Position description

Location: Remote (based in the U.S.) with travel within the U.S.

Reports to: Executive Director  

Type: Full-time 

Salary Range: $170,000–$200,000 plus benefits, including health coverage and retirement contributions.

Position posted: 10/2026. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

About the Role 

The Treehouse Family Foundation invites applications for the position of Director of Operations and Grants Management. Because we are a small and growing team, this role spans operations, grants management, finance, HR, and compliance, and works closely with internal teams and external advisors. 

Treehouse Family Foundation’s mission is to improve lifelong health and opportunity by preventing childhood adversity and mitigating its effects. Because child development is shaped within multiple, interacting systems (e.g., biology, family, educational settings, community), we invest across these systems. We fund rigorous science, translation into evidence-informed practice, and the scaling of proven approaches. 

Location & travel

While this role is remote, the Director of Operations and Grants Management is expected to travel periodically to project and grantee sites or other professional activities to learn about the foundation’s work, support onsite operations, and plan future activities. In-person time is intended to build relationships with the foundation’s team, co-funding partners, and project and grantee staff, and not solely to meet compliance requirements.

Core responsibilities

Grants management 

• Operate the full grant lifecycle: developing RFPs, application intake, due diligence, award letters and agreements, disbursement, and reporting.
• Maintain a grants database for awards, payments, deliverables, and deadlines.
• Track grantee compliance and impact reporting; flag risks and follow up on overdue or incomplete reports.

• Manage the grant budget against the annual payout requirement and forecast distributions through the year.
• Build clear, documented workflows, including those to:
• Recruit, contract, and organize external reviewers, including agreements, conflict-of-interest disclosures, schedules, and honoraria.
• How the foundation manages relationships and communications with grantees.

Operations and administration

• Oversee office management, vendors, and contracts.
• Own IT and data systems, including grants management software and CRM; lead selection, setup, and user training.
• Manage insurance, risk management, and records retention policies.
• Keep operating procedures documented so the foundation runs smoothly as it grows.

Governance support

• Prepare materials for leadership and team meetings.
• Take minutes and track and follow up on action items.
• Co-develop and maintain governance policies.

HR and staffing

• Co-lead hiring, onboarding, and performance reviews for a small staff.
• Work with leadership to create and execute compensation policy.
• Manage contractor and consultant relationships, including scopes of work, agreements, and invoicing. 
• Foster a healthy, collaborative team culture.

Finance and budgeting 

• Partner with the Executive Director and internal finance team on the annual budget, cash flow planning, and monthly or quarterly financial reviews.
• Implement and execute contracting and spending policies, including approval thresholds and documentation.
• Work with the internal finance team to reconcile grant payments and prepare financial inputs for leadership. 

Compliance and legal

• Where outside firms handle this work, the Director of Operations and Grants Management manages those relationships, communications, and contracts.
• Maintain required public disclosures, including public inspection copies of Form 990-PF.
• Ensure adherence to private foundation rules including minimum distribution requirements, excise tax, self-dealing prohibitions, and expenditure responsibility for applicable grants.
• Track state charitable registration and renewal requirements. 
• Support completion of annual reporting and Form 990-PF preparation in coordination with the internal finance team. 
• Work with outside counsel on legal matters. 

Strategic scope that grows with experience

The Director of Operations and Grants Management will also serve as a strategic thought partner. The responsibilities noted below expand as the role matures. These are best suited to candidates with more extensive experience in philanthropy.

Strategy and program support

• Assist the Executive Director and Founder with strategic planning, program evaluation, and impact measurement.
• Work with the Senior Data Scientist to build and manage a portfolio dashboard that tracks grants, outcomes, and payouts.
• Contribute directly to grantmaking strategy and help plan and run grantee convenings.

External relations

• The Director of Operations and Grants Management will represent the foundation and coordinate with philanthropic peers and professional associations, such as the Council on Foundations and regional associations.
• Support public-facing communications.
• Produce the foundation's annual report.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration, nonprofit management, public policy, public health, accounting or finance, the social sciences, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in grantmaking (foundation, state, or federal) or grants administration.
• Hands-on experience managing a grant lifecycle, from due diligence through disbursement and reporting.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage many priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal, team-building, and written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfort with grants management software, CRMs, and spreadsheets.

Preferred

• Experience building operations from the ground up at a new or growing organization.
• Experience managing co-funded or pooled grants (RFP development, contracting, legal/compliance oversight, reporting requirements).
• Familiarity with education, child health, or family-serving grantmaking.
• Master’s degree (e.g., MPA, MPP, MBA, MPH, or MNM/MNA) or a related field or equivalent experience.
• Experience with Form 990-PF, audits, and state charitable registrations.
• Experience managing high-level HR processes in a small organization.
• Experience with or high motivation to learn and implement AI tools.

Who is likely to thrive in this role

• A mission-oriented person committed to improving the lives of children and families.
• Someone who likes building systems as much as running them. 
• Someone who embodies a relationally oriented approach in working with the foundation’s team, partners, and grantees. 
• Someone who cares about getting the details right because they understand the impact on the team, collaborators, grantees, and ultimately, children and families.
• Ability to act as a strategic thought partner by turning ideas into workable plans.

How to apply

• Email the following to [email protected] with “Director of Operations and Grants Management” in the subject line:
• Detailed résumé 
• Cover letter (no more than 2 pages) describing:
• why this role and the foundation's mission appeal to you.
• an example of an operational or grants management system you built or significantly improved, and what changed as a result.
• which areas of this role (grants, finance, HR, compliance, strategy) best match your experience, and where you would expect to grow.

The Treehouse Family Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates of all backgrounds.