Grant Operations Director

About the role

The Grant Operations Director will design, build and lead the grant operating system for the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity (MBZFH). Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, this founding role will establish the policies, procedures and controls that ensure every grant is documented, compliant, auditable and efficiently administered from intake through close‑out.

Key responsibilities

• Design and own MBZFH’s grant‑making strategy, aligning funding approaches with the Foundation’s mission and priorities.
• Develop and maintain policies, SOPs, templates and approval workflows that govern the full grant lifecycle.
• Establish a disciplined yet practical grant operating model suitable for a fast‑scaling philanthropic organisation.
• Own standard grant agreement terms, budgeting guidelines and disbursement request templates in collaboration with Legal Affairs and Programs.
• Manage grant intake, application screening, proposal assessment and funding recommendation processes.
• Work closely with Programs, MEL, Legal Affairs, and Audit & Risk Management to ensure robust, scalable and technology‑enabled grant processes.
• Represent the grant‑making strategy to governance bodies and external partners.

Required profile

• Senior‑level experience designing and operating grant management systems in a philanthropic or nonprofit setting.
• Proven ability to develop policies, SOPs and templates that support compliance and auditability.
• Experience collaborating with legal, programmatic and risk‑management functions.
• Strong strategic thinking to align grant operations with organisational priorities.

Required skills

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape the grant operating framework of a high‑impact global foundation.
• Leadership role reporting directly to senior executives.
• Collaborative environment with cross‑functional teams.