Director of Grants | Grants Division

Location: Houston, TX
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

ABOUT HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE

Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) is a local arts and culture nonprofit whose principal work is to implement the City of Houston’s vision, values, and goals for its arts grantmaking and civic art investments. HAA’s work is conducted through contracts with the City of Houston, overseen by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. HAA also executes privately funded special projects to meet the needs of the arts community, such as disaster preparation and research on the state of the arts in Houston. 

In short, HAA helps artists and nonprofits be bold, productive, and strong.

HAA prioritizes diverse perspectives that create better solutions and services for the people we serve, including diversity in age, self-identities, and all other domains. Those with backgrounds typically not recognized by corporate structures are encouraged to apply, including those with employment gaps, long term unemployment status, varied life experiences, and those touched by the legal system.

SUMMARY

The Director of Grants is responsible for the distribution of about $15M in public funding for the arts annually, administered through a contract with the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. The Director shares HAA’s values: fairness, transparency, and responsiveness to community. The Director manages a team and is responsible for systems that fairly and equitably distribute funding throughout the City’s diverse cultural community. The Director will create solutions, solve complex problems, and envision systems change, with a dual focus on the humans impacted by our work and the integrity of the systems they are responsible for. This position reports to the CEO. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

Managing Relationships

• Create and maintain productive, trusting, accessible, professional, and accountable relationships. 
• Represent HAA as a visible, engaged leader in Houston’s arts and cultural community, attending grantee and other events.
• Co-create HAA’s reputation with the community of people it serves. 
• Exhibit diplomacy with diverse stakeholders, such as city and arts community representatives. 
• Develop and facilitate others’ insights into systems and processes to make division improvements. 
• Identify internal and external politics that impact the organization and division. 
• Identify and respond to local, regional, and national trends relevant to the arts and philanthropy.

Managing Grants Competition System and Processes 

• Center arts and cultural community in processes and decisions.
• Envision and lead implementation of policies and procedures for the entire grantmaking process. 
• Ensure systems integrity so that systems create fairness and are transparent and ethical. 
• Set and lead the strategy, vision, priorities, and calendar for grantmaking. 
• Work collaboratively while maintaining leadership and ownership of the Grants function. 
• Create, monitor, and improve the end-to-end grantee experience across the grant lifecycle. 
• Continually evaluate and improve existing processes and systems for fairness and responsiveness. 
• Ensure grants systems function on time and on budget. 
• Ensure compliance with all applicable policies, regulations, and laws. 
• Develop strategic communication deliverables, such as grants workshops and Board reports. 
• Ensure HAA and grantee compliance with contract obligations.
• Ensure grantee payments are made timely and accurately. 
• Troubleshoot and resolve problems as they arise to achieve compassion and systems integrity. 

Managing the Internal Division 

• Facilitate successful workflow through leadership, mentorship, accountability, and gratitude. 
• Co-construct team and organizational culture through model choices and positive relationships
• Facilitate team members’ goals, members growth, and division integration with HAA. 
• Manage the Grants Committee of the Board, which oversees grants lifecycle at points of review. 
• Manage collegial and working relationships internally, across divisions. 
• Assure proper maintenance of records. 
• Set the annual division budget and staffing in consultation with the CFO. 
• Assist the Finance team in annual audits and contract reviews as needed. 
• Review financial information and evaluate overall performance by gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data and metrics. 
• Analyze and report on grant systems data and external trends for major stakeholders. 
• Collaborate with the Finance team on grantee payments and other transactions. 
• Work with cross-departmental teams to support special projects and other organizational needs. 
• Adapt behavior and work in response to new information, obstacles, and the drive for excellence. 
• Manage and resolve conflicts and disagreements in a timely, positive, and constructive manner. 

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of experience, skills, and values aligned with Houston Arts Alliance’s mission and the demands of leading a public grants system. While no single candidate will have every qualification listed, strong candidates will demonstrate:

Grantmaking & Sector Knowledge

• Deep knowledge of best practices in public or private grantmaking.
• Experience in the arts, philanthropy, or cultural nonprofit sectors.
• Strong understanding of equity-driven funding practices and systems thinking.

Leadership & Team Management

• Demonstrated success leading teams and managing complex workflows.
• Proven ability to build a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, and impact.
• Skilled at supporting professional development and cross-functional collaboration.

Systems & Process Design

• At least five years of experience designing, implementing, and improving operational systems or grant processes.
• Strong project and change management skills, with the ability to lead through complexity.
• Experience using data and technology to drive process improvements and transparency.

Communication & Relationship Building

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking and presentation.
• Comfortable serving as a visible representative of the organization at public events, community forums, and meetings with civic leaders.
• Ability to build trust across a wide range of stakeholders, including grantees, public officials, and internal teams.
• Skilled at translating technical and process-related information in clear, accessible language for diverse audiences.

Values & Disposition

• A strong personal and professional commitment to racial and social equity.
• Grace under pressure, a solutions-oriented mindset, and comfort with ambiguity.
• High attention to detail, follow-through, and accountability—for self and others

COMPENSATION

HAA offers a competitive annual salary for this role commensurate with qualifications and experience. HAA also offers a generous benefits package including comprehensive healthcare, paid and sick time off.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

HAA is an equal-opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions.

TO APPLY

To apply, please submit your application via this online portal. Only applications submitted through the portal will be accepted. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submissions are encouraged. The deadline to apply is May 31st. 

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]  and include "Director of Grants, HAA" in the subject line. A-Team Consultants, a recruitment firm specializing in nonprofit leadership placements, is managing the search.