Position Summary
The Senior Director of Grant Management will oversee Audubon’s centralized grants function with primary responsibility for ensuring proper compliance, financial management and administrative oversight for all grants, cooperative agreements and similar funding awards. The Senior Director will serve as a subject matter expert about financial management and compliance topics related to grant management and will supervise the Grant Management team. This position plays a critical role in supporting the organization’s growing and increasingly complex portfolio of government, foundation, and corporate grants by embedding compliance, optimizing financial design, and building staff capacity. This role will work closely with other teams within the Finance Department and others responsible for portions of the grant management lifecycle across the organization, including establishing positive cooperative relationships with all internal and external stakeholders. The position calls for a skilled grant manager accustomed to overseeing financial management of large and complicated awards and the ability to quickly and effectively learn new grant management and compliance requirements for all types of grant and similar funding (including public, institutional and corporate awards on the international, federal, state and local levels), developing implementation plans and updating processes and workflows, managing employee performance, providing training to team members and stakeholders and quickly identifying and solving problems. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and working closely with Development, Legal, Finance, and Program teams, the Senior Director ensures that all grant activities meet donor and regulatory requirements, protect organizational integrity, and are structured to maximize impact and sustainability. The role will supervise a skilled and collaborative grants team and serve as the institution’s senior expert on grants administration and donor compliance.
Audubon is in the process of making significant investments in increasing capacity across all aspects of the grants management lifecycle. The Senior Director will provide key input to influence both strategy and implementation and must be flexible as the exact nature of the role may change to better support an enhanced infrastructure.
This role will be hybrid out of our New York, NY or Washington, DC office. We will also consider candidates who are remote within the United States.
Compensation:
Salary range based on geo-differentials:
- $144,000 - $162,000 / year = National
- $162,000 - $182,000 / year = Alaska, CA (not San Francisco), Connecticut, D.C., Chicago, Oyster Bay, NY
- $180,000 - $202,000 / year = NYC (not Oyster Bay), San Francisco, Seattle
Additional Job Description
Essential Functions
- Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure administrative and financial compliance with all applicable post-award management requirements, including those defined in funder guidance, those set forth in the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), and within internal policies, procedures, and best practices.
- Maintain and periodically update comprehensive Grants Management Manual.
- Monitor and oversee financial compliance across all active funding awards, coordinating with project managers, award managers and leadership to ensure timely reporting, allowable expenditures, proper documentation, and successful audits. Work closely with the Public Funding Team within Conservation, the Institutional Giving team within Development and others to ensure well-aligned workflows and effective communication systems.
- Manage the Grant Management team, including conducting quality control audits, developing and implementing procedures and workflows, participating in the annual performance management process, providing team members with needed support, monitoring status of team workload and ensuring that any delay or backlog is quickly addressed and minimized, and completing analysis related to team performance.
- Serve as a key advisor to CFO and other organization leaders on issues related to grant administration and financial management.
- Work with the Public Funding Team to implement the organization’s Public Funding and Partnerships Strategy.
- Work with program staff, the Public Funding Team, Development, and other stakeholders to ensure smooth transitions from pre-award proposal development to post-award implementation, aligning timelines, scopes, and reporting obligations.
- Assist Grant Management team members with interactions with Audubon leadership, grant partners, funders, and other stakeholders.
- Support internal training and capacity-building efforts to equip team members and other stakeholders with the tools, knowledge, and systems required for compliant and effective administration and financial management of all grants and similar awards.
- Serve as subject matter expert on donor regulations (e.g., 2 CFR 200), ensuring that staff and systems stay current.
- Supervise Grant Management team members participating on award pursuit teams and ensure that budgets and other pre-award work are completed in an accurate and timely manner.
- Review all grant proposal submissions for financial integrity, donor compliance, and institutional standards. Ensure proposal budgets include appropriate overhead recovery, accurate direct charging, and correct staffing.
- Develop and maintain standardized post-award documentation templates, data intake procedures and related guidance to ensure clarity and consistency across regions and programs.
- Regularly compile and deliver detailed reporting and analysis to senior leadership on the status, performance, and risk exposure of all grants.
- Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and communication to resolve grant management challenges and support seamless grant administration.
- Monitor updates in grant policies, regulations, and audit standards, and translate changes into actionable updates to internal practices and guidance.
- Support systems development and improvement initiatives aimed at scaling Audubon’s post-award management capacity to meet the organization’s growth goals.
- Assist with other departmental and strategic initiatives that enhance Audubon’s ability to effectively manage public funding in support of its conservation mission.
- Support a culture of philanthropy.
- Collaborate with colleagues across the Americas including through joint planning and execution of shared priorities.
- Maintain and foster culture of safety.
- Other job-related duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Experience
- A minimum of ten years of progressive experience supporting grant management at a similarly sized or larger entity, with three years of leadership experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.
- Significant knowledge of and experience applying regulations applicable to public funding, including but not limited to the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200 et seq.). Knowledge of common international compliance requirements is preferred.
- Entrepreneurial self-starter with strong project management and organizational skills.
- Collaborator with natural affinity for building close, effective working relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders.
- Strong leader with demonstrated skills in team building, delegation, and transparent, consultative management.
- Strong understanding of budgets and financials related to both project management and grant identification and pursuit.
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed to meet with Audubon conservation leaders and funders and participate in/present at conferences and events that will raise the profile of Audubon with funders and potential partners, up to 20 percent.
- Experience and knowledge of the environmental landscape is a plus and must have an interest in conservation and Audubon.
- Proficiency with Workday, Financial Edge or other similar financial software and Microsoft Office applications including ability to create impactful tables, charts, and graphics necessary to support high-quality grant applications.
- Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.
- Experience fostering inclusive and collaborative work environments is valued.
National Audubon Society Competencies: This role will also be accountable to apply and develop the following competencies.
Building Trust: Take actions that give others confidence in your intentions and see you as a truthful and reliable person who follows through on promises and commitments.
Coaching: Guide and develop individuals within the organization, nurturing their professional growth and enhancing performance for the future.
Decision Making: Make decisions based on comparative data and input from various sources, incorporating diverse viewpoints and insights for a holistic understanding.
Leading and Facilitating Change: Be effective in guiding, managing, and supporting organizational or systemic transformations, including considering diverse needs and perspectives.
Strategic Leadership: Demonstrate creative problem-solving skills and articulate strategic vision to help team members and the organization achieve long-term goals.
EEO Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic outlined by federal, state, or local laws. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates.
Accessibility Statement
The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Accommodations@audubon.org. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
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