Managing Director, Strategic Grantmaking & Fund Stewardship

PositionOverview

Strategic advisor and stewardof$200Mphilanthropic capitalto advance one of the most ambitious economic mobility efforts serving a regionresponsible foreducating10% of Texas and1% of the nations public-school students.

The Commit Partnership(Commit) the largest regional educational backbone organization in the nation with 70 employees and an operating budget exceeding $40 million annually is seeking a bold strategic and collaborative leader to serve as the Managing Director of the organizationsGrantmaking Strategy and Fund Stewardshipan executive-level role at the center ofaccelerating economic mobility inDallas Countyand across Texas throughone of the most comprehensive data-driven student success efforts in the country.

Since 2023 Commit has securedover$200million in catalytic fundingfrom Dallas and national institutional fundersto deploythrough grantsthat both advance the regionalOpportunity 2040plan developed in partnership with the Child Poverty Action Lab to place 150000 young adults on a path to economic mobility--andsupport the implementation of aligned education policies across Texas.

While serving as a primary externalleader(over 50% or more of time) the leaderof this new rolewill oversee the effective deploymentstewardship and long-term impact of catalyticfunding all strategically designed to help address the underlying root causes hinderingstudent outcomes and living-wage attainmentand thus break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Reporting totheChief Operating Officerand working closely with the CEO this leader will oversee adirector-level team memberresponsible for internal grant operations systems and analysis ensuring excellence in grant execution tracking learning and reporting.

TheManaging Director will work closely with the Commit teamfunders andnumerousexternal partners such as the Economic Mobility CenterEducation is Freedomand many othersto help ensure that philanthropicandpublic capital are beingleveragedfor maximum returnfinancial social and systemic. If successfulthe impact is profound:for every studentmoved on to the path of economic mobilitywhoearns at least anAssociatesdegreegains an estimated$425000in lifetime earnings translating to more than$60 billionin long-term impact for 150000 students and the region.

This role is more than executive grants management;itsa systems leadership opportunity requiring cross-sector fluency sharp strategic thinking disciplined financial oversight and the ability to drive collective accountability among diverse partnersfrom K-12 systems and higher education institutions to workforce alsoprovidesthe opportunity to influence statewide policy based on theprogrammaticresults as well as the opportunity to help inform andadviseother regions across Texasand the nation.

Salary Range
$150000-$182000 a bonus of up to 20%

Key Responsibilities

1. StrategicGrantmaking &Investment Stewardship

• Lead thestrategic stewardship of Commits philanthropic grant portfolios including multi-year complex grants aligned to Dallas County Promise statewide initiatives the Opportunity 2040 strategic planand related initiatives.
• Oversee the deployment and performance of significant philanthropic investments (secured and pending) ensuring disciplined transparent and outcomes-driven grantmaking. This includes oversight of over $130 million secured towards the Dallas County Promise efforts.
• Ensure alignment between grantmaking strategy and Commits Priority Systems including:
• High-qualityEducator andSystem leaderTalent
• Rigorous Instruction and Curriculum
• Postsecondary access andsuccess
• Well-Resources Schools and Neighborhoods
• Serve as a senior representative of Commits role as acapital aggregator and strategic intermediary including participation in advisory bodies such as the Dallas County Promise Advisory Board and others asappropriate.
• Ensure disciplined transparent stewardship of capital across complex multi-year initiatives all focused on improving long-term student outcomes.

2. Grantee Partnership &Implementation Coordination

• Serve as a primarylead or throughsharedrelationshipswithgrantees and implementation partners fostering strong trust-based partnerships grounded in shared goals and accountability.
• Act as connective tissue across a complex ecosystem of partnersincluding higher education institutions nonprofit organizationsadvisingentities and backbone partnersensuring alignment between grant intent and on-the-ground execution.
• Facilitate regular partner and grantee convenings to:
• Share progress and learning
• Identifychallenges and barriers
• Drive continuous improvement across initiatives
• Lead collaborative investment deployment and stewardship across a growingDallas County Promiseecosystem that includes Dallas College SMU UT-Dallas UNT-DallasEducation is Freedom the Economic MobilityCenterand other key actors.

