Grants Manager

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change, AV is working to improve the lives of American families, strengthen their communities, and promote their economic opportunity. Since Laura and John Arnold launched their foundation in 2008, the philanthropy has expanded, and AV’s focus areas include education, criminal justice, health, infrastructure, and public finance, advocating for bipartisan policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change. The Arnolds became signatories of the Giving Pledge in 2010.

Position Overview

The Grants team is dedicated to cultivating a culture of excellence in grantmaking and other philanthropic project management. As an operational hub that supports AV’s mission-aligned work, the Grants team facilitates processes that strengthen strategic objectives, ensure data integrity, and leverage cross-organizational insights and expertise to enhance AV’s impact.

The Grants Manager will be responsible for actively supporting our programmatic teams with a variety of knowledge, project, and contract management responsibilities throughout the full grantmaking life cycle and will also support process improvement and data-related projects as the Grants team continues to identify efficiencies for Arnold Ventures’ grantmaking activity. The Grants Manager will be located in our Houston, TX office and report to the Director of Grants.

Core Responsibilities

• Manage internal and external relationships, information, data, and deadlines for potential and existing grant and contract activities and serve as a centralized point of contact for staff and grantees for a wide variety of grant and project types
• Oversee collection and review of grant reports, including narrative and financial updates, to ensure grantee compliance with Arnold Ventures’ reporting requirements, policies, and applicable contractual and legal requirements
• Identify and execute amendments necessary to support the work of Arnold Ventures’ grantees in accordance with Arnold Ventures’ Amendment Policy, which often includes a detailed review of proposed budget reallocations
• Facilitate the timely submission of payments to Arnold Ventures’ Accounting team for processing
• Support adoption of Arnold Ventures process and usage of Arnold Ventures’ grants management system in Salesforce
• Develop and lead trainings for internal staff, which will include new employee onboarding and ongoing training focused on Arnold Ventures’ grants processes and policies
• Collaborate with programmatic and Operational Planning and Data Strategy departments to develop relevant data integrity reporting and dashboards
• Address grantee questions about Arnold Ventures’ grants system and grant processes, and troubleshoot issues or support with user guide/reference materials as needed
• Participate in field discussions and conferences, and support with the development and delivery of grantmaking best practice and grants compliance trainings for staff
• Collaborate with Operational Planning and Data Strategy, programmatic, and other departments as needed to continually support and improve Arnold Venture’s grantmaking processes

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5 years of relevant experience in positions in the nonprofit or philanthropic sector, or in a similar support role involving contract and/or project management
• Exceptional project manager with extraordinary organization skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to synthesize a variety of information and communicate clearly
• Strong critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities
• Experience reviewing and managing project budgets
• Familiarity using Salesforce or another grants management platform
• Strong command of modern technology (MS Office, Google Workspace, Zoom, etc.)

The salary range for this position will be $85,000-$95,000.

Benefits Overview

AV is committed to providing a robust and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our current benefits package includes 100% paid employee premiums for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance; 20 days of paid time off, 16 paid holidays (including a winter break from December 24 to January 1), a hybrid policy that includes four days in office and one flexible day for remote work, and a summer schedule with alternating Fridays off beginning on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day; paid parental leave; a 401k retirement savings plan with an employer match, profit-share contribution, and immediate vesting; pre-tax transit benefits; a professional development stipend; a charitable giving stipend; and an employee assistance program.

Our Culture and Core Values

Our culture seeks to inspire and empower our people to innovate and develop bold ideas that will help AV achieve lasting impact. Our culture, and the core values that support it, should create an environment that spurs our team to think outside the box, feel comfortable pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and signal confidence in our team’s ability to make change happen through our philanthropic efforts. Here are some examples of our core values and work culture in action.

• We are adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
• We are intellectually curious, open-minded, objective, humble, collegial, and receptive to feedback
• We are action-oriented with strong self-direction and self-motivation skills with the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects
• We are able to interact confidently and collaboratively with team members and navigate relationships with external partners, peers, and stakeholders

AV’s values reflect who we are as an organization, help us accelerate our strategic goals, strengthen our resolve, anchor us to our mission, and guide our decision-making. The successful candidate will also demonstrate the following core values that inspire the AV team to make a difference.

• Respect for Ourselves & Others
• Audacious Action
• Collaborative Engagement
• Depth of Thought
• Clear Communication

AV is an equal opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive workplace. We are seeking applicants from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences and perspectives. Candidates who have been impacted by the systems we are seeking to change are strongly encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military/veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.