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
View more
- 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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