Manager, Federal Funding

National Council on Aging

We believe every person deserves to age well. Thats why were on a path to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. Come join an awesome team and learn about the work we do, the people we serve, and why equitable aging matters now more than ever. At NCOA, we represent the interests of the aging population across the nation, while striving to live out our core values of equity, excellence, and innovation.

This is meaningful work where we put people first and our employees can learn and grow, where work/life balance is prioritized, and have a flexible hybrid work schedule while being part of a dynamic, collaborative team. We are interested in growing our team with passionate, committed, and innovative individuals. The Manager, Federal Funding will join NCOA at a time of dynamic growth.

The Manager of Federal Funding role is to lead the organizations federal revenue strategy and execution. Reporting to the CDO, this role will secure and steward NCOAs largest revenue stream by cultivating relationships with federal agencies, crafting competitive grant proposals, and aligning federal funding opportunities with organizational priorities. The ideal candidate will balance innovation with compliance, strategic, results-driven, collaborate across teams to amplify impact, and ensure federal investments advance NCOAs mission and equity goals.

Positions at this level typically report to a senior director or chief and require advanced knowledge and experience as well as management capabilities. Incumbents are required to make independent judgements within their scope of work and require minimal oversight. Incumbents generally have eight or more years of experience in their discipline and a bachelors degree or the equivalent, as well as substantive experience at this level.

Graduate level degrees may be considered in lieu of experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Federal Funding Strategy & Growth

• Develop and execute a multi-year federal revenue strategy aligned with NCOAs goals.
  • Proactively identify, assess, and prioritize federal funding opportunities (grants, contracts, cooperative agreements) from agencies including ACL, CMS, DOL, HHS, and others.
  • Lead cross-functional teams (Programs, Policy, Finance) to align proposals with organizational priorities and community needs.
  • Monitor federal budget trends, legislative changes, and agency priorities to anticipate risks and opportunities.

Proposal Development & Submission

• Oversee end-to-end federal grant processes, including opportunity analysis, proposal writing, budget development, and submission.
• Ensure proposals reflect NCOAs evidence-based practices, equity lens, and innovation while meeting rigorous compliance standards.
• Collaborate with program teams to design compelling narratives, logic models, and evaluation plans.

Federal Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with federal agency staff, program officers, and key decision-makers.
• Position NCOA as a trusted partner through regular engagement, briefings, and thought leadership on aging-related priorities.
• Represent NCOA at federal meetings, conferences, and technical panels.

Compliance & Stewardship

• Ensure adherence to federal grant regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance), reporting deadlines, and audit requirements.
• Partner with Finance to monitor grant expenditures, re-budgeting, and financial reporting.
• Lead post-award debriefs to refine strategies and improve success rates.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the Chief Customer Officer and program leads to align federal funding with service delivery and impact goals.
• Advise the Policy team on funding implications of legislative priorities.
• Support the CDO in Board and executive-level briefings on federal revenue performance.
• Other responsibilities as required.

COMPETENCIES AND EXPECTATIONS

• Strategic Thinking - Develops strategies to achieve organizational goals; understands organization's strengths & weaknesses; analyzes market and competition; identifies external threats and opportunities; adapts strategy to changing conditions.
• Leadership - Exhibits confidence in self and others; inspires and motivates others to perform well; effectively influences actions and opinions of others; accepts feedback from others; gives appropriate recognition to others.

Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

Interpersonal Skills - Focuses on solving conflict; maintains confidentiality; listens to others without interrupting; keeps emotions under control; remains open to others' ideas and tries new things.

Initiative - Volunteers readily;
Undertakes self-development activities;
Seeks increased responsibilities;
Takes independent actions and calculated risks;
Looks for and takes advantage of opportunities;
Asks for and offers help when…