Operating Grants Program Director

AppleOne; Pleasanton (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 162,000; Full time

Job summary

AppleOne Employment Services in Pleasanton, CA is seeking an experienced Operating Grants Program Director to lead a large, publicly funded child care grant program in Alameda County. The role oversees roughly $50 million in annual funding and 900+ provider sites, with a focus on equity and accountability.

The position requires a strategic program management background, strong governance, and collaborative leadership across finance, compliance, and community partners.

Qualifications

• Lead the development and administration of a large-scale public funding program.
• Manage grant operations, compliance, reporting, and audits.
• Build workflows, policies, eligibility processes, and performance metrics.
• Lead cross-functional teams with finance, compliance, government, and community partners.
• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Social Services, Finance, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in public-sector, nonprofit, grantmaking, subsidy, or government-funded programs.

Responsibilities

• Launch, implement, and improve a $50M annual Operating Grants Program.
• Oversee grant lifecycle including applications, eligibility, contracting, payments, compliance, reporting.
• Establish policies, workflows, internal controls, and performance metrics.
• Provide financial forecasting, grant allocations, spending analysis, and audit readiness.
• Lead, mentor, and develop program staff and foster a service-focused culture.
• Build relationships with providers, government agencies, funders and internal stakeholders.

Skills

Grant management

Leadership

Financial controls

Stakeholder collaboration

Analytical

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Job Summary

A mission-driven organization in Pleasanton, CA is seeking an experienced Operating Grants Program Director to lead a large-scale, publicly funded child care grant program serving Alameda County. This direct hire leadership role will oversee approximately $50 million in annual funding supporting more than 900 child care provider sites.

This is a high-impact opportunity for a strategic program management leader who understands government-funded programs, grant administration, financial compliance, and community-centered service delivery. The Operating Grants Program Director will help launch, scale, and strengthen a complex funding initiative that supports child care provider stability, workforce wage enhancements, and services for families across the region.

The role offers the opportunity to work in a collaborative, purpose-driven environment with cross-functional partnerships across finance, compliance, technology, community organizations, government agencies, and funding partners. This is an excellent fit for a leader who values equity, operational excellence, strong team development, and meaningful community impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the launch, implementation, and continuous improvement of a $50 million annual Operating Grants Program supporting more than 900 child care provider sites.
• Oversee the full grant lifecycle, including applications, eligibility reviews, grant calculations, contracting, payments, compliance, appeals, renewals, and reporting.
• Establish program policies, procedures, workflows, internal controls, quality assurance standards, and performance metrics.
• Provide financial oversight for forecasting, grant allocations, funding distributions, payment processes, spending analysis, and audit readiness.
• Lead, mentor, and develop program staff while building a positive, accountable, service-focused team culture.
• Build strong relationships with child care providers, community partners, government agencies, funders, and internal stakeholders to support equitable and accessible program delivery.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary range: $150,000 to $162,000 per year.
• Job type: Direct hire.
• Location: Pleasanton, CA.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Lead the development, launch, and administration of a large-scale public funding and grantmaking program.
• Manage grant operations, compliance processes, financial controls, reporting, payments, and audit preparation.
• Build operational workflows, program policies, eligibility processes, and performance measurement systems.
• Lead internal teams and collaborate with finance, compliance, technology, government, and community stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Social Services, Finance, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience managing complex public-sector, nonprofit, grantmaking, subsidy, benefits administration, or government-funded programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and overseeing large-scale funding initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of grant administration, budget management, financial compliance, internal controls, regulatory requirements, and audit standards.
• Proven ability to develop and implement policies, procedures, operational systems, and process improvements.
• Experience managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders, deadlines, funding requirements, and compliance obligations.
• Strong analytical, organizational, leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to translate complex regulations and contractual requirements into clear, actionable operating procedures.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, accessibility, culturally responsive service delivery, and inclusive community engagement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Public Policy, Social Services, or a related discipline.
• Experience administering child care funding, early childhood education programs, workforce compensation initiatives, or wage enhancement programs.
• Knowledge of Alameda County’s early childhood education, child care, nonprofit, and community services landscape.
• Experience implementing or optimizing grant management, eligibility determination, benefits administration, or public funding systems.
• Familiarity with government contracting, public funding accountability, regulatory reporting, compliance reviews, and audits.
• Experience supporting multilingual, multicultural, and diverse provider communities.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

The Know Your Rights poster is available here: https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf

The pay transparency policy is available here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf

For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.

AppleOne participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program. https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf

We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.