Associate Director of Grants

What We Do At Leading Educators (LE) , we know that excellent teaching is the most important driver of student success. The moment a student steps foot in the classroom, their opportunity to learn depends on how prepared their teacher is to translate complex content knowledge, standards, and their knowledge of that student into lessons that help them learn deeply and apply their thinking to the real world. That’s a big lift, and it often happens alone. As a national nonprofit, we partner with school systems to overcome persistent instructional challenges, foster intentional collaboration and adult learning by design, and ignite new possibilities through systemic solutions at the intersection of teaching, talent, and technology. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with educators at every level of the education system to strengthen their instructional and leadership practices, bring a vision for excellent instruction to life with consistency, and ensure every student reaches their full potential. Through direct support, strategic advising, innovation pilots, and best-in-class research, we help educators work toward a future where every student is ready to thrive. Learn more about our work at leadingeducators.org . External & Internal Candidate Application Deadline: Ongoing Position At Leading Educators, we’re seeking an experienced nonprofit finance and grants professional to strengthen and lead the financial management and compliance operations of our growing grants portfolio. This is a highly technical role designed for candidates with backgrounds in accounting, finance, grants financial management, audit, or nonprofit compliance. The Associate Director of Grants will serve as a key financial steward responsible for managing the post-award financial lifecycle of grants, ensuring compliance, accuracy, operational efficiency, and strong financial controls across a complex and expanding portfolio of philanthropic investments. We are seeking a candidate who can independently manage grant agreements, restricted funding, financial reporting, compliance requirements, and grants-related financial systems with minimal oversight. This role requires strong analytical judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to build scalable systems and processes that reduce organizational risk and improve operational effectiveness. This is not a programmatic or Development grants role. It is a finance-centered role focused on grants accounting, compliance, financial stewardship, and operational rigor. Do you have expertise in… Reading, interpreting, and operationalizing complex grant agreements Understanding and determining Contributions versus Exchange Transactions Managing restricted funds and tracking allowable vs. non-allowable expenses Preparing grant-related financial reporting and compliance documentation Designing financial systems and workflows that reduce manual work and organizational risk Tracking, Accounting for and Managing multi-year, multi-funder grants independently Ensuring compliance across nonprofit, federal, state, and organizational financial standards (FASB Compliance) Utilizing financial systems such as Sage Intacct, Salesforce, or similar platforms Do you enjoy… Solving complex financial and grants management challenges Creating systems and processes that improve operational efficiency Acting as a strategic financial partner across Finance, Development, and Program teams Building structure, clarity, and accountability within grants financial management Managing detailed financial work while balancing broader organizational priorities If you've answered affirmatively to these questions and meet the following prerequisites, we urge you to seize this opportunity. This role calls for the following: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Public Administration, or closely related field required Minimum 5 years of nonprofit finance, grants accounting, grants compliance, or advanced grants management experience required Stro