Director, Grant Development

Socket.dev; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

United Way of Greater Atlanta is seeking an experienced Director of Grant Development to lead research, proposal development, and stewardship communications that support fundraising and community impact goals. You will partner closely with the Office of Development and multiple departments to secure support from private, corporate, and government funders.

The role covers the full grant lifecycle, from prospect research and proposal development to submission, tracking, reporting, and compliance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field is required.
• 3-5 years of grant writing, foundation relations, fundraising, or nonprofit development experience.
• Proven success securing foundation, corporate, or government grants.
• Experience managing multiple projects and deadlines.
• CRM or grants management system experience preferred.
• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and storytelling skills.
• Strong research and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to synthesize complex data into clear narratives.
• Excellent project management, organizational, and time-management skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and cross-department collaboration.
• Discretion handling confidential information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Research, identify, and evaluate grant opportunities aligned with priorities.
• Develop, write, edit, and submit grant proposals, LOIs, applications, and reports.
• Manage the full grant lifecycle including prospect research, submission, compliance, and reporting.
• Collaborate with Finance, Development, Corporate Relations, and Leadership for data and funder updates.
• Monitor philanthropic trends and maintain funder briefing materials.
• Track proposal activity, grant revenue, pipeline, and outcomes for planning and forecasting.

Skills

Grant writing

Storytelling

Research

Project management

Interdepartmental collaboration

Discretion with confidential info

MS Office

Communication

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications/English/Journalism/Nonprofit Management/Public Administration/Public Policy/Business

Tools

CRM/grants management system

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Job description

Job Details

Level: Experienced, Job Location: Headquarters - Atlanta, GA, Position Type: Full Time, Education Level: Bachelor's Degree, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Travel Percentage: Up to 25%, Job Shift: Any, Job Category: Nonprofit - Social Services

Position Summary

The Director, Grant Development is responsible for researching, writing, coordinating, and submitting compelling grant proposals, reports, and stewardship communications that support United Way of Greater Atlanta's fundraising and community impact priorities. This position serves as a key member of the Office of Development team, partnering closely with Corporate Relations, Individual Giving, Community Impact, Finance, and Executive Leadership to secure philanthropic support from private foundations, family foundations, corporate foundations, government agencies, and other grant-making organizations. The Director, Grant Development manages the full grant lifecycle, including prospect research, proposal development, submission management, grant tracking, reporting, and compliance. The role ensures that grant opportunities are pursued strategically, deadlines are met, funder requirements are fulfilled, and funding outcomes are accurately documented and reported.

Essential Responsibilities

• Grant Strategy, Development, Management, and Reporting Research, identify, and evaluate grant opportunities that align with United Way of Greater Atlanta’s strategic priorities, community impact goals, and annual fundraising needs.
• Develop, write, edit, and submit compelling grant proposals, letters of inquiry, applications, sponsorship requests, reports, and stewardship communications that clearly communicate organizational impact and funding priorities.
• Manage the full grant lifecycle, including prospect research, proposal development, submission coordination, compliance tracking, reporting deadlines, funder stewardship, and accurate documentation within donor and grants management systems.
• Collaborate with Community Impact, Finance, Development, Corporate Relations, Individual Giving, and Executive Leadership to gather programmatic, financial, and impact data needed for proposals, reports, dashboards, and funder updates.
• Monitor philanthropic trends, maintain funder profiles and briefing materials, and provide strategic recommendations to support cultivation, solicitation, renewal, and institutional partnership growth.
• Track and report proposal activity, grant revenue secured, pipeline performance, funder deliverables, and outcomes to support departmental planning, forecasting, data integrity, and annual fundraising goals.

Qualifications

• Education Bachelor's degree in Communications, English, Journalism, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Public Policy, Business, or a related field required.
• Experience Minimum of 3-5 years of professional grant writing, foundation relations, fundraising, or nonprofit development experience.
• Demonstrated success securing foundation, corporation, and/or government grants.
• Experience managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Experience working within a CRM or grants management system preferred.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and storytelling skills.
• Strong research and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to synthesize complex data into clear and persuasive narratives.
• Excellent project management, organizational, and time-management skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate cross departments.
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion.
• Detail-oriented with strong follow-through and accountability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work independent while managing multiple priorities in fast-paced environment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Optional to includ

• Number of grant proposals submitted.
• Total grant dollars requested.
• Total grant dollars awarded.
• Proposal submission accuracy and on-time completion rate.
• Timeliness of grant reporting and compliance submissions.
• New funding prospects identified and qualified.
• Grant renewal and retention rate.
• Contribution toward annual fundraising and revenue goals.