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Director, Piper Fund, Proteus Fund

Employer
Proteus Fund
Location
New York, United States
Salary
$150,000.00 - $170,000.00
Closing date
Sep 3, 2022

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Position Type
Programs, Other Programs
Fields
Other Fields
Employment Type
Full Time

ABOUT THE PIPER FUND          
The Piper Fund is a donor collaborative of the Proteus Fund that joins foundations and individual donors in setting and implementing a national philanthropic strategy aimed at protecting and strengthening democracy. We are a national leader in addressing the corrosive influence of money and special interests on our democracy, protecting and advancing judicial independence, and protecting the right to protest. Piper also identifies other opportunities for democracy reform; convenes the field to share knowledge, create alliances and set strategy; and collaborates with local, state, and national advocates as well as funders.

We champion work that defends democratic ideals and institutions and gives a stronger voice to historically disenfranchised communities. We collaborate with funders and movement leaders to build community power and create a representative democracy.

The Piper Fund has three grantmaking areas: support to curb the corrosive influence of corporate and special interests on our democracy; protecting and advancing judicial independence and protecting the right to protest. The Program Director is responsible for providing strategic vision, direction, and management for the Piper Fund and works with funding partners, both foundations and individual donors, to organize philanthropy in support of Piper Fund’s vision and strategy. Working with the Piper Program Officers, the Program Director is responsible for working closely with Piper Fund grantees and potential grantees as well as the broader democracy field to support innovative and effective work and help shape strategy for the field. 

ABOUT THE POSITION
The Program Director reports to the Proteus Fund’s Vice President of Programs, who supervises all Proteus Fund donor collaborative Directors. The Director is a part of the Senior Program Team which includes among others the Program Directors of Proteus Fund’s other donor collaboratives who meet regularly to develop strong grant making and field support practices, and exchange ideas on advancing social justice in their respective fields. They work closely with funder partners as a group to keep them updated on key issues in the field; as well as on key philanthropic developments relating to the work; and work collaboratively with them to shape strategy for the work of the collaborative. 

The Program Director manages the Piper Fund’s Money in Politics Program Officer, Judicial Independence Program Officer, Right to Protest Program Officer, a Program Associate and the Grant Writer and Partnerships Manager, all of whom report directly to the Program Director. The Piper Fund team includes nationally recognized leaders in the space, and a successful record of protecting democracy. The team is deeply values-based, highly collaborative, and rooted in equity and respect for each other as well as all Proteus colleagues, and peers in the field. The Director works regularly with all of the departments and units at Proteus Fund.  This includes Grants Management, Partnership, Finance and Operations, and Human Resources.

CANDIDATE PROFILE
The ideal candidate is a thoughtful, collaborative, and inclusive leader, stellar fundraiser, and a strong manager of a high-performing individuals and teams. They are a good listener, a strong advocate of staff, and someone who creates safe and open spaces for staff, peers, and partners to learn and grow. They are a visionary and an expert in the democracy field, an authentic storyteller. They understand community organizing and have a record of building trust-based relationships and partnerships with a variety of leaders in the space.

 ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS   
 Program Strategy and Implementation

    Working with Piper staff, consultants, and Proteus Fund’s Vice President of Programs, develop and implement a philanthropic and grantmaking vision and strategy that supports clear progress toward achievement of the program’s goals and objectives.
  • Craft other programming and technical assistance opportunities to further support the development of strong and diverse money in politics, right to protests, and fair courts fields, including facilitating strategic alliance between Piper’s grantees and advocates and funders addressing other social justice issues.
  • Represent the Piper Fund in various settings through public speaking, panel moderation, conferences and meetings, media contacts, and through written pieces.
  • Oversee annual program planning process with Piper team, Proteus Fund Vice President of Programs, and other key Proteus Fund staff.
  • Support the President in  around Piper’s work, including to Proteus Fund Board of Directors.
  • Build and maintain expertise on the substance, dynamics, and priorities within the fields of money in politics, right to protest, and fair courts, as well as broader democracy reform.

Grantmaking Strategy and Management

    Create a dynamic grantmaking program to achieve the goals and objectives of the Piper Fund. With Grants Management unit, oversee entire grants process from inquiry and application through to grant awards and post-award communications with grantees. Together with Piper Fund Program Officers, work with current and prospective grantees to develop sound proposals, including providing technical assistance to help grant seekers in their efforts to obtain Piper funding.  Oversee all formal funding recommendations to Piper donor members for semiannual docket meetings, as well as out of cycle grants. Oversee all aspects of bi-annual Piper donor meetings, including educational as well as docket components. Advise aligned funders to help inform them about needs and investments around money in politics and fair courts, in ways consistent with and supportive of Piper strategies and tactics.

