Government Contracts Manager

About More Than Words    

More Than Words (MTW) is a social enterprise that empowers youth, ages 16-24, who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business. By working as a team to manage their own retail and online used book business and community space, youth develop the employment skills, leadership, and self-confidence they need to successfully transition to adulthood.    

MTW is an exemplary organization that has continually held up a mirror to identify areas for improvement and accountability; that ethic is part of the culture and fabric of MTW, and it extends to our commitment to ensuring our staff and board reflect the racial and ethnic diversity and lived experiences of the young adults we are privileged to serve. People of color are highly encouraged to apply.  

The Opportunity   

The Government Contracts Manager is an organized and proactive leader who will manage deliverables on government contracts at More Than Words (MTW). The Manager reports to the Director of Grants and is accountable for managing a portfolio of $2.1M in youth-enrollment based contracts from local, state, and federal sources and providing support to the Director’s management of an additional $1.2M in program grants. The role is heavily administrative, with a focus on invoicing, managing grant enrollments for a youth team of 70-100 people, and updating state databases, but also requires strategic thinking and interpersonal skills to optimize enrollments, engage youth, build systems, and manage relationships. Beyond a supportive Advancement team of eight, the role collaborates closely with and is supported by staff in admissions and finance.  

Key responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to: 

Government Fee for Service Contracts (60%): 

• Manages a portfolio of 8+ fee for service government contracts, currently including Department of Children and Families, Department of Mental Health, Department of Transitional Assistance Young Parents, Safe & Successful Youth Initiative, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, SNAP E&T and Neighborhood Jobs Trust, and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Pay for Performance 
• Tracks invoicing, enrollments, outcomes, and relationships, and recording youth affiliations in Salesforce database across all contracts 
• Collaborates with admissions and youth development teams to secure service referrals for youth, and proactively communicates with agencies including the Department of Children and Families and Department of Mental Health 
• Complete enrollments and record keeping for enrollment-based contracts, including completing enrollment paperwork, maintaining files, and completing entries into state databases as needed (e.g., MOSES, PATH, LACES) 
• Manages invoicing and contract spending by preparing invoices, reconciling with government partners, securing and documenting outcomes for payments, and communicating proactively with admissions, youth development, and career services about needed support 
• In collaboration with Director of Grants, proactively and strategically reviews youth team to maximize fee for service funding opportunities for each youth and MTW overall.  Makes recommendations for new programs or programs to exit to optimize funding based on our youth population 
• Maintains and regularly audits youth files to ensure compliance on government contracts, including for SNAP E&T, DTA, NJT, and WIOA 

Managing Deliverables & Reconciling (30%): 

• Collaborates with Senior Grants & Giving Manager and Director of Grants to track and manage government grant deliverables, including invoicing, annual reviews, and narrative and financial reporting 
• Drafts reports and coordinates and leverages resources within development, evaluation, and finance teams to ensure all deliverables are met 
• Prepares regular/monthly reports to reconcile government funding tracked in Salesforce with financial tracking in Quickbooks from both government fee for service contracts and grants.  Collaborate with finance team to identify and fix errors and follow-up on outstanding payments 
• In partnership with Director of Grants, the CFO and finance team, regularly reviews and update government budgets to keep staff billing up to date and ensure 100% spend-down on all government cost-reimbursement contracts 

Department Support (10%): 

• Flexibly provides support for Director of Grants and Department in tasks related to institutional engagement, including potentially representing MTW at events, completing additional grants and deliverables, tracking RSVPs for events, attending meetings, scheduling youth, and supporting youth participation. 
• Flexibly collaborates as a member of the development department by participating in special projects, meetings, and public-facing opportunities to support community engagement and fundraising goals. Stays up to date and engaged with the organization as a whole to inform conversations. 

Key Qualifications: 

• Passionate about the MTW mission and be motivated by results and hitting goals.  
• Strong desire to learn and most of all, a strong detail-orientation and LOVE of being organized 
• Meticulous and fanatical about deadlines, appreciate the value of data and tracking, and have strong planning and follow through skills 
• Prior experience in an administrative role in a nonprofit setting, working with contracts or financial systems, or performing data analysis is a plus 
• Can sit and work at a computer for long periods of time  
• Responsible, flexible, hardworking, ethical, trustworthy, sincere, and committed to personal growth in racial equity.  

Schedule: Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM; ability to support occasional evening or weekend work with advance notice and planning. 

Compensation: $56,000 - $60,000; commensurate with skills and experience 

Benefits: 

• Medical and Dental Insurance 
• 401K 
• Generous paid vacation and sick time 
• Significant growth opportunities and professional development 
• Employee Discounts 

To apply: please include a resume and cover letter. 

All of MTW’s sites are commuter friendly and conveniently located near public transportation.

Background Checks 

More Than Words requires all staff, service members, volunteers, board members and youth over 18 years of age to undergo background checks. More Than Words is a CORI friendly organization and reviews CORIs on a case-by-case basis. 

MTW EEO Statement 

MTW is an equal opportunity employer, fully committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces and encourages applicants of every background. The organization's policy regarding equal employment opportunity means that all decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, benefits, wage and salary administration, scheduling, disciplinary action, and termination will be made without unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, pregnancy or maternity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to HR@MTWyouth.org.