Sr. Manager, Community Scholarships

At San Diego Foundation (SDF) we are committed to inspiring enduring philanthropy and enabling community solutions to improve the quality of life throughout our region. The Community Impact Division leads SDFs programmatic initiatives and strategic partnerships to build a vibrantequitable and resilient San Diego County.

Founded in 1975 SDF is one of the largest providers of scholarships and community grants in Southern California. Through the Community Scholarships Program SDF advances educational equity by providing resources and opportunities forstudents furthest fromopportunityto achieve their academic goals and strengthen the regions future workforce.

The Sr. Manager Community Scholarships serves as the operational leader for San Diego Foundations Community Scholarship portfolio. This position oversees scholarship administration portfolio managementdonorstewardshipvolunteerand external committee operations reporting and continuous process improvement.

The Sr. Manager directly supervises scholarship program staff andis responsible forensuring efficientequitable and compliant scholarship operations while serving as the primary operational liaison fordonors community partners and scholarship committees. Working closely with the Director of College Success this position develops andmaintainsthe systems processes and infrastructure necessary to successfully administer one of the regions largest scholarship portfolios.

This is a hybrid position with weekly onsite requirements at SDFs Liberty Station headquarters in San Diego.

Essential Responsibilities:

Scholarship Operations & Portfolio Management

• Serve as the operational leader for SDFs Community Scholarship portfolio overseeing scholarship administration annual cycle planning fund compliance award processes and continuous process improvement.
• Direct the management and stewardship of SDFs scholarship portfolio including endowed annual donor-advised and special-purpose funds overseeing fundutilization award allocation planning renewal obligations budgets and long-term sustainability strategies.
• Lead annual scholarship cycle planning and operational readinessestablishingtimelines workflows capacity plans and service standards that support efficient andequitableprogram delivery.
• Establish andmaintainoperational policies procedures controls and quality assurance practices while proactivelyidentifyingand addressing risks process gaps and opportunities for improvement.
• Support instrategic oversight of the Common Scholarship Application platform ensuring system functionality accessibility data integrity anda positiveexperience for applicants donors reviewers and staff.
• Oversee scholarshipselectionand award administration processes including application review workflows committee recommendations appeals and final award approvals in partnership with the Director.
• Supportcross-functional collaboration with internal stakeholders to ensure effective fund administration operational alignment and successful program implementation.

DonorVolunteer& Community Partnership Leadership

• Serve as SDFs primary operational representative for scholarship donors external review committees volunteers and community partners.
• Lead the governance and administration of scholarship review committeesestablishingprocedures review standards and decision-making frameworks that ensureequitable transparent and donor-aligned award processes.
• Oversee the recruitment development engagement stewardship and succession planning of volunteer reviewers and committee members tomaintaina diverse and high-performing committee network.
• Serve as the primary point of escalation for committee concerns policy questions conflicts and complex scholarship review matters.
• Review scholarship recommendations and award outcomes to ensure alignment with donor intent program guidelines equityobjectives and organizational standards.
• Partner withthe Director andDevelopment & Stewardship to support donor cultivation retention scholarship fund development and donor communications through scholarship impact reporting and programexpertise.

Team Leadership &Talent Development

• Lead and develop a high-performing scholarship team through coaching mentorship performance management and professional development.
• Establish team priorities performance expectations accountability measures and operational standards that support program excellence.
• Oversee workforce planning workload distribution and resource allocation to ensure team capacity aligns with program needs.
• Foster a culture of collaboration innovation continuous improvement and shared ownership.
• Promote cross-trainingtostrengthen organizational resiliency and long-term program sustainability.

ReportingAnalytics& Data Strategy

• Support in themanagementof scholarship performance metrics dashboards and reporting frameworksmanagingdata collection analysis visualization and reporting efforts that support organizational decision-making.
• Analyze scholarship application award distribution demographic and portfolio performance data toidentifytrends improve operational effectiveness and advanceequitablestudent outcomes.
• Leverage internal and external data to evaluate program performance assess emerging needs and inform strategic planning and decision-making.
• Develop and present portfolio insights trends forecasts and impact reports to leadership donors committees and community stakeholders translating complex information into actionable recommendations.
• Establish andmaintaindata governance standards reporting protocols and quality assurance practices that ensure the integrity consistency and reliability of scholarship data across Blackbaud and related systems.
• Partner with Information Technology Data Services Finance and Grants Management teams to strengthen reporting capabilities improve data accessibility and advance continuous improvement initiatives.

