Director of Government Grants & Compliance

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Title: Director of Government Grants & Compliance

Salary: $70,000 - $75,000/year
FLSA Status: Exempt
Reports To: Senior Director of Impact, Learning & Evaluation

Ignite stands with youth on their journey to a home and a future with promise. We are a leading non-profit, human services organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty for youth, ages 10-26. While Ignite has a long-standing history that dates to 1976, we continue to create new ways to serve our community. Today, we have more than 63 full-time and part-time staff as well as over 100 volunteers who contribute to our mission.

Through housing, education, employment, career planning, financial empowerment, mental health support, and community connection, we enroll more than 800 youth per year, on the path to reaching their full potential. Following their time with Ignite, many of our youth achieve financial stability and move into their own long-term home. Ignite intends to be the last program our youth will ever need, but the family and place they can always call home. As a 2025 Chicago Innovation Award winner, Ignite is leading the way in creating new housing and service models that help youth put homelessness behind them for good. At Ignite, we envision a world where all young people have the support they need to be defined by their potential, not their circumstances.

Position Summary

The Director of Grants & Compliance leads Ignite’s government grant compliance, renewal, and proposal development efforts. This role is responsible for ensuring adherence to federal, state, and local contract requirements; leading preparation for monitoring visits; managing renewals; drafting new government grant proposals; and supporting government funding prospecting efforts. This position builds and maintains the infrastructure that protects Ignite from compliance risk while strengthening its government funding portfolio.

The ideal candidate is an experienced government grant writer and compliance professional who is systems-oriented, deadline-driven, and comfortable operating across departments.

Primary Responsibilities

Government Grant Proposal Development

• Lead development and submission of new government grant proposals (federal, state, and local).

• Review NOFOs/RFPs and develop proposal workplans and timelines.

• Draft compelling and compliant narratives, including need statements, program design, staffing plans, implementation approaches, and sustainability sections.

• Coordinate required attachments, MOUs, letters of support, and compliance documentation.

• Collaborate with Finance on budget development and budget narratives.

• Ensure proposals meet all formatting, eligibility, and compliance requirements prior to submission.

• Maintain a library of boilerplate language, standard attachments, and proposal templates.
• Ensure proposals are in alignment with Ignite’s strategic priorities.

Government Grant Compliance & Infrastructure

• Lead compliance oversight for all government-funded programs.

• Develop and maintain a master compliance calendar for renewals, monitoring visits, and key contract deadlines.

• Review contracts to interpret deliverables, performance benchmarks, and documentation requirements.

• Identify potential compliance risks and communicate proactively with leadership.

• Develop internal compliance checklists and guidance for Program Directors.
• Identify trends across funding streams and recommend process improvements to strengthen compliance, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

Monitoring & Audit Readiness

• Serve as primary internal lead for government monitoring visits and desk reviews.

• Coordinate documentation collection and preparation across departments.

• Maintain organized, audit-ready compliance documentation systems.

• Track and oversee implementation of corrective action plans when required.

Government Funding Strategy & Prospecting

• Track upcoming government funding opportunities and renewal cycles.

• Maintain a government grants pipeline tracker.

• Conduct light research and initial analysis of new government funding opportunities.

• Support leadership in evaluating alignment between funding opportunities and program capacity.

Cross-Department Collaboration

• Work with the team members to ensure contract requirements align with submitted performance reports.

• Collaborate with Finance to ensure budget compliance and alignment with contract terms.

• Work closely with Program Directors to ensure program implementation aligns with funded scope.