Grants & Compliance Manager ($83,500 – $112,000, based on experience)

Opportunity Consulting; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 84,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid schedule

Healthcare benefits

Sick leave

Life insurance

401K company match

Professional learning & development

Mentorship & coaching

Conferences & events

Job summary

Opportunity Consulting in Washington, DC, seeks a Grants and Compliance Manager to oversee complex grant-funded initiatives, ensuring compliance, financial stewardship, and strong internal controls across subgrants and contractors.

The role focuses on improving systems, documenting processes, and collaborating with program staff, operations, and funders to support monitoring, reporting, and audit readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in public administration, business, finance, or related field.
• Approximately 5+ years of progressively responsible grants management or fiscal oversight experience.
• Experience administering or monitoring federal, state, local, or District government grant funds.
• Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills and comfort reviewing detailed financial information.

Responsibilities

• Review grant-funded expenditures, reimbursement requests, invoices, and payment documentation for completeness, allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and budget alignment.
• Identify documentation gaps, compliance concerns, and potential fiscal risks before funds are disbursed.
• Maintain and reinforce internal controls across approval, processing, and disbursement functions.
• Support grant closeout, records retention, monitoring reviews, and audit preparation.
• Coordinate with funder monitors and prepare documentation for monitoring reviews, site visits, and audits.
• Develop and maintain grant-related documentation standards, trackers, and SOPs.

Skills

Grants management

Compliance

Fiscal oversight

Budgeting

Excel/Sheets

Documentation

Training

Education

Bachelor's degree in public administration, business, finance, or related field

Tools

Grant management systems

Subrecipient monitoring

Job description

Location: Washington, DC
Salary range: $83,500 – $112,000, based on experience (new hires will most likely start in the lower half of this range)
Position Type: Full-time, grant-funded position
Term: Initial 12-month appointment, with the potential for annual renewal for up to four years, subject to continued funding availability and satisfactory performance
Included Benefits: Hybrid schedule, healthcare benefits, sick leave, life insurance, 401K company match, professional learning and development opportunities, mentorship and coaching, and opportunities to attend conferences and industry events.

About Opportunity Consulting

Opportunity Consulting is a growing, mission-driven consulting firm that partners with state and local government agencies, school systems, nonprofits, foundations, and other mission-driven organizations to improve education, economic mobility, and community well-being. We take on complex challenges where strategy, policy, people, and implementation intersect, helping organizations move from big questions and competing priorities to data-informed strategies, stronger programs and systems, and meaningful results for the communities they serve.

Our work spans research and evaluation, needs assessments, strategic planning and advising, organizational improvement, leadership and capacity building, community and stakeholder engagement, and implementation support. Across that work, we value rigor, curiosity, collaboration, equity, and practical impact. We believe good consulting means listening closely to the people closest to the work, using data and evidence thoughtfully, asking hard questions, making complex information accessible, and developing solutions that can actually be put into practice.

That range means no two projects, or weeks, look quite the same. One day our team might be analyzing education or workforce data; another, facilitating a strategic planning session, interviewing community members, evaluating a youth program, helping an agency strengthen implementation, or translating research into recommendations leaders can act on.

About the Role

We're looking for a Grants and Compliance Manager to join our team to support the implementation of a public-sector grant-funded initiative. This is a hands-on role for someone who understands how strong grants management and compliance, fiscal stewardship, internal controls, and thoughtful program implementation work together.

The Grants and Compliance Manager will oversee key grants administration and compliance functions across a complex initiative that includes funding and monitoring subgrants, subcontracted services, and other oversight of grant-funded expenditures. You'll help ensure that funds are administered appropriately, transactions are supported by complete documentation, subgrantees meet applicable and allowable requirements, reporting is accurate and timely, and the project remains prepared for monitoring and audit.

This is not a role where compliance means simply checking boxes after the work is done. We want someone who can help to build and maintain strong systems on the front end, identify potential issues early, and help staff and partners understand what good grants management looks like in practice. You'll balance accountability with problem-solving, helping create processes that protect public funds without making implementation unnecessarily difficult. You'll work closely with project leadership, program managers, and operations and fiscal staff. You'll also interact directly with government/funder grant monitors and will be trusted to identify risks, ask good questions, follow issues through resolution, and exercise sound judgment.

We're also a tech-savvy team that is constantly looking for smarter and more effective ways to work. You'll use and help strengthen systems for grants management, financial tracking, reporting, project management, data collection, and documentation. We're increasingly exploring how AI can strengthen analysis, documentation, project delivery, communications, and day-to-day operations while pairing new technology with strong judgment, established best practices, and company policies for responsible use.

This is a grant-funded position with an initial 12-month term. The position may be renewed annually for up to four years, subject to continued funding availability and satisfactory performance.

