JOB DESCRIPTION
Title: Director, Development – Institutional Philanthropy
Location: Location Agnostic, available to work US East Coast (EST) Hours
Type: Full time, Remote
Reports to: Vice President, Development (EST)
We are seeking a proactive and strategic Director of Development, Institutional Philanthropy to join our dynamic business development team. This individual will be a creative fundraiser with a proven track record of securing large, multi-year grants from corporate, foundation, and government sources. The ideal candidate will have exceptional writing and proposal development skills, as well as the ability to build and manage relationships with funders. They should be strategic, proactive, resourceful, and hungry to find new opportunities. They will develop innovative approaches to fit Grassroot Soccer priorities with the goals of our funding partners. If you are an experienced business development professional with the drive to take our funding to the next level, we encourage you to apply!
Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is an adolescent health organization that utilizes the power of soccer to equip young people with the life-saving information, services, and mentorship they need to live healthier lives. Since 2002, GRS has reached over 25 million young people in 60+ countries with life-saving HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health information and services.
Overall Description
The Director of Development – Institutional Philanthropy is responsible for securing unrestricted and restricted funding for GRS programs and strategic priorities across foundations, corporations, and multi and bilateral donors with a focus on proposal development and management. Reporting to the VP, Development and working in close collaboration with the executive, development, programs, research, and strategy teams, the Director of Development – Institutional Philanthropy will develop and manage institutional fundraising strategy and key members of the development team. The successful candidate is a strategic leader and experienced team builder and relationship manager. This position ensures clear, transparent, consistent, and frequent communication between GRS’s global and in-country program leads. The ideal candidate is someone who is learning agile, proactive, and resourceful; exhibits remarkable attention to detail, responsiveness and follow through; exhibits excellent interpersonal and communication skills, sound judgment, and flexibility. They have high emotional intelligence, are a collaborative team player and thought partner, and are comfortable working with a broad range of stakeholders to further GRS’ mission.
They will oversee and manage the Business Development team.
Key Activities/Performance Areas
Strategy, Proposal Development, and Portfolio Management: Corps & Foundations (50%)
- Build and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy to grow and diversify unrestricted and restricted revenue in support of GRS mission across geographies, programs, research, etc. as it relates to foundations, multi and bilateral donors, corporate partners, and other institutional and private sector donors (~$2M/year)
- In partnership with the development and institutional funding team, grow and manage portfolio of current and prospective funders to include: discovery and qualification; building and executing strategies; overseeing and supporting all aspects of grant proposal development, including leading proposal writing/applications; developing and executing cultivation and stewardship strategies; building, managing, and maintaining strong relationships to secure funding for GRS programs, research priorities, and innovations
- Partner with internal stakeholders on funder and prospect strategy and relationship management as it relates to major gifts, organizational leadership, key initiatives and growth opportunities, and select constituencies and stakeholders
- Lead the development of internal briefs for key donors to support strategic positioning and trend spotting.
- Become fluent in GRS programs and impact, and be able to simply and effectively communicate how our work fits with funder priorities
- Share funder engagement best practices across the organization and actively contribute to an internal culture of philanthropy and stewardship
Institutional Funding Team Management and Operations – 20%
- Develop and support the Development team as it relates to grant and proposal development, grant management and reporting, prospecting, consultants, and other key positions in support of revenue growth
- Oversees and manages the team that falls under the Institutional Philanthropy purview.
- Partner with the development and marketing teams on communications and key engagement opportunities as it relates to institutional funders and partners
- Oversee department budget (expenses and revenue), dashboard, and set annual KPIs to deliver against GRS 5 year plan.
