What We Do

At Leading Educators (LE), we know that excellent teaching is the most important driver of student success. The moment a student steps foot in the classroom, their opportunity to learn depends on how prepared their teacher is to translate complex content knowledge, standards, and their knowledge of that student into lessons that help them learn deeply and apply their thinking to the real world.

That’s a big lift, and it often happens alone. As a national nonprofit, we partner with school systems to overcome persistent instructional challenges, foster intentional collaboration and adult learning by design, and ignite new possibilities through systemic solutions at the intersection of teaching, talent, and technology.

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with educators at every level of the education system to strengthen their instructional and leadership practices, bring a vision for excellent instruction to life with consistency, and ensure every student reaches their full potential.

Through direct support, strategic advising, innovation pilots, and best-in-class research, we help educators work toward a future where every student is ready to thrive. Learn more about our work at leadingeducators.org.

External & Internal Candidate Application Deadline: Ongoing

Position

At Leading Educators, we’re seeking an experienced nonprofit finance and grants professional to strengthen and lead the financial management and compliance operations of our growing grants portfolio.

This is a highly technical role designed for candidates with backgrounds in accounting, finance, grants financial management, audit, or nonprofit compliance. The Associate Director of Grants will serve as a key financial steward responsible for managing the post-award financial lifecycle of grants, ensuring compliance, accuracy, operational efficiency, and strong financial controls across a complex and expanding portfolio of philanthropic investments.

We are seeking a candidate who can independently manage grant agreements, restricted funding, financial reporting, compliance requirements, and grants-related financial systems with minimal oversight. This role requires strong analytical judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to build scalable systems and processes that reduce organizational risk and improve operational effectiveness.

This is not a programmatic or Development grants role. It is a finance-centered role focused on grants accounting, compliance, financial stewardship, and operational rigor.

Do you have expertise in…

Reading, interpreting, and operationalizing complex grant agreements
Understanding and determining Contributions versus Exchange Transactions
Managing restricted funds and tracking allowable vs. non-allowable expenses
Preparing grant-related financial reporting and compliance documentation
Designing financial systems and workflows that reduce manual work and organizational risk
Tracking, Accounting for and Managing multi-year, multi-funder grants independently
Ensuring compliance across nonprofit, federal, state, and organizational financial standards (FASB Compliance)
Utilizing financial systems such as Sage Intacct, Salesforce, or similar platforms

Do you enjoy…

Solving complex financial and grants management challenges
Creating systems and processes that improve operational efficiency
Acting as a strategic financial partner across Finance, Development, and Program teams
Building structure, clarity, and accountability within grants financial management
Managing detailed financial work while balancing broader organizational priorities

If you've answered affirmatively to these questions and meet the following prerequisites, we urge you to seize this opportunity. This role calls for the following:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Public Administration, or closely related field required
Minimum 5 years of nonprofit finance, grants accounting, grants compliance, or advanced grants management experience required
Strong preference for candidates with accounting, finance, audit, or nonprofit compliance backgrounds
Proven experience independently managing complex grant agreements and restricted funding
Demonstrated ability to design and improve financial systems and operational workflows
Strong technical proficiency with Sage Intacct, Salesforce, or comparable financial systems
Exceptional analytical, organizational, and communication skills
Ability to work remotely with occasional national travel (1–3 trips per year)
CPA credential or equivalent accounting/finance expertise strongly preferred
Experience in nonprofit audit, government grants, or compliance environments preferred

Travel Requirements

This is a remote position requires travel 1-3 times per year

National travel for org retreats, programming, job related travel, or professional development

Outside of the above mentioned travel, this person will work from a home office that must be located anywhere within the U.S.

Questions? We’re here to help.

If you have questions about this role or about our hiring process at any point, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at talent@leadingeducators.org. This inbox is monitored regularly, and we aim to respond within two business days. To ensure your question receives a thoughtful and timely response, we kindly ask that you refrain from emailing individual staff members or members of our HR team directly. The best way to connect with us is always through talent@leadingeducators.org.

Why Work at Leading Educators?

Imagine being part of an organization where your ideas and perspectives are highly valued. At Leading Educators, we believe in fostering individual strengths, encouraging personal growth, and embracing innovative ideas. If you thrive in a remote working environment, with the added excitement of travel, we're the perfect fit for you. By joining us, you become part of a powerful community of peers nationwide. Regardless of your location, you possess the power to make a significant impact on both students and teachers who rely on us daily. Join Leading Educators and become an integral part of driving progress in education.

Learn About Our Mission & Values:

Mission: Leading Educators partners with school systems to sustain the teaching, leadership, and conditions for every student to succeed in school and in life.

Values:

Build on strengths: We affirm and begin with the unique and collective talents, experiences, and wisdom of ourselves and others.
Continuously learn: We develop ourselves and others. We apply new learning and deepened self-awareness to our relationships and practices.
Prioritize people: We build trust and reflect on the impact of different perspectives and experiences.
Champion success for all: We re-imagine structures, habits, and mindsets to ensure every learner has access to evidence-based learning opportunities.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring

We use artificial intelligence–enabled tools throughout our hiring process, from the moment a candidate applies through the offer stage, to support administrative tasks and the initial review of candidate materials. These tools help us organize, analyze, and surface relevant information efficiently, but they do not make hiring decisions.
All candidate materials—including applications, resumes, assessments, and interview feedback—are reviewed and evaluated by people. All hiring decisions, including interview selection, advancement, and offers of employment, are made by humans.
We use AI solely as a support tool to assist with early-stage reviews and process efficiency. We do not use AI in ways that discriminate based on protected characteristics, nor do we use ZIP codes or similar data to target or exclude protected groups. Our hiring practices are designed to be fair, consistent, and aligned with equal employment opportunity standards.

Compensation:

If hired for this position, the base salary range is $87,243 to $111,037 per year. Most new hires enter the range at a specific point based on their qualifications and the role level. For this position, the standard starting salary is $99,140, which is based on meeting the minimum requirement of 5 years of relevant experience. If you have more than 5 years of directly relevant experience, your starting salary may be adjusted higher within the range, up to a maximum starting salary of $104,239. This approach ensures that candidates with additional experience beyond the minimum are recognized in the initial salary offer.

Benefits:

100% paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for individual employees. Additional premium costs are covered 60% by Leading Educators for partners and dependents on medical, dental, and vision plans. 4% matching 401k plan, Flexible Spending Accounts for medical, childcare and commuter expenses, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Benefits are valued at or above $9,000 for employees.

Time Off:

First three years of employment, full time staff accrue 22 days a year.
Five additional days are accrued after the third and sixth year of employment.
Leading Educators also offer 16 additional paid days off for various holidays, including three floating holidays staff may use at their discretion.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Leading Educators is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual

orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Apply: https://leadingeducators.org/careers/opportunities

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About the role