Public School Partnership - Grants Manager

Hashtag Nonprofit NPC; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 300 000 - 500 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading non-profit organization in Cape Town seeks a Grants Manager for a fixed-term contract. The role involves managing grants, developing partnerships, and overseeing reporting to funders. Candidates should have a relevant degree and experience in grant management, with strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in grant or fund management.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Experience in legal drafting and contract management.

Responsibilities

• Manage grants to non-profit organisations and facilitate stakeholder relationships.
• Lead internal monitoring and reporting for progress assessment.
• Draft and present proposals and reports to funders.

Skills

Communication

Stakeholder Engagement

Data Analysis

Interpersonal Skills

Education

University-level degree (4 years) in a relevant field

Job description

• DG Murray Trust
  
  

Public School Partnership - Grants Manager

• Deadline:
  
  

15 June 2025

• Region:
  
  

Cape Town

• Type of employment:
  
  

Full time

Job Description

Position: Grants Manager

Type: Fixed-term contract – 18 Months

Location: Claremont, Cape Town

The DGMT Public School Partnership Programme is rooted in the belief that every child deserves access to a high-quality education, regardless of socio-economic status, and that parents and educators should be empowered to make this possible.

Since its inception in 2016, the programme has pioneered innovative governance and management models for South Africa’s most under-resourced public schools. This includes the government-led “Collaboration Schools” programme in the Western Cape and the “Partnership Schools” model in the Eastern and Northern Cape.

Through partnerships with government, parents, public schools, and non-profit organisations, the programme aims to transform education outcomes and create systemic, scalable change.

Reporting to the Project Lead, the Grants Manager will play a pivotal role in advancing the programme’s objectives. Working closely with a small team, the Grants Manager will manage grants to non-profit organisations, facilitate impactful stakeholder relationships, support M&E, advocacy and policy work, and oversee reporting to funders.

Roles and Responsibilities

Develop effective partnerships characterised by trust, empathy, constructive conflict, commitment, empowerment, accountability and results … with stakeholders including non-profit organisations, funders, and education department staff

Grant Management: Commissioning, connecting and building:

• Act as the primary funder interface to a portfolio of grantee organisations.
• Translate project strategy into clear guidance to grantees and serve as a thought partner to their leadership teams.
• Collaborate with grantees to develop and refine grant proposals that align with the Public School Partnership strategy.
• Provide oversight and support to grantees, facilitating reporting cycles that ensure effective implementation, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Commission and oversee new initiatives addressing key areas within the programme’s strategy, fostering innovation and impact.
• For funders: Draft and present compelling proposals, reports, and updates to funders, ensuring alignment between funding priorities and programme objectives.
  
  

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research And Learning (MERL)

• Lead internal monitoring and reporting for progress assessment. Synthesise learnings to support cohesive decision making and strategy development
• Create routine platforms for engagement to facilitate knowledge sharing, surface learnings, and demonstrate support for the programme.
• Support monitoring and evaluation – Both the design of evaluations, and work with partners to highlight implementation experiences for greater insight and policy influence.
  
  

Communication And Advocacy

• Collaborate with the Communications Lead to produce high-quality outputs such as learning briefs, Op-Eds and case studies. Present learnings and advocate for grantees, Public School Partnerships, and new provisioning models, in appropriate forums
  
  

Policy And Legal Support

• Assist in drafting policy documents, service-level agreements, and contracts with service providers.
• Work to tactically translate and ensure alignment between
• Programme objectives
• Policy submissions
• Contracts and grant objectives
  

Qualifications And Requirements

Minimum requirements

• University-level degree (4 years) in a relevant field
• Evidence of continued professional development which aligns with the job responsibilities above
• 3–5 years of experience in grant or fund management, including the administration, advisory/coaching and performance management of funded organisations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Experience in legal drafting and contract management.
• Strong experience liaising with external stakeholders in non-profit or business-development settings.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse data and synthesise insights into compelling narratives
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, characterised by trust, empathy, constructive conflict, commitment, empowerment, accountability and results
• Collaborative, consultative mindset
• Proficiency in balancing detail-oriented work with strategic, entrepreneurial problem-solving in complex, long-term contexts.
• Proficiency in additional South African languages would be advantageous
  
  

Advantageous: (the preferred candidate will have at least one, or more of:)

• Familiarity with South Africa’s education sector, trends, role players and legal environment
• Experience engaging with provincial or municipal governments, or school governing bodies.
• Experience as a coach, investment lead or board member to non-profit or small organisations
• Experience in legal research and policy development
• Background in advocacy or public policy
  
  

How to apply

Applicants should submit their CV and motivational letter, which should highlight how their experiences are relevant to the Key Responsibilities of the role, by 15 June 2025, by clicking HERE.

You will be directed to our application portal. Scroll to the bottom of the page, click apply, complete the form and upload the required documents.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early application is encouraged.

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More about this vacancy

• Date posted:
  
  

20 May 2025

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