Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations Grants Management (Apply By: March 22, 2024)

About JFF 

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S.
education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic
advancement for all. Seeing that millions of people are unfairly
shut out of quality jobs and the chance for a better life, our goal
is to align education, workforce, and employment changemakers
toward a shared North Star: In 10 years, 75 million people facing
systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality
jobs.  

To achieve that goal, we design solutions, scale best practices,
influence policy and action, and invest in innovation. With a staff
of more than 300 people across the country working remotely and in
offices in Boston (headquarters), Washington, DC, and Oakland,
California, we operate at the national, state, and local levels,
forging deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs,
policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to
break down barriers and reimagine what’s
possible.     

We’re on a path of ongoing growth and expanding impact. We have
an operating budget of $105 million, and we’re funded by dozens of
leading government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Learn
more about JFF and join us as we
build a future that works—for everyone.  

DEIBW at JFF  

Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and well-being (DEIBW)
are core to JFF’s
North Star and mission. We employ and build diverse teams
across race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, age,
and lived experiences and are constantly working toward ensuring
these differences are celebrated and included. We aim to cultivate
a culture that centers the overall care, well-being, and success of
the employee through flexible work hours, balanced workloads,
professional development, and equitable career advancement
opportunities. Learn
more about what DEIBW looks like in practice at JFF. 

We seek to invest and learn from those who represent the
communities we serve, particularly individuals from populations who
have been explicitly or implicitly excluded from the workforce.
Knowing its importance to the success of our work and the
engagement of our staff members, we aspire to attract and retain a
diverse team and welcome people of all backgrounds to apply to our
open roles. In alignment to JFF’s
North Star, we strongly encourage individuals whose highest
level of education attained is less than a 4-year degree; People of
Color; and people with records to apply.  

About the Position 

JFF has experienced a period of unprecedented growth in revenue,
programming, and funding pursuit over the last 3-4 years. As such,
the Development Team is expanding, both in number of positions and
function, not only to align with this growth, but also to meet
significant needs for more flexible resources to support
organizational capacity and innovation. Changes are underway in
JFF’s fundraising strategy and processes to ensure a strong and
diversified resource base for the organization. The team has
launched an enterprise-wide fundraising approach and will be
driving an organization-wide culture of philanthropy, supported by
best practices. Key to this approach will be the
introduction of several new positions including the newly created
position of Director, Corporate & FoundationRelations Grants
Management.  

This role will report to the Chief Development Officer and
offers the opportunity to strengthen JFF’s work for Corporations
& Foundations to advance fundraising goals in support of JFF’s
mission. This role will be responsible for stewardship of
existing corporate and foundation funders and will collaborate with
frontline fundraisers to support proactive outreach efforts to
prospective enterprise-wide funders. This person will have the
opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues on the
Development team and other teams including Marketing and
Communications and Finance to help Business Units (JFF’s
program areas) develop effective strategies to maximize the support
of Corporate and Foundation funders and partners.  

As a result of this being a new position at JFF, the Director
will have the opportunity to contribute and build out a
best-in-class Corporate & Foundation Relations program.
Currently, the enterprise-wide portfolio of corporate &
foundation funders consists of 70+ funders for a total of
approximately $70 million. This comprises roughly 70% of our annual
fundraising and has great potential for growth. In addition, JFF
has just launched a $60 million North Star Fundraising campaign
designed to increase flexible funding, and this new position will
play an important role in the campaign. The ideal candidate
for this role is a strategic and consultative partner who possesses
exceptional fundraising knowledge, is a systems thinker, is
customer service oriented, and a top-notch
communicator.    

What You’ll Do  

Oversee and implement a brand-new system for Corporate &
Foundation Portfolio Management 

• Manage the stewardship of a portfolio of roughly $30M of
  current corporate and foundation enterprise-wide funders in
  partnership with Development Leadership and Business Unit leaders
  to ensure deliverables for current corporate and foundation
  partners are met
• Create and implement stewardship plans for all current and new
  corporate & foundation funders in partnership with relationship
  managers and Director, Development Communications &
  Stewardship
• Support corporate and foundation fundraisers in renewals of all
  current funders, with a goal of renewing at least 75% of all
  current funders
• Plan, implement and support corporate and foundation
  fundraisers in pursuit of new enterprise-wide funding through
  proposal creation and internal coordination of funder deliverables
  serving as a key liaison across all JFF teams in enterprise-wide
  proposal creation
• Staff enterprise-wide corporate and foundation external funding
  calls as needed
• Lead internal meetings focused on managing current funder
  deliverables and renewal processes for current funders working with
  colleagues in Solutions Design & Delivery and Project
  Management & Execution
• Manage database entry for portfolio of funders, which includes
  using CRMs such as Salesforce and an online foundation directory to
  build out this work

