Director of Grants Management

ABOUT Resources Legacy Fund (RLF):

Resources Legacy Fund builds the architecture behind lasting environmental progress. From climate resilience to land and water conservation to community well-being, we help visionary ideas take shape—offering the steady support and strategic know-how to turn complex challenges into collective victories.

We deliver transformative outcomes for our planet and its people through trusted partnerships and creative campaigns. Rooted in California and expanding across Western North America and beyond, we have a 25-year track record of supporting initiatives at every scale. We also host fiscally sponsored projects that reach across the globe, reinforcing the efforts of change makers worldwide.

Addressing three interconnected crises — climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental injustice — requires creativity, collaboration, and fast reflexes. With deep operational expertise and the confidence of donors and partners, we enable lasting solutions to rise.

Position Summary

The Director of Grants Management provides strategic direction to and oversight of RLF’s grants management function, which processes approximately 1,000 outgoing grants and contracts totaling about $90 million annually. The Director designs and implements best practices, policies, and procedures for outgoing funds across all three related 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities (Resources Legacy Fund, Fund for a Better Future, and Shared Ascent Fund), their fiscally sponsored projects, and their donor advised funds.

The Director leads a grants management team of approximately 20 staff, and plays an essential role in fostering a collaborative, transparent, and supportive culture within the team and across RLF.

We seek a director who is nimble and responsive to grantees and donors, while both modeling best practices and ensuring compliance with legal requirements. This position requires flexible thinking and an understanding of where there can be creativity in program administration versus when legal constraints or best practices indicate a specific course of action. This is particularly important when considering the practical implications of RLF’s commitment to values-based grantmaking.

This is a remote, exempt position with U.S. travel as needed, at a minimum quarterly. It reports to the Chief Finance and Administration Officer (CFAO).

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee Grantmaking Systems and Processes in line with Best Practices and Organizational Values
• Champion grantmaking best practices and process improvements to increase efficiency, democratize data management, and improve data transparency.
• Serve as a point of consistency across multiple programs and fiscally sponsored projects, and as the subject matter expert for policy and procedures related to grant and contract administration.
• Serve as an important resource to grants management, program/project, and other staff as they handle processing of outgoing grants and contracts.
• Address and propose creative, values-aligned solutions to grants management-related questions.
• As a member of the senior Leadership Team, elevate cross-programmatic and cross-divisional issues to build alignment on grantmaking strategies that support RLF’s purpose and values.
• Identify training needs and oversee ongoing training efforts for staff to foster organization-wide competency in philanthropic processes as well as use of the grants management system.
• Oversee grants management materials including templates, policy and procedure documents, and training materials, as needed.
• Manage the Grants Management Team
• Lead a grants management team consisting of nearly 20 staff members, including a Deputy Director of Fiscal Sponsorship & Grants Management, Grants Manager, and multiple Grants Coordinators/Senior Grants Coordinators.
• Foster a collaborative, transparent, supportive and trusting culture across the team and beyond to ensure alignment with RLF’s values and overall culture.
• Regularly and actively solicit input from grants management staff, encouraging and inspiring team members to proactively contribute ongoing process improvement ideas.
• Support Legal & Fiscal Compliance Processes
• Collaborate closely with in-house and outside counsel to mitigate risk and address legal compliance issues in our grants and contracts processing, balancing programmatic needs and promoting values-aligned practices.
• Partner with the Finance team to ensure fiscal and audit compliance.
• Address and triage inquiries regarding legal and fiscal compliance, due diligence, risk mitigation, and other grants management-related questions.
• Own and Administer Integrated Data Systems
• Provide strategic leadership for RLF’s Salesforce system as it pertains to outgoing funds processing to ensure efficient, effective, equitable, and values-aligned grantmaking.
• Support RLF’s Development team in ensuring integration and alignment with incoming funds processing in Salesforce.
• Ensure system configuration changes are done with a comprehensive understanding of both the human system and the technology system.
• Working with the Salesforce Analyst and Operations staff, identify when to engage outside consultants for technical or training needs, and oversee and direct their work.
• Provide oversight for system architecture and advise the Executive and Leadership Teams with regard to options to manage system-related process questions.
• Provide system oversight for Salesforce, including evaluating system releases and third-party tools, ensuring smooth implementation of upgrades, and identifying training needs.
• Coordinate with program/project staff with regard to inquiries about application content and requirements.
• Act as a central point of contact for staff and grantee feedback regarding system enhancements and bugs, and ensures all issues are resolved timely.
• Promote Knowledge Management and Data Reporting
• Promote a culture of learning and development.
• Iteratively assess reporting, dashboard, and other data-related needs, ensuring colleagues have access to the data they need for their level of decision-making; support the Salesforce Analyst to provide trainings as appropriate.
• Provide data-driven findings to inform decisions and external storytelling.

Qualifications

• Note: These qualifications are guidelines, not hard and fast rules, so if you have 75% of the qualifications listed, we encourage you to apply. Experience can include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work and lived experiences that helped you to build the competencies, knowledge, and skills needed for this position. Applying gives you the opportunity to be considered.
• A minimum of 5-10 years as a Grants Management Director or otherwise demonstrated experience developing and implementing grants management strategies.
• Strong understanding of best practices in grantmaking; deep and broad experience implementing grant management processes, procedures, and policies within a foundation or other grantmaking organization.
• Experience leading grants management systems optimizations and implementations.
• A minimum of 3-5 years’ direct supervisory/management experience. Passion for managing and leading teams, mentoring individuals, as well as regularly facilitating meetings and trainings.
• A leadership and management style that enables colleagues to do their best work on behalf of the organization’s grantees, fiscally sponsored projects, and donors.
• Outstanding decision-making, problem-solving, and analytical skills, with experience providing oversight for grantmaking compliance.
• Experience overseeing complex grantmaking portfolios at multi-entity organizations (501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s, donor advised funds, and fiscal sponsorship organizations) strongly preferred.
• A balance between understanding the technical aspects of making a database system work for all users, while helping users discover how the system can best support them, their teams, and their projects.
• Proven project management and change management skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts in business terms; the ability to understand and communicate both grants management and business system processes to evaluate requests; and the ability to work with colleagues at all levels of the organization to assess their needs, build consistency, generate buy-in, and promote consistent adoption of business processes.
• General computer literacy and proficiency in the Microsoft suite, along with the ability to learn new technology quickly and thoroughly. Strong commitment to good data management and data governance practices. Strong technical skills including administration, system configuration, maintenance of GMS and/or CRM systems, are required.
• Experience with Salesforce is highly preferred. Familiarity with business analytics tools, such as Power BI, and experience with grantee portal implementation, or other major system implementations is a strong plus.
• Leadership skills include a high degree of professionalism and accountability, strong collaboration skills, excellent interpersonal (verbal and written) communication skills, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Self-starter with strong prioritization and time management skills, organizational skills, and the ability to multi-task in an environment with high expectations of responsiveness. Meanwhile, as RLF is an innovative, constantly expanding environment, the ideal candidate will bring an attitude of positivity, comfort with ambiguity, and a commitment to RLF’s mission, its grantees and fiscally sponsored projects, and its funder clients.
• Commitment to Nondiscrimination

We are committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination, where all team members feel valued, respected, and included. We know that our work is enriched by the varied voices and perspectives of every staff and board member, so we are committed to making an earnest effort to recruit, welcome, train, develop, and retain talented individuals from all backgrounds. We believe that a welcoming culture expands our creative capacity to do our work and achieve greater outcomes for people and the natural world.