Senior Grants Manager

About Us

The SolarAPP Foundation is a non-profit start-up revolutionizing the clean energy landscape. By automating the permitting process for residential solar and energy storage systems, we help scale clean energy solutions across the country. Automated permitting reduces workloads for local government staff and provides faster service for homeowners. Today, we provide automated and instant permits for 316 jurisdictions across 17 states. We’ve accelerated the deployment of 300,000 kW of clean energy generation. Our goal is to automate the permitting for half of all residential solar and battery storage in the country by the end of the decade. This will dramatically accelerate and significantly lower the cost of the clean energy transition.

Why We’re Hiring for This Role

As SolarAPP Foundation scales its reach and deepens it’s partnerships across the clean energy ecosystem, we’re launching a major multi-year initiative that requires close coordination, compliance tracking, and stakeholder engagement. We’re also expanding our fundraising strategy and internal systems to support future growth. This role is critical to keeping that work moving accurately, on time, and aligned with our mission.

Position Overview

The Grant Manager will lead the strategic implementation of a multi-year, grant-funded initiative and contribute to the organization’s ongoing fundraising and development efforts. This role centers on two primary work streams:

• Grants Management: You’ll serve as the project manager for a high-impact, grant-funded initiative, driving coordination across teams and partners, aligning timelines and deliverables, and ensuring funder requirements are met with clarity and precision.
• Fund Development: You’ll support the organization’s broader fundraising strategy by helping develop funder-facing materials, managing proposal and reporting timelines, and contributing to relationship-building efforts with current and prospective funders.

This is a cross-functional, highly collaborative position that blends project management, funder communication, and internal systems building. It’s ideal for someone who thrives on clarity, momentum, and turning funding into meaningful outcomes.

Who You’ll Report To

You’ll report to our CEO, Matthew, and work closely with him on funder-facing strategy, internal systems, and major deliverables.

Who You’ll Work With

You’ll collaborate across the SolarAPP Foundation team:

• With our Chief Executive Officer on funder engagement strategy, deliverables, and internal alignment
• With our staff and contractors on coordination of grant-related tasks, project partnerships, milestones, metrics, and compliance reporting
• With our contracted accounting firm to ensure accurate tracking, timely reporting, and financial compliance
• With our external stakeholders, including the California Energy Commission (CEC), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), local governments, and other partners on transparent communication and project coordination
• With our current and prospective funders to strengthen relationships, align on priorities, and support grant reporting and ongoing engagement

Budget Responsibility

You’ll help manage multiple budgets across significant, multi-year projects tracking match funding, invoice-ready documentation, and deliverable-based reporting in coordination with our CEO and contracted accounting firm. You’ll also support the development of new grant budgets and funding proposals, helping ensure financial plans are aligned with program goals, stakeholder expectations, and organizational sustainability.

Management Responsibilities

There are no direct staff management responsibilities at this time. However, you’ll coordinate with external contractors and partners and may support the onboarding of future team members.

Key Responsibilities

This role includes two primary work streams: (1) leading the execution of a multi-year, government-funded project from kickoff through closeout, and (2) supporting fundraising strategy and funder engagement across public and philanthropic partners. You’ll be responsible for driving timelines, ensuring cross-team alignment, maintaining compliance, and contributing to strategic fund development.

Project Management

• Execute a multi-year, grant-funded initiative: lead kickoff, align timelines across SolarAPP and partners, and ensure accurate, on-time reporting.
• Keep compliance audit-ready: build and maintain systems that track match funding, invoices, and sub-recipient documentation with zero missed deadlines.
• Coordinate across partners: establish reliable sequencing across staff, contractors, and agencies so interdependent tasks stay aligned.
• Track and report performance: use tools like Metabase, MS Project, and Coda to make data visible and actionable for both funders and internal teams.
• Prepare for closeout: manage deliverables, coordinate funder presentations, and ensure knowledge transfer at the end of major project phases.

Grant Management & Fund Development

• Funder communications: serve as a clear, professional point of contact for government and philanthropic funders.
• Reporting & deliverables: develop and submit funder-facing reports and compliance documentation that are accurate, audit-ready, and strategically aligned with project outcomes.
• Proposal support: draft and contribute to grant proposals, budgets, and funder updates in support of SolarAPPs broader fundraising strategy.
• System building: maintain calendars, trackers, and templates that make reporting and fundraising more efficient and scalable across the team.
• Relationship-building: strengthen connections with current and prospective funders by ensuring timely, responsive communication and supporting long-term engagement strategy.

What You’ll Need to Be Successful

• Based in California (required)
• 3-5 years of experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects, ideally involving public-sector grants (federal, state, or local)
• Strong skills in project planning, coordination, and follow-through, with the ability to manage timelines, deadlines, and diverse stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication; clear, concise, and responsive across teams and funders
• A direct, proactive approach. You’re comfortable saying when you don’t know something and then figuring it out
• Calm under pressure, able to navigate ambiguity, and committed to keeping things moving
• Experience supporting fundraising or development in a nonprofit or mission-driven setting
• Familiarity with grant compliance, reporting, and budget tracking
• Bonus if you bring experience in clean energy, permitting, civic tech, or infrastructure
• Proficient in Google Workspace, Coda, Miro, and other collaboration tools

Why Join Us
Compensation

Competitive salary range: $95,000-110,000, commensurate with experience.

Benefits

• Two medical plans to choose from (High-deductible and PPO)
• Unlimited PTO
• Up to 5% retirement contribution match

Work Environment

We’re a remote-first team that also values in-person meetings. Throughout the year, there will be events and conferences that make sense for us to attend, and we expect occasional travel for this role.