Senior Director of Grants

Communities In Schools of Central Texas; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 86,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health insurance

Retirement plan with employer match

Job summary

Communities In Schools of Central Texas seeks a Senior Director of Grants to lead the institutional grants program, shaping a strategic pipeline and directing a team of writers and specialists. The role reports to the Chief Development Officer and balances writing with strategic leadership across foundation, corporate, and government funding.

Key responsibilities include developing high-impact proposals, managing a diverse funding portfolio, and ensuring alignment of narratives, budgets, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of grant writing and institutional fundraising experience.
• Proven success securing six- and seven-figure grants from foundations, corporations, or government funders.
• Exceptional writing/editing skills and ability to synthesize complex information.
• Experience leading complex proposal development with multiple stakeholders, budgets, and sources.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the organization's highest-priority, high-value grant proposals and reports.
• Develop and execute an institutional grants prospecting strategy and diversified funding pipeline.
• Supervise grant writing staff, contractors, and support resources.
• Coordinate with Finance, program leads, and executives to align budgets and narratives.
• Oversee grants systems, workflows, submissions, reporting, and compliance.

Skills

Grant writing

Leadership

Strategic planning

Grant budgeting

Salesforce

AI in grants

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce

Grants management software

Job description

Position Description

Senior Director of Grants

Location Austin, TX 78744

Job Code 1117 - 2026

# of openings 1

Location

In-person / Hybrid/ CIST Administrative Office / Austin, Texas

Employment Type

Full-Time, Exempt

Reports to

Chief Development Officer

Supervises

Will supervise a full-time grant writer, a part-time grant writer/prospector and specialized grant contractors

Salary

$7,916.67/monthly ($95,000/yearly) (contingent on experience)

Please include a cover letter with your application

About Communities In Schools

Rooted in community for over 40 years, Communities In Schools of Central Texas (CISCT) is a sophisticated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas. Communities In Schools (CIS) is a national organization that ensures every student has what they need to realize their full potential in school and beyond. At CISCT, our mission is simple: surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Grants leads Communities In Schools of Central Texas' institutional grants program, overseeing a collaborative team responsible for securing significant funding from foundation, corporate, and government sources. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Senior Director personally leads the development of the organization's most complex and highest-priority grant proposals; develops and executes a comprehensive grants prospecting strategy; and provides leadership across the grants team and institutional funding portfolio.

This role requires an exceptional writer and experienced grants leader who can synthesize complex program models, evaluation findings, financial information, and organizational priorities into compelling funding proposals. Approximately 50% of the position is dedicated to writing, editing, and leading sophisticated grant proposals and reports, with the remaining time focused on institutional grants strategy, team leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and oversight of the grants function.

What You’ll Do

Lead Complex Grant Development

• Personally lead the development of the organization's highest-priority, most complex, and highest-value grant proposals and reports, dedicating approximately 50% of the role to proposal development and writing.
• Develop compelling approaches and positioning for significant foundation, corporate, and government funding opportunities. Translate complex organizational priorities, program models, evaluation findings, financial information, and implementation plans into clear, persuasive, funder-centered narratives.
• Lead complex proposal development from initial concept and positioning through final submission.
• Provide expert review and editing of proposals and reports developed by other members of the grants team, engaging the Chief Development Officer and other senior leaders in review as appropriate.
• Ensure proposals align narrative, outcomes, budgets, implementation plans, and funder requirements.

Institutional Grants Strategy

• Develop and execute the organization's institutional grants prospecting strategy in partnership with the Chief Development Officer.
• Build and manage a diversified funding pipeline across foundation, corporate, and government sources.
• Identify, research, and evaluate funding opportunities aligned with organizational priorities and funding needs.
• Recommend which opportunities to pursue based on strategic alignment, competitiveness, organizational capacity, and potential return.
• Lead annual grants planning, proposal prioritization, pipeline management, and prospecting efforts.
• Partner with the Chief Development Officer on renewal, cultivation, and stewardship approaches for key institutional funders.

Grants Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a collaborative grants team responsible for foundation, corporate, and government funding.
• Supervise full-time and part-time grant writing staff, specialized contractors, and other grant support resources as needed.
• Deploy staff and contractor resources strategically across prospect research, public and private grant development, and other priority projects based on expertise, capacity, and organizational need.
• Establish departmental priorities, annual work plans, proposal assignments, and workflows to support timely development of high-quality proposals and reports.
• Balance team workload based on proposal complexity, organizational priorities, deadlines, staff expertise, and capacity.
• Establish and maintain high standards for grant writing and proposal development across the team.
• Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional development to strengthen individual and team performance.
• Monitor departmental performance through key metrics, pipeline reporting, and workload management.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with executive leadership, program leaders, Finance, evaluation, and Development colleagues to develop competitive grant proposals.
• Lead cross-functional planning for complex proposals, bringing together the right internal partners and establishing clear roles, timelines, and deliverables.
• Facilitate collaboration and synthesize input from multiple stakeholders into cohesive and persuasive funding narratives.
• Collaborate with Finance and program leadership to develop proposal budgets and ensure alignment among narrative, budget, scope of work, and outcomes.
• Build strong working relationships across departments to strengthen grant readiness and improve the quality and efficiency of proposal development.
• Lead preparation for significant funder site visits, proposal presentations, and other grant-related meetings as appropriate.

Grants Operations & Performance

• Provide oversight of grants systems, proposal workflows, and departmental processes, with day-to-day grants administration and production management delegated across the grants team as appropriate.
• Ensure effective processes are in place to support proposal submissions, grant reporting, compliance, and funder stewardship. Monitor the institutional funding pipeline and provide regular visibility to the Chief Development Officer and organizational leadership on opportunities, submissions, awards, and risks.
• Ensure Salesforce and other grants management systems provide accurate visibility into funding opportunities, assignments, deadlines, and reporting requirements.
• Promote and maintain agency culture, standards, and systems.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Development Officer or Chief Executive Officer.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree or advanced degree preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible grant writing and institutional fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated success developing and securing complex six- and seven-figure grants from foundation, corporate, and/or government funders.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information into clear, persuasive narratives.
• Significant experience leading complex proposal development involving multiple departments, stakeholders, budgets, and sources of information.
• Experience developing prospecting strategies and managing institutional funding pipelines.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate funding opportunities and determine strategic fit and competitiveness.
• Experience supervising and developing grant professionals and/or managing consultants and contractors.
• Strong project management skills and demonstrated ability to lead multiple high-stakes proposals simultaneously.
• Strong financial acumen and experience collaborating with Finance and program teams on complex grant budgets.
• Excellent interpersonal and facilitation skills, including the ability to work effectively with executive leadership and colleagues across functions.
• Experience with Salesforce or comparable grants management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI and emerging technologies thoughtfully to strengthen grant writing, prospect research, and efficiency.

Why Join CIS?

• Mission-driven work – Be part of a team that changes the trajectory of students’ lives.
• Professional growth – Ongoing training, supervision, and career pathways into director-level roles.
• Community impact – Build partnerships that extend beyond the classroom.
• Generous paid time off: 4+ weeks of holidays, 2 weeks of vacation time, personal days and sick days
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: 100% employer-paid employee medical plan available, plus family subsidies, dental, vision, life, disability insurance, and 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Community-centered culture focused on impact, growth, and connection

Communities In Schools of Central Texas is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.