Grants Manager

About this role

About Us:
Good Business Lab is an independent, non-profit labor innovation and research company. We use rigorous academic research to prove that worker wellbeing programs have business impacts. Additionally, we develop market-ready, scalable products capable of providing dual benefits to workers and businesses. Our goal is to disrupt the traditional notion of business and show that worker well-being can be a part of core business strategy, or in other words, a good business practice.
The founders of the GBL are Ach Adhvaryu – Professor of Economics, Director of 21st Century India Center, School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, Anant Ahuja – Director of ESG and Sustainability at Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd. (India’s largest Ready Made Garment firm), and Anant Nyshadham – Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
Role Summary:
The Grants Manager leads Good Business Lab's grants management function, overseeing the end-to-end management of the organization's grant portfolio across both the United States and India. This role is responsible for driving grant operations, strengthening systems and processes, and ensuring that grants are managed efficiently from award through closeout.
As the central point of coordination between funders and internal teams, the Grants Manager leads cross-functional grant management efforts, ensuring strong financial oversight, donor compliance, high-quality reporting, and effective collaboration across Research, Delivery, Finance, HR, Legal, and Leadership. The role also plays a key part in developing scalable grant management systems, improving organizational processes, and supporting fundraising and strategic organizational priorities.
This position requires exceptional project management and organizational skills, strong financial acumen, excellent stakeholder management, and the ability to lead complex workstreams across multiple teams.
Location: Remote
Start Date: ASAP (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis)
What will you do?
Grant Portfolio Leadership

Lead the end-to-end management of GBL's grant portfolio across the US and India.

Oversee grant implementation to ensure compliance with donor agreements, budgets, reporting timelines, and organizational policies.

Develop and maintain robust grant management systems, trackers, documentation, and internal controls.

Lead post-award grant administration, including amendments, extensions, budget revisions, and grant closeout.

Proactively identify operational, financial, and compliance risks, and work with teams to mitigate them.

Drive continuous improvements to grant management processes and standards across the organization.

Funder Relationship Management

Serve as the primary operational point of contact for funders throughout the grant lifecycle.

Lead coordination of reporting schedules, invoicing, documentation requests, and grant administration.

Build and maintain trusted relationships with funding partners through proactive communication and strong grant stewardship.

Ensure all external communications related to grant management are timely, accurate, and professional.

Financial Leadership

Lead financial oversight of the grant portfolio in partnership with Finance and project teams.

Prepare and oversee donor invoicing, payment tracking, and financial reconciliations.

Monitor grant expenditures against approved budgets and identify potential financial risks.

Support forecasting, budget monitoring, and financial reporting across multiple grants.

Design and maintain financial dashboards, trackers, and reporting systems to improve visibility and decision-making.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Lead coordination across Research, Delivery, Finance, HR, Legal, Operations, and Leadership to ensure successful grant implementation.

Drive alignment across teams on grant deliverables, reporting requirements, timelines, and financial management.

Coordinate internal approvals, workflows, and decision-making related to grant administration.

Act as the central resource for grant management guidance across the organization.

Grants Operations & Systems

Lead the development and continuous improvement of grants management systems, SOPs, templates, and documentation.

Standardize grant processes and reporting tools to improve efficiency and consistency.

Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and strengthen operational effectiveness.

Lead organizational readiness for audits, due diligence exercises, and donor compliance reviews.

Fundraising Support

Lead post-award coordination for new funding opportunities by supporting proposal development with budgets, administrative documentation, and organizational information.

Partner with fundraising and program teams to ensure proposals align with organizational systems and donor requirements.

Maintain institutional knowledge of donor requirements and organizational capabilities.

Contribute to strategic fundraising initiatives and organizational planning.

Leadership & Strategic Initiatives

Lead strategic projects that strengthen grants management and organizational effectiveness.

Identify opportunities for innovation, automation, and process improvement.

Provide guidance and support to colleagues on grants management best practices.

Contribute to broader organizational planning and cross-functional initiatives as needed.

Who are you?
Required skills and experience:

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Public Policy, International Development, Economics, or a related field.

4–7 years of experience in grants management, donor management, project management, finance, operations, or a related function.

Experience working with institutional donors, foundations, research organizations, or nonprofits is preferred.

Technical Skills

Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex formulas, pivot tables, lookups, dashboards, and financial modeling.

Strong proficiency…