Create and develop Corporate & Foundation stewardship
strategy to operationalize best practices across JFF’s Business
Units  

• Manage relationships with Marketing & Communications,
  Finance, Program Teams, Research & Evaluation, Policy and
  Strategic Engagements in support of corporate and foundation
  deliverables
• Serve as thought partner for all fundraisers pursuing corporate
  & foundation prospects to maximize potential asks for
  prospective funders
• Coordinate internal activities between Business Units and the
  development team related to strategy development for corporate
  & foundation relationships
• Develop corporate & foundation processes working closely
  with Development operations in order to ensure best practices
  across JFF
• Develop and execute on corporate and foundation benefit levels
  and leverage engagement opportunitiesdesigned to enhance and extend
  relationships for all funding including sponsorships

Who You Are  

The qualifications listed within the job description are
intended as a guide and we do not expect candidates to bring all
experiences and skills listed. Research supports that
self-selecting out of potential professional opportunities is
particularly common among individuals with identities that are
marginalized in professional spaces, such as People of Color, LGBTQ
individuals, people with disabilities, neurodivergent individuals,
and people with records. So, if you believe that you can meet the
overall expectations of the position, we encourage you to apply so
that we have an opportunity to learn more about you and the unique
strengths you would bring to the work. 

• You bring experience building and leveraging systems for moving
  prospects more efficiently through the pipeline (New hires at the
  Director I level at JFF typically bring 10+ years of prior
  professional experience through a combination of full-time,
  part-time, internship, and/or freelance positions)
• You have experience managing a portfolio of corporate and
  foundation funders at the $500,000 and above threshold per funder
  
• You have experience working with program staff and development
  staff to manage corporate & foundation portfolios and advance
  those relationships to maximize the support of each
  funder
• You have experience with complex and multi-faceted project
  management initiatives including managing complex funder
  relationships
• You have experience creating new and innovative engagement
  opportunities for corporate & foundation
  funders
• You are an excellent writer, editor and collaborator
• You have experience leading work with both internal and
  external stakeholders leveraging development best practices to
  advance funding relationships
• You have experience communicating with groups and individuals
  effectively leveraging a DEI lens and model how to build effective
  relationships with colleagues and teams across the organization as
  well as external stakeholders
• You leverage professional development and other learning
  opportunities to stay current with advances in your field, deepen
  your subject matter expertise, and support the learning of your
  team
• You set ambitious and achievable goals to deliver high-quality
  outputs and results for multiple initiatives while empowering,
  inspiring and holding self and others accountable for delivering on
  commitments consistently
• You are skilled at navigating ambiguity, anticipating
  bottlenecks, and coming up with creative solutions that support you
  and others’ work
• You have leveraged professional development and other learning
  opportunities to stay current with advances in fundraising and
  development, along with other areas to help support the business
  needs and mission of your organization
• You have experience using CRM tools (Salesforce) and see the
  value in maximizing the use of these tools
• You possess high energy and passion for JFF’s mission and North
  Star, and the ability to apply JFF’s core values to all areas of
  your work
• You are energized by stewarding JFF’s DEIBW values and
  practices within your day-to-day work, including embracing the
  differences and celebrating the diversity that each individual
  brings to JFF

What We Offer  

At JFF, we’re fueled by the desire to create a world where
everyone has equal opportunity for economic advancement. Our team
works hard to push the boundaries of what is possible, and in
return, we provide a gratifying work experience, competitive
salaries, and a comprehensive benefits
program that includes flexibility and choice as core values to
support people wherever they are in their lives and
careers.  

JFF has offices in Boston, Oakland, and Washington, DC;
employees are welcome to use JFF office space to work in-person or
hybrid, or completely remote. To improve the employee experience
and promote productivity while working remotely, JFF offers an
annual home office stipend to all regular full-time and part-time
employees. In addition, new employees receive office equipment as
needed.   

The hiring range for this role is $100,000 – $120,000 annually,
in alignment to JFF’s Director I salary band and our compensation
philosophy. Starting salaries for new hires will be determined
based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and
market demands.  

To Apply  

As part of your application, please include your resume and a
thoughtful cover letter, addressed to Amy Seusing, Chief
Development Officer, outlining how your skills and experience meet
the qualifications of the position.  

We are accepting applications through March 22, 2024,
Applications submitted by that date will be reviewed and candidates
will receive updates on their candidacy by the week of March 29th,
2024.    

At JFF, we’re also committed to accessibility and want to ensure
that everyone, including people with disabilities, can fully access
and engage with our application and hiring process.  

If you are unable to complete this application due to a
disability and/or have specific access/accommodation needs in order
to fully participate in our hiring process, please contact us at
hiringaccommodations@jff.org. 

Positions at JFF are not
eligible for employer-visa sponsorship or open to F-1 student visa
holders.