- Ensure systems are optimized for managing and tracking donors including donor prospecting, funder management, and revenue
- Provide reports and analysis to leadership, board, and other stakeholders as it relates to department revenue and key initiatives
Strategy, Partnership Development, and Portfolio Management: Government/Multilaterals (10%)
- Oversee, develop, and manage GRS’s global pipeline of government, bilateral, and multilateral funding/business development opportunities to guide organizational growth/scale
- Lead the development of internal briefs for key donors to support strategic positioning and trend spotting
- As needed, support partnering and bid strategy for prospective government and multilateral awards, including the development of capacity statements and negotiation of teaming agreements, scopes of work, and budgets
- Support strategic partnership development and work with current and prospective partners across business units
- Support relationships with a range of donors, international NGOs, and local NGOs
- Advise on country-level strategy including networking, meetings, and follow-up including technical briefings, meeting prep, and meeting collateral
Other Responsibilities – (15%)
- Partner with other internal teams on exploration of additional restricted and unrestricted revenue sources, partnerships, and opportunities
- Represent GRS at relevant meetings, conferences, and events to support global thought leadership and business development efforts through networking and presenting on behalf of GRS
- Attend relevant global health conferences to amplify the GRS brand and network with potential partners and donors, as needed
- Partner with global and in-country teams to provide programmatic updates for key funders as it relates to portfolio
- As needed, support GRS events and strategic engagement opportunities (such as the annual Gala) that include select funders and relationship management
- Support and prep for other key engagement opportunities (e.g., conferences, workshops, and other events) such as prep/briefing documents, reviewing attendee lists and flagging relevant stakeholders and opportunities for GRS senior leadership team
- Other projects and responsibilities as assigned
Anticipated Travel ~20% domestic and international travel
Qualifications and Competencies
- Bachelor’s degree or higher and 7-10+ years’ non-profit/NGO experience developing, growing, and securing 6-7 figure funding specifically from corporate funders and foundations, as well as experience working with other institutional funders including multi and bilateral funders.
- 3+ years of managerial experience.
- Experience working with and securing funding from top global health funders (e.g. Gates, Wellcome Trust, Children’s Investment Fund, etc), including knowledge of their programmatic priorities, business practices, rules and regulations is highly preferred
- Experience managing a grants team; building a pipeline of prospects from various prospecting strategies
- Deep experience in grant management and proposal development for 6-figure+ grant opportunities; a strong understanding of inner working and processes to secure and deliver against grants
- Experience delivering results in a highly decentralized, matrixed, global organization
The ideal candidate should be exceptional at the following:
- You are a relationship builder and hustler. You are exceptional at identifying, researching, and managing relationships with current and potential funders. You are creative, flexible, and opportunistic when it comes to seeking out funding opportunities; you can “connect the dots” among stakeholders and donors to open new doors and secure funding.
- You are a people person. You have high EQ and are exceptional at working in teams across different cultures and time zones and with a diverse range of stakeholders.
- You are a creative and strategic thinker. You embrace ambiguity and are energized by the challenge of aligning our work with evolving funder priorities. You bring curiosity, innovation, and flexibility to the table. You shape ideas, reframe opportunities, and find new
angles to make our work resonate.
- You are an exceptional listener and communicator. You can simplify complexity and communicate clearly, simply, boldly, and persuasively so funders will want to fund our programs, impact, and business model for scale.
- You are exceptional at process and systems management. You can turn a lead into a proposal and funding opportunity. You understand and utilize tools and systems to support revenue growth and diversification.
- You are an exceptional writer. You pay close attention to detail and you easily adapt to how our work is presented for different audiences and formats.
Successful leaders at Grassroot Soccer are bold, yet humble. They are passionate about the mission of Grassroot Soccer and understand their role on the Grassroot Soccer team to achieve its mission.
Day to day, they are…
- Proactive: can anticipate both opportunities and obstacles and take action
- Professional: level-headed; ability to de-escalate difficult situations, behave exceptionally, and manage/minimize distractions
- Problem Solvers: comfortable with ambiguity, can creatively unlock bottlenecks and turn problems into opportunities
…they demonstrate lots of…
- Common Sense: prioritizing the right things at the right time; making good, quick, informed decisions balancing multiple issues and points of view
- Self-awareness: know where one’s blind spots are, recognize differences, and build a team to complement one’s skills and weaknesses
…and a strong bias for…
- Follow-through and Outcomes: deliver results, not just create lots of activity
- Treating People Well: empathetic, kind, great listener, yet can make tough decisions and hold oneself/others accountable
All candidates should apply using the following link: https://forms.gle/rdqTTsysCaDVw7Gd6
Application Deadline: Open until filled. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
At GRS, we are committed to fostering a workplace where all employees feel valued, supported, and empowered. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to promote well-being, including health insurance, dental insurance, retirement plan, paid time off, professional development opportunities and more.
At Grassroot Soccer, we are committed to offering competitive and fair compensation. Salaries are determined based on multiple factors, including experience, qualifications, and the geographic location.
We are an equal opportunity employer and believe in fair and equitable pay practices. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring that all employees, regardless of background, have equal access to opportunities for growth and success.
Grassroot Soccer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We strive to create an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse communities we serve.
