Director, Grants Management

About Us

Sobrato Philanthropies' (SP) 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

The Director, Grants Management is responsible for owning all aspects of the grants management function at Sobrato Philanthropies, including developing standardized, streamlined, and adaptive grant structures, ensuring regulatory compliance, and providing support and training to internal and external stakeholder. They will build and lead the systems and processes that enable scaling for grant making as well as alignment across portfolios and program areas, so that the grant experience is clear, transparent, and aligns with trust-based philanthropy.

They will develop strong working relationships across numerous stakeholders to execute centralized grantmaking strategies that will advance the Foundation’s mission. They will oversee the development and implementation of policies and processes to train staff in compliance, internal processes, and the systems for efficient use of foundation resources.

The Director will be responsible for leading a team of two and collaborating and reporting directly to the VP, Finance and Operations.

Key Responsibilities

Developing and Implementing Processes

• Design and build systems and processes to enable scaling of grant making including dashboard and pipeline reporting
• Align and standardize processes across the foundation’s program area that leads to a very easy grantee experience
• Design and implement workflows to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and feedback mechanisms to ensure early detection of problems
• Collaboratively work with the Director of Impact & Learning to capture relevant outcomes and reporting within the grants database
• Establishment of clear procedures for prioritizing grant database changes

  Grant Lifecycle

• Provide support on the design and day-to-day operations of grants management, with a focus on efficiency and customer support
• Support and provide review of the full grant lifecycle, including pipeline management, grant recommendations, grant approval, grant agreement execution, payments, amendments, and reporting.
• Advise and guide grant management and program teams on legal compliance, complex grantmaking, and appropriate charitable giving mechanisms to achieve intended objectives while staying current on a regulatory compliance
• Develop legal due diligence standards, fiscal review, and compliance review procedures for expenditure responsibility (ER), expenditure determination (ED) and contingency grants

  Training, Systems, and Collaboration

• Engage internal and external stakeholders to troubleshoot and lead cross-departmental projects
• Apply judgement in adjusting grants management service, training, and communication to support goals
• Enhance and implement effective user training on systems and processes
• Develop grant compliance policies and procedures
• Lead grant system management and stay current on latest developments in Foundation management system and technologies

Leadership and Management

• Contribute to creating a trusting and collaborative culture and develop a skilled and effective grants management team with the ability to adapt and lead the team through change
• Serve on the leadership team; ensure strong integration of program work with operations, develop organization-wide priorities, contribute to board governance, and advance Sobrato Philanthropies’ vision
• Commit to developing a culture of learning, fairness, encouraging communication, and reflection on successes and missteps while modeling taking responsibility for the work
• Building the capacity of Program Officers and Grants/Finance team to execute on the enhanced systems and processes

  Other Responsibilities 

• Lead and execute special projects as assigned
• Lead and execute cross-functional projects as assigned

  Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to Sobrato Philanthropies’ mission, values, and vision
• Experience working in private foundations, corporate grants, or community foundations
• Strong knowledge of legal requirements and complexities of private foundation grantmaking to domestic and international grantees
• Solid systems orientation with proven track record of developing, enhancing, and implementing tools and processes as the project manager
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including organization planning, goal setting, and an excellent manager of people
• Works productively in fast-paced complexity and able to make decisions with great attention to detail and deadlines
• Proactively anticipate needs, potential issues, and systemically analyze and effectively communicate and implement effective and timely solutions
• Self-directed and accountable
• Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with diverse stakeholders to drive clarity and action
• History of partnering with peers and across different groups
• Excellent ability to prioritize competing commitments
• Eight - ten or more years of progressive grants management and people management experience

Key Competencies

Operating, Planning and Executing: 

We actively manage to our goals and workstreams and support the goals and workstreams of others. We proactively seek to clarify roles, responsibilities, and decision-makers when working with others.  We strategically plan, organize, and prioritize work effectively, navigate obstacles, and find solutions.  We make effective and timely decisions, and we manage up as needed when decisions are out of our scope, sharing timely key details, context, and potential options.  We take ownership of the work.

Adaptiveness: 

We seek out clarity while adjusting, learning, adapting and prioritizing work regularly to the benefit of our mission. We anticipate and prepare for change, and are flexible while navigating complex, changing and sometimes ambiguous environments internally and externally. Adaptiveness can be seen in mindset, decision-making and responsiveness to feedback.

Management: 

We manage our team, resources, time, and people efficiently and effectively aligned to the overall vision, strategy, and team strengths and assets. We clarify direction even in ambiguity. We help our team members prioritize competing demands on their time. We manage up, including the family and the board to support the team's work.

Communication: 

We share information proactively, effectively, and efficiently using verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills, with knowledge and flexibility to communicate across diverse identities, styles, needs and experiences. We understand the power that comes from voice, and are mindful of when to lean in, when to step back, and when to amplify others. We provide timely feedback to our partners in the work.

 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.