Senior Manager, Community Scholarships

Role Overview

• Serve as the operational leader for SDF's Community Scholarship portfolio, overseeing scholarship administration, annual cycle planning, fund compliance, award processes, and continuous process improvement.
• Direct the management and stewardship of SDF's scholarship portfolio, including endowed, annual, donor-advised, and special-purpose funds, overseeing fund utilization, award allocation planning, renewal obligations, budgets, and long-term sustainability strategies.
• Lead annual scholarship cycle planning and operational readiness, establishing timelines, workflows, capacity plans, and service standards that support efficient and equitable program delivery.
• Establish and maintain operational policies, procedures, controls, and quality assurance practices while proactively identifying and addressing risks, process gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Support in strategic oversight of the Common Scholarship Application platform, ensuring system functionality, accessibility, data integrity, and a positive experience for applicants, donors, reviewers, and staff.
• Oversee scholarship selection and award administration processes, including application review workflows, committee recommendations, appeals, and final award approvals in partnership with the Director.
• Support cross-functional collaboration with internal stakeholders to ensure effective fund administration, operational alignment, and successful program implementation.
• Serve as SDF's primary operational representative for scholarship donors, external review committees, volunteers, and community partners.
• Lead the governance and administration of scholarship review committees, establishing procedures, review standards, and decision-making frameworks that ensure equitable, transparent, and donor-aligned award processes.
• Oversee the recruitment, development, engagement, stewardship, and succession planning of volunteer reviewers and committee members to maintain a diverse and high-performing committee network.
• Serve as the primary point of escalation for committee concerns, policy questions, conflicts, and complex scholarship review matters.
• Review scholarship recommendations and award outcomes to ensure alignment with donor intent, program guidelines, equity objectives, and organizational standards.
• Partner with the Director and Development & Stewardship to support donor cultivation, retention, scholarship fund development, and donor communications through scholarship impact reporting and program expertise.
• Lead and develop a high-performing scholarship team through coaching, mentorship, performance management, and professional development.
• Establish team priorities, performance expectations, accountability measures, and operational standards that support program excellence.
• Oversee workforce planning, workload distribution, and resource allocation to ensure team capacity aligns with program needs.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement, and shared ownership.
• Promote cross-training to strengthen organizational resiliency and long-term program sustainability.
• Support in the management of scholarship performance metrics, dashboards, and reporting frameworks, managing data collection, analysis, visualization, and reporting efforts that support organizational decision-making.
• Analyze scholarship application, award distribution, demographic, and portfolio performance data to identify trends, improve operational effectiveness, and advance equitable student outcomes.
• Leverage internal and external data to evaluate program performance, assess emerging needs, and inform strategic planning and decision-making.
• Develop and present portfolio insights, trends, forecasts, and impact reports to leadership, donors, committees, and community stakeholders, translating complex information into actionable recommendations.
• Establish and maintain data governance standards, reporting protocols, and quality assurance practices that ensure the integrity, consistency, and reliability of scholarship data across Blackbaud and related systems.
• Partner with Information Technology, Data Services, Finance, and Grants Management teams to strengthen reporting capabilities, improve data accessibility, and advance continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner with the Director to serve as a key leader within the Community Impact Division, fostering cross-functional collaboration, shared learning, and alignment across initiatives that advance SDF's education and community impact goals.
• Partner with internal departments to ensure operational alignment, effective communication, and successful execution of scholarship program priorities.
• Contribute to organizational planning, reporting, evaluation, and continuous improvement efforts that strengthen program effectiveness and community impact.
• Represent SDF through community partnerships, stakeholder engagement activities, public presentations, and scholarship-related events, serving as an ambassador for the Foundation's education initiatives.
• Support organizational priorities and special projects that promote a culture of inclusion, innovation, accountability, and operational excellence.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in education, nonprofit management, public administration, or related field.
• Minimum seven (7) years of management-level experience in education, philanthropy, government, or nonprofit organizations.
• Demonstrated expertise in educational equity, scholarships, or academic program management.
• Strong database and project management skills, including experience managing complex database processes (Blackbaud preferred) and working with project management tools such as Asana or other workflow management platforms.
• Skilled in volunteer engagement and relationship management across diverse groups.
• Culturally competent and committed to promoting equity and inclusion.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and database applications.
• Self-directed, adaptable, and capable of problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong ethical standards and integrity

Benefits

• Salaried, Exempt $90,000.00-$100,000.00 (San Diego Foundation is committed to practices that promote pay equity and transparency. Actual offers will be reflective of qualifications, skills, experience, internal equity, alignment with market data, among other relevant factors)
• Supportive, inclusive company culture; recognized as a Top Workplace by the San Diego Union-Tribune 5 years in a row
• Hybrid work environment with support for home office setup
• Option for a 9/80 work schedule, providing every other Friday off
• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, and long-term disability insurance for employees
• 75% employer-paid premiums for eligible dependents
• 403(b) retirement plan with up to 4% employer match, plus annual discretionary contributions
• Earned Incentive Program
• Three weeks of paid time off annually, plus an additional organization-wide paid week off in July
• 13 paid holidays, plus 2 paid volunteer days each year
• Extended Health Care Time accrual for sick leave, family care, and parental leave
• Four-week paid sabbatical after every five years of service
• $100 monthly cell phone and internet reimbursement
• $75 quarterly wellness or gym reimbursement
• Annual $600 match to a nonprofit of your choice through a Donor Advised Fund
• Annual service recognition with a $100 donation to a nonprofit of your choice