Director, Grantmaking Operations 


 About ACF 

Asia Community Foundation (ACF) is the first Asia-wide platform for collaborative and strategic giving. ACF enables donors to pool resources, co-create solutions, and drive positive social and environmental impact across the region. Through donor-advised funds, impact funds, and bespoke giving vehicles, ACF helps philanthropists give with confidence, transparency, and impact.   

Role Overview 

The Director, Grantmaking Operations will lead ACF’s grantmaking operations, ensuring the organisation delivers high-quality, efficient, and responsive services to donors and nonprofit partners across Asia. 

Reporting to the CEO, and serving as a member of ACF’s Senior Leadership team, the Director will be responsible for overseeing grantmaking operations, grant portfolio management, funded partner stewardship, and the systems and processes that support effective delivery. The role will ensure that grants are managed efficiently, grant commitments are fulfilled, and social impact partners receive a high standard of stewardship, support, and ongoing engagement throughout the grant lifecycle. Working closely with ACF’s donor engagement team, which manages donor relationships, the role will provide timely and accurate grant and portfolio updates to support donor communications. 

As ACF continues to grow, the Director will play a critical role in strengthening operational excellence, building scalable systems and processes, and ensuring the organisation remains closely connected to the organisations and communities it supports. 

 This role requires a strong operational leader with excellent organisational skills, sound judgement, and the ability to manage complex workflows, relationships, and priorities in a growing organisation. 

Key Responsibilities: 

1. Grantmaking Operations and Delivery 

  • Lead and oversee the full grantmaking lifecycle across donor-advised funds, collaborative funding initiatives, and other grantmaking programmes 

  • Ensure grants are processed efficiently, accurately, and in accordance with organisational policies and procedures 

  • Ensure grantmaking activities meet ACF’s due diligence, risk management and compliance requirements, with appropriate controls and escalation processes in place 

  • Lead the coordination of grant reviews, approvals, disbursements, reporting, and ongoing portfolio management 

  • Drive effective planning, prioritisation, and workflow management across the grantmaking function 

  • Monitor operational performance and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and service quality 

 

2. Grant Portfolio Management and Donor Engagement Support 

  • Oversee the day-to-day management of ACF’s grant portfolio and related grantmaking programmes 

  • Ensure grant recommendations are processed in a timely and responsive manner 

  • Maintain oversight of ACF’s grant portfolio, ensuring commitments, reporting requirements, and grant obligations are effectively managed 

  • Provide the donor engagement team with accurate portfolio information, timely grant updates, and operational guidance to support donor communications and stewardship 

  • Work closely with colleagues across donor engagement, finance, and grantmaking to deliver a seamless donor experience 

 

3. Partner Stewardship and Portfolio Learning 

  • Lead ACF’s approach to funded partner stewardship, ensuring each partner has a clear primary point of contact within the G&I team and receives appropriate, consistent engagement throughout the grant lifecycle 

  • Conduct partner meetings, portfolio reviews, and site visits where appropriate to deepen understanding of funded work and emerging opportunities and challenges 

  • Capture and share insights from funded partners and portfolio performance to support organisational learning and inform future grantmaking 

  • Identify opportunities to improve partner experience and enhance the effectiveness of ACF’s grantmaking processes 

  • Support a culture of learning, partnership, and continuous improvement across ACF’s grantmaking activities 

4. Systems, Processes and Continuous Improvement 

  • Develop and continuously improve systems, processes, templates, and tools that support effective and scalable grantmaking operations 

  • Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, strengthen coordination, improve organisational efficiency, and leverage technology to support effective service delivery 

  • Maintain accurate grant records and documentation, ensuring information is readily accessible, well managed, and able to support reporting, audit and compliance requirements 

  • Develop operational reporting and performance indicators to support effective oversight and decision-making 

  • Lead the implementation, adoption, and effective use of new systems, tools, and operational improvements as ACF grows 

 

5. Team Leadership and Organisational Contribution 

  • Lead and develop the grantmaking team, ensuring effective grant delivery, partner stewardship, and portfolio management 

  • Foster a culture of accountability, responsiveness, collaboration, and continuous improvement 

  • Ensure responsibilities, priorities, and deadlines are clearly defined and effectively managed across the team 

  • Collaborate closely with colleagues across donor engagement, compliance, finance, governance and communications, and other relevant teams to ensure coordinated outcomes 

  • Contribute as a member of the Senior Leadership Team to organisational planning, decision-making, cross-functional priorities and the continued development of ACF’s philanthropic platform 


Experience and Skills 

  • 10+ years of relevant experience in philanthropy, foundations, nonprofit management, international development, or a related field 

  • Demonstrated experience leading grantmaking operations, funding programmes, or philanthropic portfolios 

  • Experience with grant due diligence, risk management, or compliance processes would be an advantage 

  • Strong operational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders 

  • Experience developing and improving systems, processes and workflows, and implementing digital tools to strengthen efficiency, collaboration, reporting and service delivery 

  • Strong relationship management and communication skills, with experience working with nonprofit organisations and philanthropic stakeholders 

  • Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop teams 

  • Excellent organisational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, combining attention to detail with strategic judgment 

  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel and PowerPoint 

Attributes 

  • Strong operational leader who is highly organised, practical, and solutions-oriented, with a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement  

  • Effective people leader who empowers, coaches, and develops others while fostering accountability and strong performance  

  • Collaborative and relationship-oriented, with a strong service mindset and the ability to build trust across diverse stakeholders  

  • Adaptable and comfortable working in a growing and evolving organisation, with sound judgement and the ability to balance strategic priorities with operational detail  

  • Committed to effective philanthropy and positive social impact 

To Apply 

Interested candidates are invited to send a cover letter and CV to hr@asiacf.org. All enquiries will be treated with strict confidence. 

ACF is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are an equal opportunity employer, selecting on merit regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, disability, or any other characteristic unrelated to the role. 


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