Director of Learning and Grants Management

Position: Director of Learning and Grants Management

Hours: Full-Time

Salary Range: $160,000 - $185,000 per year

Status: Regular, Full-Time, Exempt with Benefits

Reports to: Vice President of Impact

Direct Reports: 2

Apply At: DLGM@mmt.org

Deadline: Thursday, April 4, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.

Hiring Timeframe: May/June 2025

Type: Hybrid – Tuesday through Thursday in-office, remote Monday and Friday.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Learning and Grants Management plays a pivotal role in advancing Meyer’s mission by fostering a culture of learning, data-informed decision-making and systemic impact. This leader is responsible for implementing our programmatic data and learning framework, informed by the expertise of community practitioners and aligned with Meyer’s strategic priorities.

The Director will provide strategic insights that inform grant strategy, measure impact and guide Meyer’s evolution. The role also oversees grant operations, ensuring adherence to policies, compliance and best practices.

The ideal candidate is a strategic and results-driven leader who translates data into action. They help ensure grantmaking supporting communities, strengthening movements and changing systems. They identify connections between the vital work happening in the community and how Meyer can better understand the impact, nourish it and learn from it. They believe data must serve our communities and grantee partners, elevating insights that drive transformative change. They advocate for learning that measures progress, enabling our foundation to evolve and enhance its impact.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Learning, Data and Measuring Impact (50%)

• Lead the implementation of Meyer’s organizational data and learning framework, including development of key metrics and goals for programmatic priorities.
• Drive internal learning processes, translate data-driven insights into grantmaking strategy and inform institutional decision making.
• Ensure Meyer’s learning agenda aligns with its justice-centered philanthropic approach, supporting communities, strengthening movements and changing systems.
• Cultivate a positive and participatory data culture, uplifting the power of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Ensure shared ownership of learning across grantmaking teams.
• Oversee the collection, synthesis and interpretation of key metrics to track progress against Meyer’s strategic goals.
• In partnership with VP of Impact, lead the development of grantmaking goals and success metrics for the Impact Team.
• Monitor emerging trends in philanthropic data, learning and evaluation. Position Meyer at the forefront of effective grantmaking.

Grant Operations and Compliance (20%)

• Oversee grant operations, ensuring compliance with policies, processes and regulatory requirements.
• Supervise grant management staff, ensuring adherence to best practices in grantmaking and fund disbursement.

Cross-Team Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing (20%)

• Develop and present data-informed recommendations to Trustees, senior leadership, and external stakeholders, ensuring clarity and impact.
• Provide strategic facilitation of internal learning sessions, ensuring insights are synthesized and applied to funding decisions.
• Foster collaboration between Learning, Grant Management and Communications teams to ensure alignment and effective knowledge sharing.

Team Leadership and Management (10%)

• Provide visionary leadership for the Learning and Grant Management staff, fostering a supportive and results-driven team culture.
• Supervise the Senior Grants Manager. Hire and supervise the Learning and Data Manager (new position – vacant). Manage external support, if needed.
• Support the development and implementation of intersectional justice grantmaking tools.
• Develop and manage the annual team budget with approval from the VP of Impact, ensuring the strategic allocation of learning and data resources.
• Invest in team development, ensuring long-term professional growth. Foster collaborative, learning-oriented work environment.

EQUITY

• Offer personal interest and commitment to working in a diverse and inclusive work environment that places a high value on equity.
• Promote a positive workplace culture of collaboration, innovation and respect.
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to establish effective working relationships in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment.
• Engage in equity trainings and serve on related work groups as needed.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree is preferred, but a strong combination of relevant experience and education will also be considered.
• Learning and data leadership: 5+ years of data-driven decision-making, philanthropy, and mission-driven impact work. Able to translate complex insights into actionable strategies while rightsizing learning goals to fit resources and priorities.
• Strategic and visionary leadership: Ability to anticipate trends, shape Meyer’s learning strategy and drive large-scale impacts while bringing others along.
• Justice-driven approach: Applies a racial justice lens to data collection, analysis and interpretation to ensure just grantmaking outcomes.
• Leadership and team development: Experience supervising staff, managing consultants and fostering a growth-oriented team culture.
• Consensus-building and collaboration: Strong facilitation, conflict resolution and relationship-building skills; adept at aligning stakeholders and navigating differing perspectives.
• Strategic communication and influence: Skilled at distilling complex insights into clear, compelling narratives for Trustees, senior leadership and internal teams.

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

• Technical skills: Experience extracting and reporting on data using visualization tools such as Excel, Google Sheets, Tableau, or Canva. Experience working with a grants management system or similar software.
• Oregon focused: Meyer Memorial Trust is a grantmaking foundation that funds organizations in Oregon. The trust’s headquarters are in Portland’s Albina community. Employees must reside within daily commuting distance of Meyer headquarters.
• Project management skills: Can integrate learning and data priorities across initiatives, identifying and addressing pain points.
• Patience and flexibility: Ability to meet Meyer and the department in a rebuilding phase. Flexibility to pivot as needs/priorities change.
• Effective presentation skills: Strong ability to lead presentations, panels and other speaking engagements with internal and external audiences.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Engage in regular communication in person as well as through electronic means.
• Use computer laptops, tablets, desk phones, photocopiers, monitors, and screens.
• Occasionally move up to 10 pounds.
• Work in a business setting of open cubicles with an estimated 45-60 decibel noise level.
• The physical demands and work environment described are representative of those for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to perform the essential functions.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Meyer Memorial Trust is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace in compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Meyer ensures equal opportunity for all employees and applicants regardless of race; color; age; gender identity or expression; sexual orientation; religion; marital status; national origin or ancestry; citizenship; lawful alien status; physical, mental, or medical disability; veteran status; obligations related to service in the United States Armed Forces; or any other reason protected by law. We value the unique perspectives and experiences that individuals bring, particularly those from communities that have been historically underrepresented.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume and cover letter to DLGM@mmt.com sharing your ‘why’ for this opportunity by Thursday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m. PST. In addition, please provide responses to the following questions in a separate document (maximum two pages):

1. Please share an example of how you have successfully led a learning initiative or data-driven decision-making process in an organization?
2. What is your vision for the role of data and learning in advancing systemic change in philanthropy?