Senior Grants Manager

Senior Grants Manager

SolarAPP Foundation | Location: Remote (within the State of CA)

About Us

SolarAPP is cutting the costs of the clean energy transition, making it so that everyone can afford to power their lives with clean energy. Our automated plan review and permitting software reduces soft costs by turning a weeks-long bureaucratic process into instant approval. We're already deployed in over 500 cities across 17 states, with more than 120,000 permits issued, representing over 800,000 kW of clean energy. We're growing fast to expand our impact, developing capabilities to conduct virtual inspections once permitted projects are complete. This will allow us to serve governments and contractors with an end-to-end solution for streamlining residential projects. Join a team building tools that enable safe, automated, and instantaneous permitting and inspections for solar, storage, EV charging, and other clean energy technologies.

About the Role

We're looking for a Senior Grants Manager to own the successful execution of a major, multi-year state grant as SolarAPP Foundation scales its national impact. This is primarily a project management role keeping a complex initiative on track, compliant, and audit-ready while coordinating across internal teams and external partners. Secondarily, you'll support philanthropic fundraising by developing proposals and managing funder relationships. If you excel at project management and cross-functional coordination, thrive in a "we'll figure it out" environment, and are passionate about accelerating clean energy adoption, this is the role for you.

Who you'll report to: the CEO.

Who you'll work closely with: the incoming Chief of Staff, and two senior Product Managers.

What You'll Do

This role focuses on leading end-to-end execution and audit-ready compliance for a multi-year grant while providing targeted support for philanthropic fundraising. You'll drive timelines, ensure cross-team alignment, and maintain compliance standards that safeguard funder confidence.

Manage SolarAPPs grant and relationship with the California Energy Commission (80%)

• Execute a multi-year grant-funded initiative, including ensuring all deliverables and reporting requirements are submitted according to agreed upon deadlines, and in compliance with rules and regulations
• Ensure all deliverables and reporting requirements are submitted according to agreed upon deadlines, and in compliance with rules and regulations
• Keep compliance audit-ready by maintaining systems for cost share, invoices, and sub recipient documentation with zero missed deadlines
• Coordinate across partners to establish reliable sequencing across staff, contractors, and agencies so interdependent tasks stay aligned
• Track and report performance using digital tools to make data visible and actionable for both funders and internal teams
• Prepare for closeout by managing deliverables, coordinating final funder presentations, and ensuring knowledge transfer at the end of major project phases

Drive the Foundations fundraising strategy with the CEO (20%)

• Serve as a clear, professional point of contact for government and philanthropic funders
• Build and maintain calendars, trackers, and templates that make reporting and fundraising more efficient and scalable (includes ensuring employee time tracking is audit ready
• Develop and submit funder-facing reports and compliance documentation that are accurate, audit-ready, and strategically aligned with outcomes
• Strengthen funder relationships through timely, responsive communication and long-term engagement support
• Draft and contribute to fundraising collateral, grant proposals, budgets, and funder updates in support of SolarAPP's broader fundraising strategy

What You Bring

Essential Skills and Background

• Background typically consistent with 3-5 years experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder grants, ideally involving public-sector grants (federal, state, or local)
• Familiarity with grant compliance, reporting, and budget tracking
• 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
• Highly organized with a sense of urgency, proactive instincts, and timely communication
• Calm under pressure, and committed to keeping things moving
• Experience supporting fundraising or development in a nonprofit or mission-driven setting 

Additional Preferred Skills and Background

• Experience in clean energy, or civic / public interest tech and infrastructure
• Proficient in Google Workspace, Slack, Miro, and / or other digital collaboration tool

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time role with a competitive salary ranging from $95,000 - $110,000, commensurate with experience.

We offer a competitive benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, vision
• 401K with 5% employer match
• Employer paid short- and long-term disability, and life insurance
• Unlimited paid time off (PTO)
• Parental leave
• $75 monthly internet stipend
• $500 work from home stipend for each new hire

Hiring Process Outline (targets)

• Application period: this role will remain open until filled, and we are prioritizing applications submitted by 1/16/26
• Review applications and respond to candidates: rolling basis, starting in early January
• Recruiter phone screen: starting in early January
• Virtual EQ/behavioral panel interview 1: starting in mid to late January 
• Take home exercise: everyone who receives a take home exercise will be invited to the technical interview round, so that they can present and answer questions panelists have 
• Virtual TQ/technical panel interview 2: starting in early February
• Reference checks and final conversations: starting in mid-February
• Selection and offer: mid-late February
• Basic background check and signed agreement: mid-late February
• Ideal start date period: end of February through mid-March 2026

Equal Opportunity Employer

SolarAPP Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.