Senior Grants & Contracts Director

About the position: The Senior Grants & Contracts Director (SGCD) plays a vital role in securing and managing funding to support the mission of Second Harvest Food Bank. S/he leads the full grant and contracts cycle including research, proposal development, submission, reporting, and compliance. The SGCD is responsible for developing and implementing effective strategies that secure over $4.0 M in funding through competitive funding proposals to support Second Harvest’s programs. S/he works closely with staff to effectively communicate program impact through data-driven results and evidence-based practices, ensuring strong alignment with funding requirements.

REPORTS TO: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

SUPERVISES: N/A

JOB SUMMARY:

Contracts & Grants Research, Development and Submittal (40%)

• Responsible for identifying, applying for, and managing the process of securing foundation and corporate grants in accordance with applicable standards, regulations and guidelines.
• Develop and implement effective strategies that secure contracts through competitive proposals that support Second Harvest programs.
• Collaborate with food bank staff, volunteers, and board members to gain in-depth understanding of ongoing program/project needs, goals, objectives, and outcomes.
• Write and submit concise, articulate and persuasive proposals and narratives for the grant application process.
• Work closely with stakeholders to understand funding needs and outcome measurements.
• Lead and collaborate with Second Harvest staff on budget development.
• Meet all contract and grant proposal deadlines by establishing priorities and target dates for information gathering, writing, document preparation and review for the final approval process.
• Conduct research and develop strategies to leverage and secure new resources from private, non-profit and government sources in support of established goals and objectives set forth in the annual budget, operational and strategic plans.
• Develop contract and grant-related resources and templates, including documentation of common questions and recent responses to streamline application and reporting.
• Track success rates and maintain performance metrics

Compliance and Reporting (25%)

• Responsible for preparing and submitting progress and/or impact reports as mandated to funders.
• Ensure staff are aware of internal and external deadlines and deliverables related to grant and contract funding.
• Update relevant staff on a regular basis on the status of applications, approvals and denials, contract information and program fund distributions.
• Ensure that all funded projects comply with the contract terms and conditions.
• Train program staff on contract requirements and reporting.
• Develop and maintain effective information management systems for all grants and contracts.
• Enter all relevant grants and contracts data into appropriate databases for grant and contract tracking purposes.
• Maintain internal controls to prevent non-compliance with grant and contract requirements.
• Manage the grants and contracts calendar and prepare monthly reports.
• Ensure data and relationship files are current within one week
• Prepare reports and dashboards for Board Meetings as requested.
• Perform periodic compliance reviews to verify accurate reporting, expenditure alignment with budgets, and adherence to funding terms.
• Prepare and maintain accurate records to support audit processes, ensuring all grant and contract documentation is complete and readily available.
• Coordinate pre-audit activities and post-audit responses, resolving findings and implementing corrective actions when necessary.

Strategic Planning (20%)

• Working closely with the CEO and CFO: develop and implement the vision, strategy, and annual goals for contract and grant funding sources.
• Monitor and help implement the plan to meet the annual target for grant and contract funding.
• Meet annual grant funding target(s) as identified each year.

External Relationship Management (15%)

• Initiate contacts for developing relationships with prospective funders; maintain strong relationships with funding sources and represent the organization before funders and community partners as necessary.
• Communicate grant/contract status and program progress to grantors.
• Prepare personalized thank you notes to funders from CEO.
• Mail out annual reports to all foundations.
• Serve as the main point of contact between the organization and funders, ensuring timely communication and reporting.
• Log all relevant contacts into the database.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience: at least seven years’ experience in grant writing, funder stewardship, and grants/contracts compliance and implementation – including substantial experience with government grants and contracts. History of success in obtaining large, multi-year grants is required

STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE: Our business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 – 5:00pm. Occasional evening and weekend work is to be expected.

WORKSITE: 800 Ohlone Parkway, Watsonville, CA 95076

WORK FROM HOME: Not Eligible

Job Details: This is a full-time, regular, exempt position with a starting annual salary of $98,783 - $107,564; depending on education and experience

BENEFITS: We offer competitive salaries and benefits and a rewarding work environment.

PAID TIME OFF: new hires accrue three weeks of vacation time in their first year of service, in addition to 10 paid company holidays and 12 sick days per year.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS:

• 4 Gold-rated medical plans: employer covered at 90%-80% depending on the plan.
• 100% employer-paid benefits for employee Vision, Dental, Life, Long-Term Care, Long-Term Disability, Accidental Death & Dismemberment and Employee Assistance Program
• Employer subsidized vision and dental insurance for dependents.
• AFLAC supplemental plans
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Supplemental coverage on Life and AD&D plans
• Pet Insurance

 FINANCIAL BENEFITS

• 403(b) Retirement Plan with generous employer contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement program

To Apply: Please review the full job posting and submit your application at https://www.thefoodbank.org/careers by 5pm on 3/28/2025