Sobrato Philanthropies' mission is to partner with communities to meet immediate needs, address systemic barriers, and pursue social justice to build a more equitable and sustainable world. Guided by the business philosophy and personal values of the Sobrato family, three generations engage in grantmaking, advocacy, impact investing, and collaborative efforts designed to create impact in the communities they serve. SP is part of The Sobrato Organization (TSO), a multi-generational, family-owned firm that has played a dynamic role in the emergence and growth of Silicon Valley for nearly 70 years. SP leverages the combined power of multiple giving vehicles, including the Sobrato Family Foundation, which has a long history of building opportunity in Silicon Valley and recently deepened and expanded its scope to include statewide, national, and global issues of interest to the family.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Sobrato Philanthropies seeks nominations and applications for Director, Grants Management. Reporting directly to the VP, Finance and Operations, the Director, Grants Management (Director) will lead a team of two in the next level build and implementation of Sobrato Philanthropies’ grants management systems, tools, practices, and strategies to support effective grantmaking and continuous learning.  

The Director will be skilled in the grants management practices, systems, and policies that help to support Sobrato Philanthropies to leverage “all of the tools in philanthropy’s toolkit” to impact change, lift up learning, and build a more equitable and sustainable world. The ideal candidate is a seasoned, agile, and equity fluent leader who can develop grants management strategy and lead all functional aspects of grants management. The ideal candidate is a leader with proven experience in grants management system and process design, equitable and transparent grantmaking practices, grant compliance, and staff management. They will bring 10+ years of grants management and leadership experience in relevant philanthropic settings including family foundations, private foundations, corporate philanthropy, and/or community foundations. They will have demonstrated the ability to collaboratively develop, manage, evaluate, and adjust practices and policy that supports innovation and effective grantmaking, while also advancing internal team cohesion and support. They will also bring significant change management and leadership experience relevant to supporting a high performing team to achieve measurable results.

COMPENSATION

Exempt 

HOW TO APPLY

Click here for more information or to apply. Key Responsibilities

Job Responsibility 1: 

Expert in forging grantmaking systems, compliance, strategies, and practices for Sobrato Philanthropies’ grants management function in order to advance innovative design and methodology that supports the conditions for effective grantmaking. 

The new Director will identify, incubate, and implement standardized, streamlined, and adaptive grant structures that ensure regulatory compliance and support excellence in grantmaking. They will understand the power of trust-based philanthropy that centers the grantee experience and creates the right environment to scale grantmaking and alignment across portfolios and program areas. 

Job Responsibility 2:  

Lead the Grants Management Team and evolve the organization’s grantmaking systems, processes, policies, and procedures through influence and building relationships with key stakeholders to ensure innovation, best practices, and learning are both shared from the team and brought to the team from within the organization. 

The Director will serve as a strong and visible leader for Grants Management, representing the team and building relationships with stakeholders across the organization. The Director will bring learning, perspective, and next-level analysis as a critical connector to strategy and best practices in effective grantmaking in a collaborative and adaptive way that integrates the mission, vision, and values of the organization. 

Job Responsibility 3:  

Lead and manage a team of skilled and committed professionals, developing a culture of learning and accountability that supports innovation in grantmaking and drives impact. 

The Director will provide strategic direction and management for a talented team in a manner that upholds Sobrato Philanthropies’ core values of mutual accountability, collaboration, engagement, excellence, and integrity. The Director will track and manage existing activities as well as nurture new opportunities for the Grants Management Team members based on each member’s unique strengths and perspectives. They will strongly advocate for internal systems, processes, policies, and procedures that support Grants Management Team success, e.g., team charter development, performance management and staffing ratios.

Job Responsibility 4:  

Serve on the leadership team by identifying opportunities for collaboration across the organization and evaluating and advancing both existing and new strategies in alignment with grantmaking and operational priorities. 

The Director will be an internal leader, effective manager, and natural collaborator in service to cross-organizational synergies to support the organization’s collective, individual, and collaborative giving vehicles. The Director will partner with leadership to co-identify organization-wide priorities, contribute to board governance, and ensure the strong integration of program work with operations to advance the vision of Sobrato Philanthropies.  This includes facilitating the smooth functioning of the grantmaking processes including the monthly grant docket along with regular reporting, training, and ad hoc projects. 

Other Responsibilities as Assigned 

Qualifications 

Education / Training

Required

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive grants management and people management experience.
• Experience working in philanthropy including family foundations, private foundations, corporate philanthropy, and/or community foundations.
• Strong knowledge of legal requirements and compliance rules for private foundation grantmaking to domestic and international organizations (i.e. 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), commercial, and foreign public charity-equivalent and non-equivalent) is required.

Desired

• Demonstrated commitment to Sobrato Philanthropies’ mission, vision, and values. 

Experience/Technical Skills

Required

• Expertise in Grantmaking Systems, Processes, Policies, and Procedures
• A strategist with demonstrated experience designing and building systems and processes that support scaling of grantmaking; an easy grantee experience; effective data management and reporting; and workflows that ensure accuracy, timeliness, and feedback mechanisms. 
• A tactical leader who can analyze and identify opportunities to engage internal and external stakeholders to: enhance and implement effective user training on systems and processes; develop and operationalize grant compliance policies and procedures; and lead cross-departmental projects. 
• An experienced leader in the design and implementation of grantmaking systems and on the latest developments in technologies to support grantmaking. 
• Experience analyzing grantmaking practices, through the lens of data-driven assessment and identifying opportunities for improving grantmaking practices

Leadership and Management 

• An agile, mindful, and effective people leader who attracts and retains great talent by building a positive, trusting, and inclusive team culture that inspires all to achieve excellence.
• Great performance manager with ability to coach, advise, and lead a team through change.
• A skilled leader who can activate, unite, and build trust and shared understanding across a variety of stakeholders while nurturing a culture of accountability and impact.
• Demonstrated ability to collaboratively establish and manage toward the progress of end goals while remaining adaptive to changing circumstances and competing priorities.
• Awareness of systemic inequity and demonstrated commitment to embedding equity into strategy, grantmaking, and relationships with staff and grantees.

Other

• Able to work productively in fast-paced complexity and able to make decisions with great attention to detail and deadlines.
• Able to communicate clearly and persuasively with diverse stakeholders to drive clarity and action. 

Desired

• A lifelong learner and natural educator with a growth mindset who integrates the best ideas no matter the source and supports others to do the same. 

Additional Information:

• Salary commensurate with experience
• Highly competitive benefits package
• Full-time, exempt position

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Sobrato Organization is an equal opportunity employer committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are dedicated to building a team that represents a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills and to creating an environment and inclusion and belonging for all employees regardless of race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. The Sobrato Organization is expanding, and we are interested in growing our staff to include diverse voices with different lived experiences.