We seek a Director of Federal Funding to join the Public Partnerships team and lead Teach For America’s federal grantwriting and implementation. The Director will be responsible for managing several work streams across a variety of teams to write and develop winning federal grant proposals and to help ensure successful execution of federal grants. The Director will also become a federal program expert and be tasked with identifying federal funding opportunities across the government that could benefit TFA at the national or local level. The Director of Federal Funding will report directly to the Managing Director, Federal Funding.
As background, Teach For America’s federal funding portfolio continues to evolve. Teach For America is currently managing a $16 million Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant from the Department of Education, and just recently submitted three additional federal grant applications. Our existing SEED grant has been pivotal in enabling dramatic improvements to our preservice teacher training. We continue to seek more and more federal grants to support all of Teach For America’s incredible work on-the-ground to ensure every child has access to a high-quality education.
This position is a critical component of the team responsible for maintaining and increasing Teach For America’s federal funding to sustain our work to end educational inequity.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:
- Write compelling proposals to justify funding for TFA's programmatic work.
- Work across different teams throughout the organization, such as programmatic and finance teams, to develop strong and cohesive federal grant applications.
- Oversee execution of federal grants, which includes collecting data for reporting requirements, completing performance reports, and working with other teams to ensure fiscal and programmatic compliance.
- Identify existing federal funding opportunities across the federal government that would benefit TFA nationally or locally.
- Develop an expertise in federal grant programs, particularly at the U.S. Department of Education, cultivating a familiarity with program purpose, requirements, funding history, and intersection with Teach For America.
- Partner with the Government Affairs team to create access to new federal funding opportunities through legislative and administrative vehicles.
Prior Experience
- 4-6 years of professional experience required
- Experience writing and managing public grants (preferably federal grants) highly preferred
- Prior Teach For America experience preferred
Work Demands
- Some weekend and evening work required
- Ability to travel to in person meetings in other cities
Skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work efficiently and with accuracy in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and juggle several projects at once with a spirit of flexibility and sense of possibility
- Ability to build strong relationships and work with people at all levels of the organization
- Strong planning and project management skills: being extremely organized, detail-oriented, relentless, energetic and professional
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, making informed decisions and recommendations based on a range of factors
- Ability to set a strong vision and direction for his or her work, has good judgment and takes initiative.
- Deep alignment with TFA’s mission, organizational core values, and commitment to diversity and inclusiveness
- Operates with a high level of personal responsibility, and can lead through ambiguity and complexity
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Salary for this position is competitive and depends on prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included.