The American Association of University Women (AAUW), a gender equity advocacy organization, is one of the nation’s leading voices promoting equity and education for women and girls and empowering them to reach their highest potential. What began in 1881 as a group of 17 like-minded women has grown into a powerful grassroots network with more than 100,000 members, advocates, and more than 450 college and university partners across the United States. The Fellowships & Grants team works to advance policy on gender equity in education, women’s economic security, and civil and reproductive rights. Summary Description: The Manager, Programs & Panel Management leads AAUW’s panel review program, working in close coordination and consultation with fellowship and grant program managers and staff. The manager oversees panelist recruitment, training, and engagement; coordinates annual review cycles; and leads improvements to evaluation and scoring practices to strengthen fairness, consistency, and equity. The manager also leads the administration and ongoing development of assigned grant programs, from program design and application review through award management and assessment of outcomes. The role coordinates the Panelist Advisory Board and supports meaningful connections among grantees, alumnae, and other AAUW stakeholders through programming and communications. Across these responsibilities, the manager combines strong project management, collaborative leadership, and change management skills to translate priorities into action, ensure timely follow-through, and strengthen departmental processes and systems. Essential Duties: Panel Review Program Coordination and Management - Lead AAUW’s panel review program and its annual review cycles, establishing workplans, milestones, responsibilities, and communications in close coordination and consultation with program managers. Align review operations with program priorities, evaluation criteria, and selection processes; track progress, anticipate risks, resolve operational issues, and escalate decisions as needed.
- Develop and implement panelist recruitment, communications, and engagement strategies in collaboration with program staff and Advancement. Recruit qualified reviewers and assemble diverse, balanced panels with expertise relevant to each program.
- Manage application assignments, reviewer workloads, and compliance with conflict-of-interest and confidentiality requirements. Coordinate and facilitate panel meetings in consultation with program managers and relevant experts to support fair, consistent, and informed deliberations.
- Monitor review completion and adherence to established criteria and procedures; provide timely guidance and address concerns related to scoring consistency and participation in coordination with program managers.
- Develop and deliver panelist and staff training, guidance, and reviewer calibration activities. Guide implementation of changes to review practices through clear communication, documentation, and ongoing support.
- Develop and manage application screening and review workflows across programs, in consultation with program managers; recruit, onboard, train, and supervise temporary application review staff.
- Ensure accurate tracking, documentation, and management of application review data, panel evaluations, and funding recommendations and decisions.
- Evaluate each review cycle for timeliness, completion, scoring consistency, panel expertise and composition, and participant feedback. Partner with program managers to recommend improvements for leadership approval, oversee implementation, and assess effectiveness.
- Coordinate the Panelist Advisory Board, serving as its primary staff liaison. Partner with departmental leadership to develop agendas, prepare materials, facilitate substantive engagement, and follow through on recommendations and action items.
- Monitor budgets for panel review operations and assigned grant programs in consultation with the departmental leadership; track expenses, coordinate reviewer honoraria and related payments, and identify resource needs.
Grant Program Design & Management - Lead the day-to-day management and ongoing development of a small portfolio of grant programs, in consultation with the supervisor and relevant colleagues, ensuring alignment with AAUW’s mission, funding priorities, and available resources.
- Design and refine program guidelines, eligibility requirements, application materials, review criteria, reporting requirements, and award processes, drawing on grantee feedback, program data, and relevant grantmaking practices.
- Manage the full grant lifecycle for assigned programs, including outreach, application review, selection recommendations, award notifications and agreements, coordination of payments, grantee support, reporting, and closeout.
- Monitor grant progress, expenditures, reporting, and compliance with award terms and applicable donor requirements; identify concerns and coordinate timely resolution with grantees and relevant colleagues.
- Assess program outcomes and recommend improvements, including opportunities to strengthen STEM-related programming and support locally driven initiatives advancing opportunities for women and girls.
- Serve as AAUW’s staff liaison to Tech Trek camp organizers, branches, and affiliates; communicate established national requirements and resources; coordinate collection and tracking of required documentation; and refer questions, reported concerns, and potential risks to designated organizational leaders for review and action.
- Ensure the integrity of award management data by leveraging strong record maintenance practices in support of applicants, awardees, review panelists, and other AAUW community members.
- Partner with the grants management system administrator and program managers to translate operational needs into system requirements, test application and review workflows, maintain accurate records, and develop reports that support program management and decision-making.
Community Engagement - Build and maintain strong, mutually respectful relationships with awardees, panelists, and other AAUW stakeholders through responsive communication and thoughtful engagement throughout the awards lifecycle.
- Develop and manage Impact Network programming and engagement in collaboration with community engagement colleagues, translating grantee interests and needs into relevant peer learning, connection, and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
- Oversee newsletter strategy, coordination, and content development for awardees and alumnae; establish content priorities, collaborate cross-functionally, and use engagement data to strengthen relevance, encourage participation, and highlight awardee and alumnae contributions.
- Collaborate with Advancement and Communications staff, as appropriate, to announce awardees, develop website content, and showcase AAUW’s impact.
Departmental Collaboration & Continuous Improvement Collaborate with F&G colleagues and relevant cross-functional partners to assess and improve departmental processes, tools, approaches, and systems. Develop and refine shared resources—including reporting tools, information repositories, workflow documentation, and training materials—to strengthen efficiency, data quality, knowledge sharing, and coordination. Participate in organizational committees and workgroups, support other AAUW initiatives as needed, and perform other related duties as assigned. Minimum Qualifications: - Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in a relevant field such as public administration, business administration, nonprofit management or related area.
- 5 years of progressive experience in program management, higher education, awards management, or a related field.
- Experience administering grant or award programs.
- Experience coordinating structured review and selection processes, such as fellowship or grant panels, admissions committees, or comparable competitive selection processes.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex initiatives from planning through evaluation, manage competing priorities, anticipate risks, and ensure timely follow-through.
- Strong collaborative leadership skills, including clarifying responsibilities, incorporating colleagues’ expertise, building agreement, and maintaining accountability. (Overseeing Independent Reviewers, coordinating selection processes)
- Experience recruiting, training, and supervising staff or volunteers, including developing and delivering training for adult learners.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and data management skills, with the ability to interpret findings and translate them into practical improvements.
- Experience guiding operational change and supporting adoption of new practices, tools, or systems.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including preparing reports, delivering training, and facilitating productive discussions.
- Ability to build responsive, service-oriented relationships with diverse stakeholders, including academics, senior professionals, volunteer advisors, and community partners.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accurate records and clear documentation.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively, adapt to changing priorities, and exercise sound judgment, discretion and confidentiality.
- Commitment to gender equity for women and girls.
Preferred Qualifications: - Master’s degree in a relevant field
- Direct experience managing expert panel reviews for competitive fellowship or grant programs, including reviewer recruitment, training, application assignments, and panel deliberations.
- Hands-on experience with Fluxx is strongly preferred. Experience with other grants management systems, online application platforms, CRM systems, or Freshdesk is also valuable.
- Experience designing or refining grant programs, including program guidelines, eligibility requirements, award processes, and outcome measures.
- Experience designing or refining grant programs, including guidelines, eligibility requirements, award processes, and outcome measures.
- Experience coordinating advisory boards or engaging volunteer experts.
- Experience supporting grantee networks or peer learning.
- Interest or experience in advancing opportunities for women and girls in STEM.
Compensation and Location: The salary for this position is $70,000 - $76,000 (commensurate with experience) and it is offered along with a competitive benefits package. This is an in-office position based in Washington, DC. with the option of working remotely up to three days per week. Find all AAUW employee benefits at https://www.aauw.org/about/careers/.
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