Public Grants and Contracts Manager (5725)

Status: Full-Time, Exempt | Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Location: Santa Ana, CA ; 100% In-Person

Reports to: Senior Budget and Contracts Director

Department: Administration

Job Summary: The Public Grants and Contract Manager secures public funding and oversees post-award contract administration to advance the agencies’ mission. This role blends technical proposal writing with regulatory oversight to manage the complete lifecycle of government grants. The Manager drafts public funding bids and monitors the administrative execution of secured federal and state contracts. Working closely with the Chief Program Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, this position ensures full programmatic alignment with funding guidelines  to maximize agency impact.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Pre-Award Proposal Development

• Develop and maintain a master calendar of all public grant deadlines and contract renewals
• Research bid opportunities and attend mandatory applicant meetings
• Collaborate with key team members to draft data-driven grant narratives, implementation plans, and statement of needs that meet strict federal and state standards
• Deconstruct RFPs and Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) into clear checklist items and collaborate on completion of tasks to ensure 100% compliant submissions
• Coordinate all Proposal Team meetings including final review with sufficient time to make edits prior to submittal
• Ensure all proposals meet funder requirements, including formatting, attachments, certifications, and submission protocols
• Coordinate and package required documentation for timely proposal submittals
• Support meetings related to active bids and grant submissions, including preparation of materials, talking points, and relevant documentation

Post-Award Contract Administration & Compliance

• Clearly communicate bid outcomes — including awards, denials, and status updates to executive staff in a timely manner
• Follow up on all denied grant applications to request feedback from funders where possible, document findings, and apply lessons learned to strengthen future proposals

• Review, execute, and monitor grant agreements from award through final execution
• Ensure application, executed contract and all relevant documents are saved in the appropriate location on agency share point
• Ensure all required documentation is submitted (insurance certificates, etc.)
• Communicate with proposal team, CPO, and CFO that contract is executed and filed
• Partner closely with the accounting team to reconcile programmatic milestones with expenditure data and provide documentation for drawdowns
• Maintain comprehensive, audit-ready contract files tracking programmatic outputs against expenditures to satisfy government auditors

Pipeline & Portal Maintenance

• Monitor active federal, state-level, and local county bidding portals to track public funding opportunities and forecast upcoming cycles
• Manage active organizational registrations, credentials, and compliance profiles on platforms such as SAM.gov and state e-procurement hubs
• Keep executive staff informed of the overall public funding pipeline, upcoming deadlines, and any risks to anticipated revenue

Miscellaneous

• Perform ad hoc projects as appointed by Supervisor

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, communication, or a related field

• Experience combining public grant writing with post-award contract management or compliance administration
• Proficient in MS office
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse population

• Strong verbal communication and interpersonal skills

• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment
• Dependability, responsibility, and the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift, push, and pull up to 50 pounds