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Position Description

The Senior Manager, Grants is a senior-level fundraising role within CORAL’s Development & Marketing team, responsible for leadership and advancement of our institutional fundraising strategy and securing $1+ million annually in foundation and government grants. This position will serve as a lead strategist and writer for institutional fundraising, ensuring CORAL has the resources to expand its global impact at a critical time for ocean and coral reef conservation.

CORAL is scaling its work to tackle urgent threats to reefs and the communities that depend on them. The Senior Grant Manager will play a pivotal role in funding that vision, cultivating relationships with institutional funders, crafting compelling proposals and reports, and collaborating across departments to translate CORAL’s scientific and community-based work into persuasive, funder-ready materials.

This position is ideal for a strategic grant fundraising professional who excels at translating complex conservation science into compelling donor stories, managing a portfolio of institutional funders, navigating grant systems and reporting requirements with precision, and developing winning funding strategies that secure six- and seven-figure investments. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Institutional Fundraising & Revenue Generation (50%)

  • Secure $2M+ annually in foundation and government grants through prospecting, cultivation, proposal development, and stewardship.
  • Manage a robust portfolio of current and prospective institutional funders, ensuring a healthy pipeline that supports both unrestricted and programmatic revenue goals.
  • Serve as a lead grant writer for regional CORAL Hubs, preparing compelling letters of inquiry, proposals, renewal requests, and reports that align with funder priorities and CORAL’s mission.
  • Lead cultivation and stewardship efforts with institutional partners, maintaining consistent communication, arranging briefings with leadership, and providing tailored updates on impact.
  • Track progress toward revenue goals, ensuring consistent growth of institutional support through renewals, upgrades, and new funding partnerships.

Strategy & Cross-Team Collaboration (30%)

  • Support the development and execution of a multi-year institutional fundraising strategy in alignment with CORAL’s strategic plan.
  • Partner with program and science teams to translate technical work into compelling narratives, measurable outcomes, and funder-ready case statements.
  • Collaborate with leadership to identify opportunities for major institutional partnerships and multi-year commitments within the assigned portfolio.
  • Provide institutional fundraising expertise to cross-team initiatives, including campaigns and events where grants may play a role.
  • Monitor trends in institutional philanthropy and identify new opportunities for partnership in conservation, climate, and community resilience.

Systems & Evaluation (20%) 

  • Maintain accurate records of proposals, deadlines, communications, and deliverables in Salesforce CRM.
  • Manage grants calendar for assigned accounts, ensuring timely submissions and reporting.
  • Develop performance metrics for institutional fundraising, regularly reporting progress to leadership and adjusting strategy based on results.
  • Ensure all grant deliverables within the assigned portfolio are fulfilled, in collaboration with finance and program teams, including budget reporting and impact metrics.

Required Qualifications

  • Deep commitment to CORAL’s mission and to advancing environmental conservation through institutional partnerships.
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
  • Minimum of 8+ years of experience in institutional fundraising with demonstrated success securing five- and six-figure grants; experience with seven-figure grants preferred.
  • Proven track record of raising $1M+ annually from foundations, corporations, and/or government sources.
  • Demonstrated ability to mentor and coach team members.
  • Proven experience coordinating across programs, finance, marketing, and development teams for successful proposal development, reporting, and compliance management.
  • Skilled in training others in grant writing, donor expectations, compliance, and reporting.
  • Exceptional writing and editing skills, particularly in developing persuasive grant proposals, reports, and concept notes.
  • Strong strategic and analytical thinking with the ability to align organizational priorities with funder interests.
  • Strong ability to work effectively with diverse partners across cultural contexts.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Familiarity with conservation, climate change, or related environmental programs; ability to quickly absorb and communicate scientific and community-based program content.
  • Excellent relationship-building skills with funders and internal stakeholders.
  • Collaborative, cross-functional communicator comfortable working with finance, program, and leadership teams.
  • Highly detail-oriented, with a strong ability to track deliverables, budgets, and deadlines.
  • Proficiency in Salesforce or similar CRM, and experience with prospect research tools.
  • Positive, team-oriented mindset with flexibility and creativity in problem-solving.

Compensation and Work Schedule

This is a full-time exempt position compensated within a salary range of $80,000 – $90,000 annually. CORAL offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical benefits, 401k matching, generous paid time off, 12 holidays, an Employee Assistance Program, and more. Mileage reimbursement is available for personal vehicle use.

We offer a flexible working schedule where the successful candidate can set their own working hours as long as they are able to attend necessary meetings.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their resume and cover letter as one document to humanresources@coral.org with “Senior Manager, Grants” in the subject line.  

Please note that due to the volume of applications expected, we are not able to respond to each individual applicant. The position will be open until filled, an immediate start date is preferred.

The Coral Reef Alliance is committed to workforce diversity. Qualified applicants will receive full consideration without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, health status, or national origin.