Job Description

Organizational Background

Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT) is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization founded by Amah Mutsun Tribal Band to protect Tribally sacred sites and promote Indigenous Stewardship of lands within Amah Mutsun traditional territories through research, conservation, restoration, and education.

The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band comprises the descendants of Indigenous people taken to Missions San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz. Today, the descendants of those few who survived Euro-American colonialism are working to revitalize their Indigenous culture and restore culturally relevant lands. In pursuit of these goals, AMLT supports the Tribe’s work to renew their sacred obligation to care for Mother Earth and all beings, to reconnect Tribal members with their ancestral territory, and to teach non-Indigenous allies about the importance of caring for our living world.

AMLT’s Core Programs and Approaches include:

• Land Ownership and Cultural Easements for protection and care in perpetuity.
• The Native Stewardship Corps, a work training, cultural relearning, and conservation fieldwork program for Tribal members.
• The Coastal and Ocean Stewardship Program, which aims to connect with, monitor, protect, and enhance a diverse suite of coastal resources, such as shellfish and kelp forests.
• The Native Plant Program, in which Native Stewards and volunteers work together to propagate native plants for land stewardship/restoration projects, Tribal cultural uses, and other purposes
• Research and Education Programs that promote Indigenous perspectives in resource management, including the Coastal Stewardship Summer Camp for tribal youth.

AMLT has grown dramatically over the past several years, and we expect the number, breadth, and depth of these programs and supporting staff will continue to expand.

Position Description

The Grants Manager is a critical member of AMLT's Development team and will lead the organization's end-to-end grants program, from prospect research and funding strategy through proposal development, award management, financial tracking, reporting, stewardship, and renewal.

Reporting to the Director of Development, this role will partner closely with Program, Finance, and Tribal leadership to build and manage a sustainable grants program that supports AMLT's continued growth. The Grants Manager will oversee a portfolio of 40-50 active grants totaling approximately $6 million in annual funding, while leading efforts to grow annual grant revenue from approximately $2.7 million to $4 million and beyond.

Success in this role requires someone who is equally comfortable writing compelling proposals, developing grant budgets, monitoring program spend-down, managing complex reporting calendars, and guiding internal teams through every stage of the grant lifecycle.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, strategic, and proactive. Someone who enjoys bringing structure to complex processes, translating program impact into compelling funding narratives, and helping cross-functional teams stay on track. Experience managing state and federal grants, navigating ambiguity within a growing organization, and building scalable grants management systems is highly desirable.

AMLT’s work is supported by a wide range of funders, including foundations, state agencies, partner organizations, and individual donors. Significant untapped potential exists to expand our operating budget and increase funding for land protection, stewardship, restoration, cultural revitalization, and education. The Grants Manager will help AMLT pursue that opportunity by building a more proactive, coordinated, and sustainable grant cycle.

Duties and Responsibilities

Grant Management & Compliance (50%)

• Manage the complete lifecycle of 40-50 active grants from award through closeout and renewal.
• Develop grant kickoff plans that clearly communicate deliverables, timelines, reporting requirements, allowable expenses, and compliance expectations.
• Monitor grant expenditures and spend-down in partnership with Finance and Program teams to ensure timely utilization of awarded funds.
• Proactively identify potential underspending or compliance risks and work with program leaders to develop corrective action plans.
• Maintain accurate grant files, documentation, and reporting schedules.
• Prepare timely financial and narrative reports that exceed funder expectations.

Grant Strategy & Prospect Development (15%)

• Develop and execute a proactive grants strategy aligned with AMLT's strategic priorities and annual fundraising goals.
• Conduct ongoing prospect research to identify foundation, corporate, tribal, state, and federal funding opportunities.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of new funding opportunities while stewarding existing funder relationships.
• Recommend annual grant priorities based on organizational capacity, strategic objectives, and funding trends.

Proposal Development (10%)

• Lead the development of compelling, accurate, and persuasive grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and supporting materials.
• Translate complex conservation, stewardship, education, and cultural revitalization programs into clear, compelling narratives tailored to each funder.
• Coordinate proposal development across Program, Finance, Executive Leadership, and Tribal leadership.
• Develop competitive program budgets and budget narratives in partnership with Finance and program staff.

Cross-Functional Leadership (10%)

• Build trusted relationships across Program, Finance, Executive Leadership, and Tribal leadership.
• Facilitate grant kickoff meetings and regular grant review meetings.
• Help program staff understand grant requirements, spending expectations, reporting obligations, and timelines.
• Serve as an internal advisor on grant compliance and funding strategy.

Project Management (5%)

• Serve as the project manager for all grant activities, ensuring proposals, reports, budgets, and renewals remain on schedule.
• Break complex grant requirements into manageable work plans with clear owners, milestones, and deadlines.
• Develop tools, templates, and processes that improve organizational accountability throughout the grant lifecycle.

Systems & Data (5%)

• Lead the ongoing development and optimization of AMLT's grants management systems.
• Maximize CharityEngine's (CRM) capabilities to improve grant tracking, reporting, forecasting, stewardship, and organizational visibility.
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools that provide leadership with real-time visibility into proposal pipelines, award status, reporting deadlines, revenue forecasts, and grant spending.

Success in this Role - Within the first 12–24 months, the Grants Manager will:

• Increase annual grant revenue toward $4M+.
• Successfully manage a $6M grant portfolio.
• Maintain on-time submission of all grant proposals and funder reports.
• Improve grant spend-down forecasting and compliance across all funded programs.
• Expand AMLT's pipeline of state, federal, foundation, and tribal funding opportunities.
• Implement scalable grant management systems and processes that support AMLT's continued growth.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of progressively responsible grants management experience in a nonprofit, government, tribal, or environmental organization.
• Demonstrated success managing the complete grant lifecycle—from prospect research through proposal development, award management, reporting, compliance, and renewal.
• Proven experience securing and managing six- and seven-figure grants.
• Experience managing state and federal grants, including complex compliance and reporting requirements.
• Exceptional grant writing and editing skills with demonstrated ability to communicate complex programs through compelling narratives.
• Strong financial acumen, including grant budgeting, restricted funding, grant spend-down tracking, and budget variance analysis.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including experience analyzing budgets and monitoring grant expenditures.
• Outstanding project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage numerous concurrent deadlines.
• Experience working collaboratively across Development, Finance, and Program teams.
• Experience implementing or optimizing CRM or grants management systems; Salesforce/CharityEngine experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in growing organizations where systems are still evolving and where flexibility, initiative, and comfort with ambiguity are essential.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $80,000 – $100,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
• Option to enroll in employer-supported medical, dental, and vision insurance,
• 15 days personal time off (PTO)
• 11 paid holidays per year
• Mileage reimbursement at the federal rate for work-related travel.

Work Location and Travel

This is a hybrid-remote work position with occasional travel throughout Amah Mutsun Land Trust’s stewardship area, encompassing southern Santa Clara, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and northern Monterey Counties.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Amah Mutsun Land Trust is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, or creed. AMLT is a drug- and alcohol-free workplace that prohibits the use of drugs and alcohol on the job or at any of our work sites. Members of Amah Mutsun Tribal Band are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

To Apply

Please complete the application and submit a resume and a cover letter. AMLT actively seeks those with strong tribal connections, preferably with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band (AMTB) or another indigenous organization to fill this role. Please share your experience with the AMTB or other indigenous organizations, how this connection will help you succeed in this role, and why you are drawn to the mission of AMLT.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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