Development & Grants Specialist

Palo Alto University; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto University (PAU) seeks a Development Specialist to drive fundraising operations, grant writing, donor communications, and CRM stewardship. The role supports the SPUR division and collaborates with directors, faculty, and program leaders to position PAU’s behavioral science programs for revenue growth and sustainability.

The right candidate has strong writing talent, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a mission-driven academic environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in English, communications, public policy, nonprofit management, psychology, or a related field is required.
• Two or more years of experience in development operations, nonprofit fundraising, grant writing, or a related role.
• Exceptional written communication skills across proposals, reports, and donor communications.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with ability to handle multiple priorities.
• Experience with CRM platforms and donor database management; HubSpot preferred.

Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue foundation, corporate, local, state, and select federal funding opportunities and write proposals.
• Write grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and concept papers for various funders.
• Build a priority Bay Area foundation and corporate funder portfolio with tailored proposals.
• Monitor grant programs and write competitive proposals in coordination with program leaders.
• Own the full proposal writing process from draft to submission.
• Translate complex program information into persuasive narratives for funders.
• Collaborate with faculty to gather content and outcome data for proposals.
• Develop and maintain an institutional grants library with boilerplate content and templates.
• Track active proposals, deadlines, and funder decisions in CRM and calendar.
• Support post-award management including reporting obligations and stewardship.

Skills

Exceptional writing

Organizational skills

Project management

CRM experience

HubSpot familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in English, communications, public policy, nonprofit management, psychology, or related field

Tools

HubSpot

Job description

Palo Alto University (PAU) seeks a Development Specialist to drive fundraising operations, grant writing, donor communications, and CRM stewardship. The role supports the SPUR division and collaborates with directors, faculty, and program leaders to position PAU’s behavioral science programs for revenue growth and sustainability.

The right candidate has strong writing talent, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a mission-driven academic environment.