Development Operations & Grants Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Salary:

SUMMARY:

The Development Operations & Grants Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for the systems, data, gift processing, grant management, and budgeting functions that underpin the organizations fundraising and marketing efforts. This role ensures best practice data management, strong donor stewardship, compliance, and accountability.

Serving as the departments Salesforce subject matter expert, the Manager partners closely with development, marketing, finance, and program leadership to deliver accurate gift processing, reporting, grant compliance, budgeting support, and decision-ready insights. This position plays a critical role in building scalable, efficient, and funder-ready infrastructure that supports sustainable revenue growth.

REPORTS TO: Chief Development Officer

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Exempt

SPECIFIC DUTIES: Duties of the Development Operations & Grants Manager include but are not limited to the following:

Development Systems and Data Hygiene

• Lead the implementation, optimization, and continuous improvement of development operations systems, ensuring alignment with organizational and fundraising goals.
• Serve as the departments Salesforce subject matter expert, providing training, guidance, and ongoing support to ensure effective use of data for fundraising, engagement, and stewardship.
• Establish and enforce data hygiene standards, business rules, and quality controls; design and implement audits and checks to ensure accurate, reliable, and compliant fundraising data.
• Advance database integrity and structure, design reports that support performance management and leadership decision-making, and implement documentation, workflow, and automation improvements to enhance efficiency, data quality, reporting, and user adoption.
• Manage development document retention and recordkeeping standards, including naming conventions and compliance with organizational requirements.

Gift Processing, Reporting, and Reconciliation

• Oversee accurate and timely processing of philanthropic gifts, pledges, and payments, ensuring compliance with IRS regulations and organizational policies.
• Ensure effective reconciliation of gifts with finance, pledge tracking, and timely pledge reminders in accordance with donor intent and stewardship best practices.
• Establish, document, and enforce best practices for donor acknowledgment, receipting, and record maintenance to support positive donor experience and loyalty.
• Maintain accurate coding, segmentation, and attribution for donors, prospects, board members, events, campaigns, and communications.

Grant Management

• Manage the full lifecycle of grants, including award documentation, reporting deadlines, spending oversight, and compliance with funder requirements.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date grant records in Salesforce and related systems, ensuring alignment with finance and program data.
• Track grant awards, restrictions, reporting schedules, and deliverables to ensure timely and compliant reporting.
• Coordinate grant reporting inputsincluding financials, outcomes, and impact metricsin partnership with program and finance teams.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen grant tracking systems, documentation, and workflows to improve transparency, accuracy, and funder confidence.

Department Budgeting and Financial Management

• Support the creation, management, and monitoring of the Development & Marketing departments annual operating budget.
• Deliver accurate fundraising revenue projections, cash flow analysis, and forecasting.
• Support budget planning and financial tracking for fundraising campaigns and events.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Qualifications

Bachelors degree in nonprofit management, business administration, finance, data management, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

Minimum of 57 years of progressive experience in development operations, fundraising systems, grant management, or a related function in a nonprofit organization.

Demonstrated expertise in Salesforce (or comparable CRM), including data management, reporting, automation, and user support.

Strong experience in gift processing, donor database management, and reconciliation with finance systems.

Proven experience managing grant lifecycles, including tracking deadlines, compliance, reporting, and documentation.

Solid financial acumen, including experience supporting budgets, revenue projections, and financial reporting.

Experience developing and enforcing data governance policies, quality control processes, and documentation standards.

High attention to detail with a strong commitment to accuracy, compliance, and accountability.

Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate data into actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

Salesforce Administrator certification or equivalent advanced CRM certification.

Experience in a multi-site or school-based nonprofit environment.

Familiarity with nonprofit accounting principles, including restricted funding and funder compliance requirements.

Experience creating dashboards and reports for executive leadership and board-level audiences.

Knowledge of IRS regulations related to charitable giving, receipting, and acknowledgments.

Experience supporting fundraising campaigns, events, and integrated marketing efforts through data systems.

Core Competencies

Strategic thinker with a systems-oriented mindset and focus on scalability and efficiency.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive approach to continuous improvement.

Commitment to data integrity, transparency, and ethical stewardship of donor information.

Collaborative team player with the ability to work effectively across development, finance, marketing, and program teams.

Ability to train, coach, and support staff in using systems and adhering to best practices.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Will require some light lifting
• Must be Willing to travel, as job requires

HOURS: Working hours are generally 9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m., however it is expected that this person will have a flexible schedule and will work additional hours as needed to accommodate evening and weekend activities and reporting deadlines. Able to make adequate and reliable transportation arrangement.