Cross-Functional Coordination & OrganizationalEngagement

• Partner with the Director to serve as a key leader within the Community Impact Division fostering cross-functional collaboration shared learning and alignment across initiatives that advance SDFs education and community impact goals.
• Partner with internal departments to ensure operational alignment effective communication and successful execution of scholarship program priorities.
• Contribute to organizational planning reporting evaluation and continuous improvement efforts that strengthen program effectiveness and community impact.
• Represent SDF through community partnerships stakeholder engagement activities public presentations and scholarship-related events serving as an ambassador for the Foundations education initiatives.
• Support organizational priorities and special projects that promote a culture of inclusion innovation accountability and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in education nonprofit management public administration or related field.
• Minimum seven (7) years of management-level experience in education philanthropy government or nonprofit organizations.
• Demonstrated expertise in educational equity scholarships or academic program management.
• Strong database and project management skills including experience managing complex database processes (Blackbaud preferred) and working with project management tools such as Asana or other workflow management platforms.
• Skilledin volunteer engagement and relationship management across diverse groups.
• Culturally competent and committed to promoting equity and inclusion.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail.
• Advancedproficiencyin Microsoft Office Suite and database applications.
• Self-directed adaptable and capable of problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong ethical standards and integrity

Core Competencies

• Scholarship Program Operations
• Team Leadership & Supervision
• Volunteer Management & Engagement
• Project Management & Process Optimization
• Data Analysis & Reporting
• Cross-DepartmentCollaboration
• Donor and Partner Relationship Management
• Equity-Centered Program Design
• Database & Technology Systems (Blackbaud)
• Communication & Presentation Skills

Language Skills

• Fluent in English (reading writing and speaking)
• Spanishproficiencypreferred

Work Environment & Special Conditions

• Professional hybrid work environment based in San Diego California.
• Fast-paced collaborative and mission-driven setting.
• Ability to sit stand walk or drive for extended periods with or without accommodation.
• Ability to view and use a computer screen for up to two hours at a time.
• Ability to type and enter data using a computer keyboard.
• Ability to communicate effectively by phone video or in person.
• May require extended hours during peak scholarship season and occasional evening or weekend work for events.
• Occasional travel within the San Diego region as needed.

San Diego Foundation is committed to supporting the well-being growth and success of our employees through a comprehensive and competitive benefits package:

• Salaried Exempt $90000.00-$100000.00 (San Diego Foundation is committed to practices that promote pay equity and transparency. Actual offers will be reflective of qualifications skills experience internal equity alignment with market data among other relevant factors)
• Supportive inclusive company culture; recognized as a Top Workplace by the San Diego Union-Tribune5 years in a row
• Hybrid work environment with support for home office setup
• Optionfor a 9/80 work schedule providing every other Friday off
• 100% employer-paid medical dental vision life AD&D and long-term disability insurance for employees
• 75% employer-paid premiums for eligible dependents
• 403(b) retirement plan with up to 4% employer match plus annual discretionary contributions
• Earned Incentive Program
• Three weeks of paid time off annually plus anadditionalorganization-wide paid week off in July
• 13 paid holidays plus 2 paid volunteer days each year
• Extended Health Care Time accrual for sick leave family care and parental leave
• Four-week paid sabbatical after every five years of service
• $100 monthly cell phone and internet reimbursement
• $75 quarterly wellness or gym reimbursement
• Annual $600 match to a nonprofit of your choice through a Donor Advised Fund
• Annual service recognition with a $100 donation to a nonprofit of your choice

This job description is not designed to cover orcontaina comprehensive listing of activities duties or responsibilities requiredofthe employee. Duties responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Required Experience:

Manager