What You'll Do

Grants Compliance & Fiscal Oversight

• Review grant-funded expenditures, reimbursement requests, invoices, and payment documentation for completeness, allowability, allocability, reasonableness, budget alignment, and required approvals
• Apply applicable requirements, including 2 CFR Part 200, District grant requirements, funder-specific terms and conditions, and established policies and procedures
• Review supporting documentation against approved scopes of work, budgets, deliverables, funding requirements, and applicable cost principles
• Identify documentation gaps, questioned costs, compliance concerns, and potential fiscal risks before funds are disbursed
• Maintain and reinforce appropriate internal controls and segregation of duties across approval, processing, and disbursement functions
• Support grant closeout, records retention, monitoring reviews, and audit preparation

Subgrantee Monitoring & Support

• Partner with project and program managers to support the fiscal and compliance oversight of community-based organization subgrantees from onboarding through grant closeout
• Review subrecipient reimbursement requests, fiscal documentation, financial reports, and other required grant records
• Maintain monitoring tools, findings logs, supporting documentation, corrective action plans, and resolution records
• Track recurring issues or patterns that may indicate implementation, compliance, or organizational capacity risks
• Collaborate with capacity-building staff to translate monitoring findings into practical supports for grantees
• Support grantee orientations and training related to fiscal management, documentation, reimbursement, compliance, and reporting expectations
• Own and maintain grant-related transaction tracking and reporting within required project and funder systems
• Maintain accurate records of grant-funded transactions, subgrant disbursements, direct‑assistance expenditures, approvals, and supporting documentation
• Develop and maintain documentation standards, grant files, approval records, trackers, checklists, and standard operating procedures
• Reconcile grant records across program systems, financial systems, internal trackers, and source documentation
• Maintain organized, secure, and audit‑ready files throughout the life of the award
• Support monthly, quarterly, annual, and closeout reporting requirements

Budget & Financial Monitoring

• Monitor expenditures against approved project and grant budgets
• Identify spending trends, budget variances, potential overspending or underspending, and costs that may require clarification, approval, or budget modification
• Work closely with the bookkeeper and fractional CFO to ensure project-level records align with the general ledger and supporting documentation
• Maintain or support subledgers and transaction-level records for subgrants, direct‑assistance funds, subcontractors, and other grant-funded expenditures
• Review financial records for completeness and consistency before reimbursement, reporting, or submission
• Help ensure financial documentation is readily available for funder monitoring, internal review, and audits

Internal Controls & Process Improvement

• Document, implement, and continuously improve grants management and fiscal compliance processes
• Help develop templates, checklists, SOPs, approval workflows, and other tools that make grant requirements clear and usable
• Help project staff understand grant requirements before expenses are incurred rather than resolving preventable issues after the fact
• Identify recurring compliance challenges and recommend improvements to systems, processes, training, or controls

Funder & Monitor Coordination

• Participate in meetings with funder program, fiscal, technical, and compliance staff
• Prepare documentation and supporting materials for monitoring reviews, site visits, desk reviews, and audits
• Coordinate timely responses to monitoring and compliance requests
• Communicate compliance requirements in clear, practical language to internal staff and external audiences

Training & Capacity Building

• Develop practical guidance, tools, templates, and checklists for grant-funded partners
• Participate in orientations, workshops, Communities of Practice, or technical assistance sessions related to fiscal management and grants compliance
• Support organizations with varying levels of administrative capacity while maintaining consistent accountability and documentation standards
• Use monitoring findings and recurring questions to identify areas where additional training or technical assistance may be needed

Who You Are

• We're looking for someone who is analytical, grounded, and highly organized. You should care about both protecting public funds and helping programs succeed.
• Mission-aligned. You're interested in education, workforce development, youth development, government, nonprofits, or other social-sector work, and you understand that strong financial stewardship is essential to achieving community impact.
• Detail-oriented without losing the big picture. You can catch a missing receipt, inconsistent budget code, or incomplete approval while still understanding the programmatic purpose behind the transaction.
• Comfortable with accountability. You're willing to ask questions, flag concerns, and say when something is needed additional documentation, review, or approval.
• Proactive. You don't wait until monitoring or audit season to organize records or address risks. You build systems that make compliance part of everyday operations.
• A resourceful problem-solver. You make a thoughtful effort to work through complex rules and unfamiliar situations independently, use the resources available to you, and exercise good judgment about when to bring others in.
• Highly organized. You naturally create order, maintain strong documentation, track deadlines, follow through on commitments, and notice when something is missing or doesn't quite add up.
• A strong communicator. You can explain complex fiscal or regulatory requirements clearly and professionally to program staff, funders, and community-based partners.
• Tech-savvy. You pick up new systems quickly and are comfortable moving between financial systems, spreadsheets, project management platforms, grant-management systems, and shared documentation environments.
• An active learner. You're comfortable digging into regulations, grant terms, funder guidance, and unfamiliar requirements, asking good questions, and building expertise over time.
• Adaptable across altitude. You can move between detailed transaction review, partner coaching, systems design, funder communication, and higher-level risk analysis throughout the day.

Requirements

• Able to work in the DC office at least 3 days per week with a set schedule, with occasional local travel for meetings, monitoring visits, or project activities
• Bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, finance, accounting, nonprofit management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Approximately 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in grants management, grants compliance, fiscal monitoring, contract administration, public-sector finance, or a closely related area
• Demonstrated experience administering or monitoring federal, state, local, or District government grant funds
• Experience reviewing expenditures, invoices, reimbursement requests, or other financial documentation for compliance with funding requirements
• Experience with subrecipient monitoring, grant monitoring, fiscal reviews, corrective actions, or similar oversight responsibilities
• Strong written communication and documentation skills
• Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills and comfort reviewing detailed financial information
• Experience working with financial, grants management, case management, or program reporting systems
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines, reporting requirements, transactions, and follow-up items simultaneously
• Experience working with community-based organizations, nonprofits, public agencies, or grant-funded programs is strongly preferred
• Experience with District of Columbia government grants or contracts is strongly preferred
• Experience providing technical assistance or training related to grants management or fiscal compliance is a plus
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Opportunity Consulting does not provide employment-based immigration sponsorships for this position.