Contract Grant Writing Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

The United Planning Organization (UPO) is the designated Community Action Agency for Washington, District of Columbia, and has served the residents of the District since 1962. Our Vision for the future is “UPO’s Washington: A city of thriving communities and self-sufficient residents”; our Mission is “Uniting People with Opportunities.”

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply for this position or any other position currently advertised on our website. Please visit us at www.upo.org to view all of our vacancies and to learn more about our company and services.

POSITION: Associate Director, Resource Development

DIVISION/OFFICE: Office of Business Development/Resource Development

BULLETIN No: 01072026

SALARY RANGE: $75,000-$95,000 (Commensurate with experience)

OPENING DATE: July 1, 2026

CLOSING DATE: Open until filled

JOB SUMMARY:

Oversee and participate in all aspects of grant submissions. Duties include outlining grant writing responsibilities with contracted grant writers, reviewing 990s and past proposals as relevant for submissions. Developing and maintaining annual grants scheduler. Preparing and managing proposal submissions in accordance with funders’ policies and legal requirements; assisting with the negotiations of deliverables with potential partners in cooperation with program staff and UPO leadership. Developing grant proposals for government, corporation, and private foundation grants.

MAJOR DUTIES:

Recruit and retain content specific grant writers for preparation of agency responses to grant opportunities.

Request and review grant writer RFQs (Requests for Qualifications) and/or IFBs (Invitations for Bid). Serve as the direct agency liaison for contract grant writers. Produce proposals in response to government and private foundation grant opportunities. Coordinate prospecting of potential grant makers with the Director of Development and other, relevant inter-agency offices and divisions. Review grant opportunities at the local, state, and federal levels to determine fitness and alignment with UPO’s mission and divisions’ programmatic goals. Collaborate with internal units to produce funding plans. Work in conjunction with the Director of Development and other, relevant inter-agency offices to seek funding opportunities, review 990’s and other activities leading to securing new or recurring resources. Review iterative and final grant submissions for content and compliance documents required by funder guidelines, ensuring timely submission. Present summary and outcomes of resource development efforts to UPO’s Development Committee of the Board of Directors quarterly.

Maintain Development Management System (DMS) on the networked share drive to track performance measures. Contact grant making entities for follow up on grant application denials. Convey budget, legal, and other relevant documents of new and continuing grants to finance, legal, and executive offices. Attend internal and external meetings as designated. Create and maintain communication with internal staff and external organizations as required. Establish annual calendar of application submissions. Manage the Resource Development and Research division’s budget to ensure efficient and prudent spending. Ability to adapt to evolving technology tools (e.g., Artificial Intelligence) as support tools for developing grant submissions.

Core Competencies: The ideal candidate is a self-motivated, technology savvy, creative problem solver, with excellent collaborative working skills

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree in public administration, public policy, statistics, business administration, English, social sciences or a related field and at least four years of relevant work experience. Knowledge of standards, concepts, practices, and procedures for competitive proposal development. Possess the experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Excellent communication, critical thinking, technical writing, organization, research and verbal presentation skills are a must.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Master’s degree or Ph.D. in public administration, public policy, statistics, business administration, English, social sciences, or a related field and at least eight years of relevant work experience. Knowledge of standards, concepts, practices, and procedures for competitive proposal development. Advanced grant writing, review, and general research project management experience; analytical and problem-solving skills to organize grant submissions. Adaptability to adjust grant prospects based on resource needs; and ability to use sound judgment and consider broad organizational impacts when making decisions desired. A sense of urgency and a results-oriented approach to solving complex issues; very strong conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills also desired. Possession of experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Excellent critical thinking, communication, writing, organization, research and verbal presentation skills are a must.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

In the event that an offer is extended, the candidate will be required to successfully complete a criminal background check and/or FBI fingerprinting, and pre-employment drug screening as applicable for the position.

Competitive Benefits:

ELIGIBLE FOR REMOTE/TELEWORK: n YES (based on UPO Telework Policy, o NO

position duties & program requirements)

This position IS NOT in the collective bargaining unit of the CWA Union.

FLSA STATUS: Exempt

To be considered for this position:

Submit your cover letter and resume to the Career Center Online.

UPO is an Equal Opportunity Employer