Job Brief
Director, Grants and Contracts Operations
Job Purpose:
The Director, Grants & Contracts Operations leads the operational infrastructure that enables an effective, consistent, and scalable Grants & Contracts function. The role oversees G&C policies and procedures, procurement, systems and data, business intelligence and reporting, and training and capacity building, ensuring teams have the tools, guidance, and information needed to manage grants, contracts, and procurement activities effectively. The Director also drives continuous improvement across G&C operations, strengthening organizational capability, efficiency, compliance, and data-informed decision-making.
The Director will manage the Grants & Contracts Operations Manager and Business Intelligence Analyst positions.
This is afull-time position preferablybased in our New York office, where a hybrid, 2-day-per-week office schedule is in place, but other U.S. locations may be considered. We offer highly competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this position is $123,200 to $158,400 USD. The candidate must have eligibility to work in the U.S. at the time of hire.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Policies, Procedures and Operational Excellence -
• Lead the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of Grants & Contracts policies, procedures, guidance, tools, and standard operating practices.
• Ensure G&C processes are clear, practical, consistently applied, and aligned with organizational requirements, donor expectations, and applicable regulations.
• Identify opportunities to simplify and standardize processes, strengthen internal controls, and reduce unnecessary administrative burden.
• Establish mechanisms for incorporating lessons learned, monitoring findings, audit results, and operational feedback into ongoing process improvements.
• Partner with Grants & Contracts, Finance, Legal, Programs, and other functions to clarify roles, responsibilities, handoffs, and decision rights across key business processes.
Procurement -
• Provide strategic and operational oversight of organizational procurement policies, procedures, tools, and practices.
• Strengthen procurement processes to promote consistency, transparency, efficiency, competition, value for money, and compliance with donor and organizational requirements.
• Develop and maintain procurement guidance, templates, approval thresholds, documentation standards, and related controls.
• Partner with relevant teams to address complex or higher-risk procurements and strengthen procurement planning and management across the organization.
• Monitor procurement trends, risks, and performance and recommend improvements to processes and controls.
Grants & Contracts Systems, Data and Business Intelligence -
• Lead the strategy, governance, and continuous improvement of Grants & Contracts systems and related technology.
• Provide oversight of the Contract Lifecycle Management system
• Establish and maintain data standards, governance practices, and quality controls to improve the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of G&C data.
• Translate business needs into system requirements and partner with IT and other stakeholders to implement system enhancements and integrations.
• Develop and oversee dashboards, reporting tools, and business intelligence capabilities that provide meaningful insight into portfolio performance, workload, compliance, risk, and operational effectiveness.
• Use data and analytics to identify trends, risks, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement and support informed management decision-making.
• Promote effective adoption and use of G&C systems and tools across relevant teams.
Training and Capacity Building -
• Develop and lead a comprehensive G&C learning and capacity-building strategy for Grants & Contracts staff and relevant stakeholders across the organization.
• Develop practical training, guidance, job aids, and other resources that strengthen organizational understanding of grant, contract, procurement, and compliance requirements.
• Identify capability gaps and establish targeted learning interventions based on organizational needs, emerging risks, and changes in donor or regulatory requirements.
• Build sustainable mechanisms for onboarding, refresher training, communities of practice, and ongoing knowledge sharing.
• Measure the effectiveness of training and capacity-building activities and adjust approaches based on feedback and performance.
Leadership and Cross-Functional Partnership -
• Serve as a senior operational leader within the Grants & Contracts function, helping establish standards, priorities, and ways of working across the department.
• Manage and develop team members responsible for G&C operations, systems, data, procurement, policies, and/or learning activities.
• Build strong partnerships across Finance, Programs, Legal, IT, Human Resources, and other functions to ensure G&C operational priorities support broader organizational objectives.
• Lead or contribute to cross-functional initiatives involving process redesign, systems implementation, organizational change, and operational improvement.
• Establish performance indicators and regularly assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and maturity of G&C operations.
• Stay current on evolving donor requirements, regulatory expectations, technology, and leading practices and translate relevant developments into practical organizational improvements.