3. Performance Management Learning & ImpactEvaluation

• Partner closely with partner grantees and Commits Analytics & Insights and Evaluation & Research teams to:
• Define clear grant outcomes and success metrics
• Track progress across key indicators (e.g. Pre-K enrollment 3rd 8thgradeproficiency college-readiness enrollment etc.)
• Use data to inform strategy improvement and storytelling
• Oversee the development and use of dashboards reports and learning tools that support both internal decision-making and external transparency with fundersand grantees.
• Translate performance data intoclear narratives of impact learning and return on investmentfor philanthropic audiences.
• Ensure grant reporting reflects not only compliance but also insight learning and strategic value for funders and partners.

4. FunderEngagementStewardship and Impact Reporting

• Partner with the CEO COO and philanthropy team to:
• Cultivate new philanthropic relationships
• Secure aligned growth capital
• Position Commit as a high-impact investable partner
• Produce compelling data-informed funder updates and impact reports that deepen trust and long-term partnerships.
• Support long-term sustainability strategies including efforts to:
• Leverage time-bound philanthropy
• Transition successful initiatives toward public funding or other durable financing mechanisms where appropriate

5. Organizational Strategy & Leadership Partnership

• Serve as a strategic advisor to Commits executive leadership team on grantmaking priorities funder alignment andorganizationalstrategy.
• Support development of grants and funding strategies aligned to:
• Annual organizational goals
• Long-term Dallas County Promise and economic mobility outcomes
• Opportunity 2040 Plan
• Statewide Initiatives
• Help ensure coherence between grant-funded work and broader organizational strategy capacity and systems.

6. People Leadership & Grant Systems Oversight

• Directly manage and support aDirectorresponsible for grant operations and systems ensuring:
• Strong internal infrastructure for grant tracking compliance and reporting
• Clear roles timelines and accountability across teams
• High-quality execution of grant requirements
• Set expectations coach performance and build internal capacity for excellence in grantmaking and stewardship.
• Ensure grant systems (e.g. Salesforce and related tools) effectively support transparency learning and scalability.

Ideal Candidate Profile

You are a purpose-driven collaborative leader with a deep belief in the power of education to fuel economic mobility and an understanding of the various systemic barriers that hinder current success. You thrive in complexity operate with discipline and build trust across sectors.

You bring:

• Deep experience in strategic grantmaking or regranting ideally within a foundation intermediary or large nonprofit
• Strong track record ofstewarding multi-year complex grant portfolioswith rigor transparency and sound judgment
• Ability to Buildtrust-based partnerships with grantees balancing support accountability and learning
• Comfort working acrosscomplex systems(education workforce public and nonprofit sectors) and aligning diverse stakeholders
• Ability to translate strategy and data intoclear priorities decisions and funder-ready narratives
• Strongpeople management skills valuing high-quality systems process and execution
• Deep commitment to equity and economic mobility with a belief in education as a lever for systemic change

Required Qualifications

• 10 years of professional experience in philanthropygrant portfoliomanagement nonprofit leadership or social impact strategyideally with exposure to education oreconomic mobility efforts.
• 5 years managing teams towards successful goal attainment.
• At least 3 years ofdemonstratedexperience overseeingphilanthropicgrantor investment capital deployment ($5M preferred) and implementation towards outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience in initiating building andmaintainingstrong relationships with partners and influential decision-makers.
• 5 years working across complex partnerships and layers of leadership internally and with external stakeholders to influence decision making in large institutional systems.
• Track recordof producing data-rich compelling impact reports for institutional funders.
• Bachelors degreerequired;Mastersdegree in a related field preferred.

Language Skills

• Ability to understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate.
• Ability to communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
• Ability to describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Ability toestablishand maintain cooperative working relationships across diverse teams.
• Capacity to manage confidential information with discretion and integrity.
• Strong analytical skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to thrive in a mission-driven collaborative and evolving environment.

