Director, Grants Management

POSITION SUMMARY

The Simons Foundation (SF) seeks a Director of Grants Management (Director) to provide, in close collaboration with the Vice President of Grants Management (Vice President), strategic leadership across all grants administration functions, including continuous system and workflow improvements to both the pre- and post-award grantmaking processes. The Director, pursuant to an administrative services agreement, also provides grant administration support to The Simons Foundation International (SFI), a Bermuda-based philanthropy founded in 2011 with the same mission as the Simons Foundation: to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences.

In 2025, between SF and SFI, the grants department provided administrative support for over 3,200 grants and gifts across 33 countries, with 875 of those commencing last year. The department processed 4,415 deliverables, including financial statements, progress reports, and institution transfers. The department facilitated the release of 26 competitive requests for applications (RFAs) and the competitive review process for 42 RFAs. Over the course of the year, 2,469 letters of intent and 2,708 full applications were submitted, and SF and SFI made 1,075 commitments totaling $436 million.

The Director is currently responsible for the direct supervision and mentorship of three Grant Managers and the Senior Systems Manager, as well as broader leadership across the grants department. The Director will drive continuous learning and improvement in grants operations and in the Simons Award Manager (SAM), the foundation's SmartSimple-based grants management system, ensuring that workflows, data integrity, and system capabilities meet the foundation's evolving grantmaking needs.

Success in this role requires a deep understanding of grantmaking technology and end-to-end grantmaking processes, as well as the ability to work cross-functionally and collaboratively.

This is a full-time position based on-site at the Simons Foundation’s New York City offices. Visit the Simons Foundation career page to learn more.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES

Grants Portfolio Oversight

• Responsible for overseeing the Grants Managers and their grant portfolios, including their output and their team’s success

• Supervise and mentor Grants Managers and their direct reports, leveraging project management, continuous learning, and cross-functional team techniques to achieve shared goals

• Alongside the Vice President, work to streamline grant operations across the funding divisions at SF

• Oversee grantmaking timelines and workflows to ensure internal equity and that program goals and deadlines are met

• Review and approve requests for applications (RFAs), award letters, award modifications, and financial statements submitted by the Grants Managers

• Develop metrics to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative outputs of the foundation and its funding divisions, and presents findings to senior leadership as requested

• Facilitate relationships internally and externally to ensure program compliance with SF and SFI policies and procedures

Grants System Management

• Serve as the business owner of the Simons Award Manager (SAM), built on the SmartSimple platform, the online tool for pre- and post-award grants management.

• Responsible for supervising the Senior Systems Manager who oversees the SAM.

• Accountable for the Senior Systems Manager's output and the SAM team's success

• Review and approve all technical assistance requests for internal and external stakeholders

• Serve as a point of escalation for the SAM team when new configuration requests may conflict with existing decisions across award types or funding divisions, working with Grants Managers and Program Staff to evaluate and resolve

• Ensure SOPs related to SAM are developed and maintained

• Manage SAM enhancements and upgrades to support efficient grant operations

• Collaborate with the Chief Technology Officer, Vice President of Business Technology, the Vice President of Grants, the SAM team, and Grant Managers to foster the continuous improvement of SAM to meet SF and SFI needs

Knowledge Management and Process Improvement

• Alongside the Vice President, lead the development, implementation, and oversight of grants management strategy to optimize operational efficiency and ensure alignment with organizational