Grants & Operations Manager

About The Beacon

The Beacon is a nonprofit news organization delivering public-service journalism across Kansas and Missouri. We focus on civic accountability, health, education, and local government, centered on the belief that news should serve and reflect the communities it covers. We're growing strategically, with a focus on sustainability, trust, and impact.

The Role

After focusing on growing a strong editorial team to deliver our reporting across Kansas and Missouri, we're now excited to prioritize a full-time addition to our business operations team to help support our mission. We’re looking for an organizer who thrives on structure, takes pride in keeping things moving and finds joy in building systems that support a growing mission-driven newsroom.

The Grants & Operations Manager will work directly with the CEO to apply for grants, manage grant deadlines, help track progress across the organization, and handle the essential operational details that keep a nonprofit newsroom running smoothly. This is a hands-on, high-trust role for someone who is organized, calm under pressure, and comfortable working behind the scenes to make sure the whole team is supported and equipped to do their best work.

What You’ll Do

Grants Management & Execution (Primary Focus)

• Manage the full grants calendar and track deadlines, deliverables, and reporting schedules
• Coordinate across teams to gather the information needed for grant applications and reports
• Support the CEO with grant submissions (including managing logistics and drafting simple applications when needed)
• Maintain internal systems for tracking grant progress and impact
• Submit grant proposals and reports on behalf of The Beacon
• Lead participation in campaigns like NewsMatch
• Surface new grant opportunities and ensure we’re submitting smart, timely applications

Operations & Admin Support

• Pay small admin bills, coordinate vendor paperwork, and deposit checks
• Support new hire onboarding, including paperwork, signatures, and scheduling
• Help plan staff retreats, internal meetings, and team events (book space, draft agendas, prep materials)
• Maintain documentation and help keep compliance tasks on track
• Draft thank-you letters and other light donor and funder communications in collaboration with the CEO and advancement consultants
• Monitor and manage the support@thebeacon.media inbox a few times a week to make sure our supporters feel seen, appreciated and taken care of

Finance Coordination

• Assist with financial coding and help keep expense documentation organized
• Serve as a check signer for operational payments
• Coordinate with our external finance team (e2e) to ensure that month-end reports and grant coding are clean
• Support year-end audit preparation in collaboration with our finance team

Internal Systems & Impact Tracking

• Help maintain our organizational dashboard (currently in Airtable and Google Sheets)
• Track and compile internal metrics for reports and grants (e.g., stories published, reprints, newsletter growth)
• Keep action items and timelines moving across cross-functional workstreams

You Might Be a Fit If You Are:

• Exceptionally organized and follows through on details with care
• Trustworthy and professional, especially with sensitive information
• A strong communicator who can write clearly and polish internal and external materials
• Great at coordinating across a team and gathering what’s needed to keep projects on track
• Comfortable juggling a range of tasks—from grants and finance to planning retreats and tracking metrics
• Based in Kansas City and available for in-person collaboration twice a week
• Motivated by impact, you understand that supporting great journalism requires a strong infrastructure behind the scenes

Qualifications

Required:

• 2+ years of experience in grants management, nonprofit operations, or project coordination
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Excellent writing and editing skills, especially in professional or technical settings
• Familiarity with Google Workspace and a willingness to learn tools like Airtable
• Self-starter who can manage up, anticipate needs, and follow through

Preferred:

• Experience working in a startup, nonprofit newsroom, or lean operations environment
• Familiarity with donor communications, fundraising logistics, or nonprofit compliance
• Comfortable working under an executive who leads strategy but needs support on execution

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $50,000–$70,000 annually

The Beacon offers a competitive benefits package to support your health, well-being and growth, including:

• $0 employee premiums on health, dental and vision insurance (via Aetna plans)
• 401(k) plan
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Paid time off, sick leave and holidays
• Parental leave
• Flexible work hours and remote-friendly structure
• Cell-phone reimbursement
• Professional development opportunities and strong team support
• Access to One?Medical, Talkspace, Teladoc and Kindbody (20% off services; one complimentary Kindbody360 session)

Benefits begin on the first of the month after your hire date.

To Apply

Send your resume and a cover letter stating your interest in the role to hr@thebeacon.media. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.