Associate Director of Grants

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.

At Leading Educators, we're seeking a strategic financial steward who will transform our grant management from a reactive process to a proactive, risk-mitigating powerhouse. This is not just a job—it's a critical mission to protect and professionalize our financial operations as our grant portfolio becomes increasingly complex.

We need a seasoned financial professional who can own the post-award financial lifecycle of our grants. You'll be the organization's financial guardian, designing systems that eliminate manual work, reduce organizational risk, and position us for future funding opportunities. This role is about more than tracking numbers—it's about creating financial resilience that supports our broader mission of educational excellence.

This is a high-impact, judgment-driven role for a financial leader who can turn grant complexity into organizational strength. You'll be the pressure release valve for our Finance team, transforming how we manage multi-year, multi-funder grants with precision and strategic insight.

• Reading, interpreting, and operationalizing complex grant agreements
• Managing restricted funds and tracking allowable vs. non-allowable expenses
• Designing financial systems that reduce manual work and increase organizational efficiency
• Proactively ensuring compliance across federal, state, and organizational financial standards

• Solving complex financial puzzles that require both detail orientation and big-picture thinking
• Acting as a trusted partner across Development, Programs, and Finance teams
• Implementing technology and processes that dramatically reduce organizational risk
• Creating standardized workflows that bring clarity and confidence to financial management

• This is a remote position requires travel 1-3 times per year
• National travel for org retreats, programming, job related travel, or professional development 
• Outside of the above mentioned travel, this person will work from a home office that must be located anywhere within the U.S. 

If you have questions about this role or about our hiring process at any point, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at talent@leadingeducators.org. This inbox is monitored regularly, and we aim to respond within two business days. To ensure your question receives a thoughtful and timely response, we kindly ask that you refrain from emailing individual staff members or members of our HR team directly. The best way to connect with us is always through talent@leadingeducators.org.

• Build on strengths: We affirm and begin with the unique and collective talents, experiences, and wisdom of ourselves and others.
• Continuously learn: We develop ourselves and others. We apply new learning and deepened self-awareness to our relationships and practices.
• Prioritize people: We build trust and reflect on the impact of different perspectives and experiences.
• Champion success for all: We re-imagine structures, habits, and mindsets to ensure every learner has access to evidence-based learning opportunities.

• We use artificial intelligence–enabled tools throughout our hiring process, from the moment a candidate applies through the offer stage, to support administrative tasks and the initial review of candidate materials. These tools help us organize, analyze, and surface relevant information efficiently, but they do not make hiring decisions.

• All candidate materials—including applications, resumes, assessments, and interview feedback—are reviewed and evaluated by people. All hiring decisions, including interview selection, advancement, and offers of employment, are made by humans.

• We use AI solely as a support tool to assist with early-stage reviews and process efficiency. We do not use AI in ways that discriminate based on protected characteristics, nor do we use ZIP codes or similar data to target or exclude protected groups. Our hiring practices are designed to be fair, consistent, and aligned with equal employment opportunity standards.

• First three years of employment, full time staff accrue 22 days a year. 
• Five additional days are accrued after the third and sixth year of employment.
• Leading Educators also offer 16 additional paid days off for various holidays, including three floating holidays staff may use at their discretion.

Leading Educators is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual 

orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Apply: https://leadingeducators.org/careers/opportunities

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