Grants & Compliance Manager

Role: Grants and Compliance Manager

Reports to: Head of Operations

Salary: $75,000–$85,000

Status: Full-time

Location: This is a remote position within the United States

Who We Are: 

National Math Stars ensures mathematically extraordinary students from all communities have the resources they need to reach the frontiers of math and science.

Through our Math Awards Program, we collaborate with schools and districts to identify and recognize their highest-achieving 2% of 2nd- and 3rd-grade math students. Those students are invited to a competitive admissions process, which aims to select the top talent from all communities. (You could roughly think of this as 'the best young mathematician in every ZIP code,' if the US didn't have quite so many ZIP codes!)

We admit those top students to our Stars Programs and work with them (and their families) over the course of a decade to support their journeys to the frontiers of STEM. All Stars receive access to advanced math opportunities, family guidance, and community gatherings. Within the Stars Program, we have two tracks: (1) our fully funded Voyager Stars program, for Stars furthest from opportunity, and (2) our Pathfinder Stars program, which provides lighter-touch advising and access to partial funding for STEM opportunities. We currently serve over 900 Stars across ten states and are rapidly expanding our reach.

Role Overview:

As Grants and Compliance Manager, you'll own NMS's grant compliance and record-keeping to ensure we fulfill all federal requirements. Your first major responsibility is a newly awarded four-year agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). You'll be the administrative lead on that award, partnering with our CEO (Principal Investigator) and operations team. You'll own the operational work behind the grant budget, drawdowns, federal financial reporting, and other compliance requirements.

You'll also build our grants function across federal and (potentially) state funders: creating the systems that keep every award compliant. Our Finance team handles transactions and reconciliations; you'll make sure every grant dollar is spent, documented, and reported the way the funder requires.

This is a position for someone who is precise with details and clear with people. You'll take genuine satisfaction in a clean audit trail and an on-time report. You'll also be the person who explains, in plain language, why a cost can or can't go on a grant. Many of our grant systems are still being built, so you should be someone who can design simple processes that program staff will actually use.

We anticipate a start date in December 2026 or January 2027. This is a remote position with occasional travel for team events and retreats.

Key Responsibilities:

The Grants and Compliance Manager's key responsibilities fall under the following categories:

NSF award management (~45%)

• Serve as NMS’s administrative contact with NSF grants and program officers (alongside the PI and co-PI), keeping communication timely and resolving questions or compliance issues quickly
• Project manage grant compliance: keep track of implementation, reporting, and financial requirements, and ensure they are being fulfilled
• Own the award budget: track spending, forecast future quarters/years, and flag variances early
• Support drawdowns through NSF's payment system
• Prepare federal financial reports on time
• Track costs by grant workstream and advise of any updated classifications that need NSF approval
• Ensure all costs charged to the grant are allowable under 2 CFR and the specific terms of the award
• Prepare prior approval requests, budget revisions, and no-cost extension requests
• Support the PI on annual and final project reports in Research.gov
• Keep SAM.gov, Research.gov, and related registrations and certifications current
• Lead award closeout

Grants compliance across NMS (~25%)

• Follow, reinforce with staff, and help revise as needed the written policies federal, state, and private awards require (financial management, procurement, conflict of interest, travel, record retention)
• Run a single grants calendar and database covering every award's deadlines, restrictions, and reports
• Partner with the Finance team so restricted grant funds are coded and tracked correctly
• Prepare grant documentation for the annual financial audit and, when required, a federal Single Audit
• Ensure staff follow procedures to enable Finance team to properly allot funds to grant(s)
• Track changes in federal and state grant rules and explain what they mean for NMS

New funding: pre-award (~20%)

• Keep an eye out for RFPs from agencies or organizations that fit NMS's strategy
• Support preparation and submission of new grant proposals
• Review every proposal against funder requirements before it goes out
• Build working relationships with program officers in the course of pre-award work 

Reporting and improvement (~10%)

• Report quarterly to the Head of Operations and CEO on active awards and compliance risks
• Simplify grant processes for program staff, including through automation where it saves real time

Skills and Experience:

• 3+ years of grants management, including post-award management of at least one federal grant or cooperative agreement
• Working knowledge of 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), especially cost allowability, budgeting, and financial reporting
• Comfort building grant budgets and reading financial reports
• Ability to explain complex rules simply to people who are not grants experts
• Strong organization: you track many deadlines and miss none of them
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience
• Preferred: NSF award experience (PAPPG, Research.gov, ACM$), participant support cost management, CGMS or a similar credential, and fluency with Google Workspace and QuickBooks Online

Compensation and Benefits:

• The salary range for this role is $75,000–$85,000
• $1,500 one-time home office stipend
• 5% non-elective contribution to 401K
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life insurance coverage with 100% employer contribution for employees & 70% coverage for dependents
• Generous paid vacation & sick time off from day one
• Paid parental leave
• Free pie every Pi Day

We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.