Qualifications:
Education and Degree -
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent, Master's degree preferred.
Skills and Abilities -
• Strong strategic and operational thinking, with the ability to translate organizational priorities into practical, scalable processes, systems, and ways of working.
• Excellent process design and continuous improvement skills, with the ability to identify inefficiencies, simplify complex workflows, and strengthen controls without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to interpret complex data, identify trends and risks, and translate insights into clear recommendations and action.
• Demonstrated ability to develop meaningful dashboards, metrics, and management information that support decision-making and organizational performance.
• Deep knowledge of financial and customer relationship management systems (eg. NetSuite, Salesforce) and business intelligence tools (PowerBI, Tableau, Monday.com)
• Strong systems thinking, with the ability to understand how policies, processes, technology, data, roles, and controls interact across the grants and contracts lifecycle.
• Ability to translate complex donor, regulatory, contractual, and organizational requirements into clear, practical guidance for a range of audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex or technical information clearly and concisely to senior leaders, technical teams, and non-specialist stakeholders.
• Strong facilitation, training, and capacity-building skills, with the ability to build understanding, capability, and adoption across diverse teams and geographies.
• Demonstrated change leadership skills, including the ability to build stakeholder buy-in, navigate resistance, and support adoption of new processes, systems, and ways of working.
• Strong relationship management and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively across Finance, Legal, Programs, IT, Human Resources, and other functions.
• Sound judgment and a risk-based mindset, with the ability to balance compliance requirements, operational realities, organizational risk, and programmatic needs.
• Strong project and program management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex initiatives, establish priorities, and drive work to completion.
• High degree of organization, attention to detail, and follow-through, particularly in environments with multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and evolving requirements.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity and establish clarity, structure, and accountability in complex or rapidly changing environments.
• Strong people leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to develop teams, establish clear expectations, and foster collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated cultural awareness and ability to work effectively across countries, cultures, and organizational contexts.
Experience:
Required -
• Minimum of 15 years relevant work experience with 10 years of progressive experience in grants and contracts, grant operations, compliance, procurement, or related operational functions, including significant experience leading complex grants and contracts operations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting a complex, multi-country or global organization, preferably within the nonprofit, international development, public health, or mission-driven sector.
• Significant experience working with institutional donors and complex funding arrangements, including U.S. Government, foundations, bilateral or multilateral donors, and other public and private funders.
• Proven experience developing, implementing, and continuously improving grants and contracts policies, procedures, standard operating practices, tools, and operational processes.
• Demonstrated experience designing and strengthening operational controls while balancing compliance, efficiency, organizational risk, and programmatic needs.
• Familiarity with procurement policies, processes, controls, and systems, including experience supporting donor-funded procurement and complex or higher-risk purchasing activities.
• Experience leading grants and contracts systems optimization, business process design, system implementation or enhancement, data governance, and data quality initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience developing dashboards, management reporting, business intelligence tools, and performance indicators to support portfolio oversight, operational planning, risk management, and organizational decision-making.
• Experience using grants, contracts, procurement, and operational data to identify trends, risks, process gaps, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Proven experience designing and implementing training, capacity-building, onboarding, guidance, and knowledge-management approaches for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex donor, regulatory, contractual, and organizational requirements into clear, practical policies, processes, tools, and guidance.
• Experience leading significant process improvement, systems transformation, or organizational change initiatives across multiple functions and stakeholder groups.
• Strong track record of partnering effectively with Finance, Legal, Programs, IT, Human Resources, and other functions to establish clear roles, responsibilities, controls, and ways of working.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing high-performing teams and influencing stakeholders across functions, geographies, and levels of an organization.
Preferred -
• Familiarity with U.S. Government requirements, including 2 CFR 200 and applicable procurement requirements
• Familiarity with complex philanthropic donor requirements (Gates Foundation, etc.)
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
• The position may involve up to 10% travel to various international locations, depending on organizational needs
• Ability/willingness to work across multiple time zones
#LI-Hybrid