Development – Donor Stewardship and Partner Cultivation

    In collaboration with Piper team and Proteus leadership, develop and execute Piper’s annual fundraising plan to maintain Piper’s financial viability and also enhance Piper’s growth and impact.  Take a visible leadership role in all fundraising efforts, including executing high level donor meetings as well as other development-oriented speaking and presentation opportunities. Build and maintain relationships with Piper’s current and prospective funding partners. With support from the Piper team, develop and execute strategy for donor cultivation and related events, including gatherings of prospective individual donors, periodic funder briefings, etc. in order to share highlights of Piper Fund’s work and advances in the field. With Piper’s Grant Writer and Partnerships Manager, provide written and verbal evaluations and reports on grantmaking and other programmatic work to Piper donors Attend relevant convenings of the philanthropic community in order to develop and strengthen relationships with other grantmakers, educate, and engage the larger funding community about Piper’s work and priorities.

Program and Team Management

    In collaboration with the Chief Financial Officer, President, and Piper Fund Program Officers, create and monitor the annual budget for the Piper Fund, including monitoring and evaluating grantmaking budgets, all other program and operating expenses, and cash flow. Hire, orient and train new and existing Piper Fund staff on best practices of progressive philanthropy, including Proteus Fund as well as more general norms, guidelines, regulations, etc. Mentor, and provide direction to the Piper team, including managing workload and allocations, trainings, problem resolution, and performance evaluation processes. This includes working with the Director of Human Resources as needed to manage the Piper team. Build, empower, and grow a high-performing, collaborative, and cohesive Piper team that that is connected and committed to the work of Piper and Proteus Fund. Model organizational values and create safe and open spaces for Piper team staff and colleagues across Proteus to learn, share, help each other, and grow as professionals in the field

Communications:

    In collaboration with the Proteus Fund’s Vice President of Programs, President, and Proteus Fund’s communications consultant, work with the Piper team to increase Piper visibility and “voice” both in the philanthropy world and more generally via appropriate communications channels, such as op-eds, blogs, social media, alerts, updates, conferences and other events. With Piper Program Associate and consultants, regularly update Piper materials, including website subsection of Proteus Fund main website, engagement tools, promotional brochures, etc. In conjunction with Proteus Fund Communications team, integrate Piper’s communications goals, objectives, and messaging into Proteus-wide communications 

COMPETENCIES

  • Commitment to the mission and values of Proteus Fund as a progressive social justice organization, including our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusiveness, and belonging.
  • Significant knowledge of movements to promote and advance a representative democracy in the United States and democratic institutions.
  • Senior level management experience, including empowering, developing, and advocating for staff.
  • A record of building a cohesive and collaborative team, rooted in values, and supporting each other to achieve organizational goals
  • Very strong development experience and enthusiasm working with foundations and high net worth individual donors.
  • Strong listening skills, an orientation of humility, and a record of uplifting individuals and partners with whom you are working
  • Strong written, verbal, and related presentation and advocacy communication skills.
  • Demonstrated skills in building and managing an effective team in a fast-paced and sometimes stressful environment.
  • High professional, performance, and ethical standards.
  • Good problem-solving instincts.
  • Attention to detail and a high degree of personal organization.
  • Knowledge and understanding of program budget creation and management
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and other applications of similar complexity.

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES

  • Senior level management experience specifically with grantmaking and/or program development.
  • Specific experience leading a donor collaborative or similar initiative.
  • Significant experience creating and managing budgets, cash flow, etc.
  • Understanding of laws governing 501c3 and 501c4 organizations.
  • Experience in program evaluation.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

  • At least ten years of experience in a relevant nonprofit and/or foundation setting.
  • Five + years of supervisory and senior management experience
  • A record of successful, values-based, collaborative team management
  • Relevant experience in the democracy space-- law, public policy, public administration, social science, or related field.
  • We value candidates who can demonstrate capability and articulate how prior experiences will help them transition into this role.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
The Program Director supervises the Piper Donor Collaborative team

POSITION TYPE AND EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK
This is a full-time 40 hours per week position, and hours of work and days are Monday through Friday. Proteus business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.  Some weekend and evening hours may occasionally be required as well

TRAVEL
20% domestic travel

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at Proteus Fund, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
Proteus requires its colleagues who are working in an office setting or who will be required to travel as part of their key responsibilities to be fully (3 shots) vaccinated against COVID-19. Where an employee has a medical or bona fide religious reason which prevents them from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, Proteus will consider accommodations which may allow employees to safely perform the essential functions of their job.

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