Work Environment

The Director generally works in an office environment but may occasionally be required to perform job duties outside of the typical office setting. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate. The employee is not exposed to any adverse environmental conditions.

Job Requirements

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed must be representative of the knowledge skills minimum education training licensure experience and/or abilityrequired. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Commit Partnership is an Equal Opportunity Employer thatseeksto hire individuals with backgroundssimilar tothat of the stakeholders they serve. As an organization that embraces equity and inclusion all employment decisions are based on business needs job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race color religion or belief national social or ethnic origin gender age sexual orientation gender identity and/or expression marital civil union or domestic partnership status or any other status protected by federal state or local laws.

About The Commit Partnership:

Our Mission

We believe that through our collective actions Dallas Countywhich educates 10% of Texas and 1% of the nationcan become an inclusive and prosperous region where economic opportunity is shared fairly. Thats why our True North Goal is that by 2040 at least half of all Dallas County residents ages 2534 irrespective of race will have the opportunity to earn a living wage.

To increase living wage attainment we must equitably increase educational success aligned with high-demand well-paying jobsmaximizing the cumulative impact from early education through college career and military readiness to strong postsecondary completion. Our team aligns community stakeholders around this shared roadmap for the future using data to surface strategic initiatives that improve policies practices and funding. Together we work to address the systemic root causes that hinder progress and strengthen our communitys capacity to serve every student effectively.

Our Story

Founded in 2012 the Commit Partnership has grown into the nations largest educational collective impact organization uniting more than 70 backbone team members and over 200 partners across Dallas County and Texasall working together to address the systemic education challenges facing our region and state. Our team brings community stakeholders together around a shared roadmap for the future using data and practitioner insights to inform effective policy solutions that accelerate progress toward our goals and strengthen our collective capacity to serve every student well.

Together we advocate for an excellent public education that ensures all studentsregardless of race place or socioeconomic statuscan shape their own futures earn a living wage and share in the prosperity of the worlds eighth-largest economy. We pursue this mission through several key initiatives including Early Matters Dallas Dallas County Promise the Texas Urban Council and the Texas Impact Network.

True North Traits

Our True North Traits creates a mission-driven environment and champions us to do our best work each day.

Systemic Impact: You understand the barriers and lived experiences that our students face and are skilled at delivering systemic solutions at scale that address these needs. You achieve significant sustainable results that increase equitable outcomes through your work (including the reallocation or improvement in public funding) and you recognize the difference between activity and impact.

Judgment: You exhibit a relentless students first focus by thinking strategically about what data must be collected analyzed visualized and activated (and what steps must be taken in what order) to cause resources to be reallocated and actions to be taken to systemically overcome the root causes hindering achievement of the Partnerships mission.

Communication: By listening to understand before seeking to be understood youre able to build trust and facilitate collaboration across lines of difference recognizing that both are essential to our success. You are also able to find common ground with diverse stakeholders and can tailor the organizations message to different audiences as needed to influence meaningful change.

Innovation: You can create or meaningfully contribute to the design and execution of a systemic and transformational strategic plan to solve complex problems often at scale that improves organizational effectiveness and/or closes equity gaps for our students and families.

Equity and Inclusion: You intentionally create spaces where relevant stakeholders have a seat or voice at the table ensuring that each person at the tables thoughts and perspectives are shared valued by all others at the table and reflected in our work. Youre excited to help build and/or contribute to teams where everyone feels welcomed respected valued and highly supported.

Joy: You recognize that people are central to our work striking a balance between people and process and you inspire others with your optimism and thirst for substantive change in service to the mission.

Integrity: You admit mistakes openly share learnings widely and elevate bad news quickly also capable of making difficult decisions in all situations to ensure the success of the organization.

The Commit Partnership is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks to hire individuals with backgrounds similar to that of the stakeholders they serve. As an organization that embraces equity and inclusion all employment decisions are based on business needs job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race color religion or belief national social or ethnic origin gender age sexual orientation gender identity and/or expression marital civil union or domestic partnership status or any other status protected by federal state or local laws.

Commit does not sponsor visas of any kind.