunate to seamlessly transition to a work from home setting with the exception of staff that complete mission critical duties. This role should expect some onsite work as we progress to a hybrid work model.

Thank you for your interest in our open position. We are an equal opportunity employer (EOE).

*2021 NonProfit Times Best Company to Work For, Best Companies Group