Director Grants Management Division

Inside Philanthropy; Washington, Northern (District of Columbia, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, DC, seeks a Senior Executive Service official to serve as Director of the Grants Management Division, overseeing the financial and business aspects of FEMA's grant programs.

The role requires strategic leadership, regulatory compliance, and the ability to drive efficiency across a multi-billion-dollar portfolio, working with internal and external partners to advance resilience and national security.

Qualifications

• Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Technical Qualifications (TQs) must be evidenced in the résumé.
• Experience leading multi-billion-dollar federal grants portfolios.
• Ability to provide strategic leadership in a complex federal environment.

Responsibilities

• Plans, directs, and evaluates activities of the Grants Management Division.
• Oversees development, coordination, and evaluation of grant policies and procedures.
• Ensures compliance with financial, legal, and regulatory requirements across FEMA grants.
• Leads resource planning, budgeting, and hiring authorities within the division.
• Partners with FEMA, DHS, and other agencies to align grant programs with national priorities.

Skills

ECQ competencies

TQ experience

Leadership

Budget oversight

Cross-agency collaboration

Tools

Grants.gov

GMS

PARS

ND grants system

Job description

Summary

This Senior Executive Service position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Office of Resilience, Grants Management Division, located in Washington, D.C. The Director, Grants Management Division (GMD) exercises leadership over the financial and business components of FEMA's grants and assistance responsibilities.

Duties

The Director, Grants Management Division (GMD) manages a robust financial and business grant management operation to standardize and centralize FEMA's grant management, oversight, analysis, and administration. As the Agency's Technical Lead on non-disaster grants and expert for financial and business processes, the incumbent directs and oversees the development, coordination and evaluation of grant policies, regulations, and procedures to effectively support the accomplishment of FEMA's all hazards mission. The incumbent ensures financial, statutory and regulatory compliance in the Agency's grants and assistance activities and provides executive direction and advice to subordinate staff throughout the Directorate. In addition, is responsible for managing the financial and business processes of a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of Federal Assistance programs including both disaster and non-disaster grant programs across all FEMA Directorates. Major Duties: Plans, assigns, directs, coordinates and evaluates activities carried out by the Grants Management Division. Develops organizational plans, budgets, and fund control methods to carry out the work of the Division. Prescribes and directs activities to find and explore new and innovative methods for maximizing organizational efficiencies and operational output, such as grant and assistance automation projects and productivity improvements. Establishes criteria and directs continuous review of grants and assistance financial and business policies and processes used in carrying out delegations. Develops and institute a professional development program for the Division and regional staff so that grants and assistance activities remain within delegated authority and are effectively carried out. Establishes and maintains career management programs that will result in a highly qualified, well managed, and professional grants and assistance workforce. Serves as a primary grants and assistance officer for FEMA as delegated by the FEMA Administrator to execute all grant and assistance awards, re-delegating this authority as deemed necessary to headquarters and regional personnel. Holds an assistance warrant issued by the U.S. Treasury. Manages the use of all grants management systems for making awards currently in place at FEMA, including, but not limited to, rants.gov, the non-disaster (ND) grants system, the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Grants Management system (GMS), Mitigation EGrants, and PROTRAC. Also responsible for managing the use of FEMA grant payment systems, including the Payment and Reporting System (PARS). Serves as the lead for developing all financial and business policies related to FEMA's grant portfolio to include such programs that invest in national security, mitigation, and resilience. This portfolio includes over 50 disaster and non-disaster grant programs across the preparedness spectrum. Oversees the financial grants management activities for GPD programs, while also ensuring appropriate financial, legal, and other reviews and compliance with specialized issues established by law, higher level regulations and OMB circulars. Oversees financial monitoring as well as reporting and closeout requirements for the federal assistance programs within the Grant Programs Directorate. Manages Office and Divisional resources, including budgets, contract resources, and hiring authorities. Supports FEMA's shift to a regionally based approach for delivery of services. Ensures critical program coordination with and between internal and external stakeholders. Supervises coordination functions between Directorate staff and FEMA regional offices. Maintains a close collaboration with other FEMA/DHS components and other Federal departments and agencies, to synchronize preparedness activities across the federal government Participates in the Agency's strategic and systems planning, budgeting, and long-term planning initiatives. Serves as a GPD representative on interdepartmental committees and organizations related to grants and assistance. Liaison with other departments/agencies and government-wide consortia on techniques, new developments, and requirements related to grants and assistance.

Qualifications

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position. TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications. TQ 1: Demonstrated executive experience leading and managing large-scale federal grants programs, with responsibility for the financial, regulatory, and compliance oversight of multibillion-dollar portfolios. Proven expertise in designing, implementing, and optimizing grant management and processes to ensure efficiency, accountability, and adherence to federal requirements. TQ 2: Proven ability to provide strategic leadership for financial and business operations in a complex federal environment, including resource management, organizational planning, and cross-agency collaboration to achieve mission objectives. EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): In addition to the Technical Qualification Requirements listed above, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and TQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position. There are five ECQs: ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding - This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people. ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades. ECQ 3: Merit and Competence - This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality. ECQ 4: Leading People - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable. ECQ 5: Achieving Results - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors. Note: If you are a member of the SES or have been certified through successful participation in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or have SES reinstatement eligibility, you do not need to address the (5) ECQs in your resume. In lieu of, you MUST attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.