OVERVIEW 

The Manager, Partnerships & Project Development (Practice Areas) will be a core member of the organization’s PPD Team and will play a central role in securing funding for the organization. Leveraging a background in business development and fundraising, the Manager will directly support the Managing Directors of two Practice Areas by managing the full life cycle of business development activities for a diverse set of opportunities that include both philanthropic grants and competitive government proposals. Each of the four Practice Areas are led by a Managing Director. The PPD Team works closely with each Practice Area to develop a Practice Area Project Development Plan. This role will directly support activating this plan. This role will work on opportunities of diverse scale and complexity and for a range of potential funders, managing proposal teams and business development processes for proposal planning, design, development, and quality control. 

THE MISSION OF THE PARTNERSHIPS & PROJECT DEVELOPMENT (PPD) TEAM

The Partnerships & Project Development Team (PPD Team) inspires and guides the organization in proactively pursuing “the next generation of projects” that advance our mission and ensure the organization’s funding sustainability.  The PPD Team is responsible for leading and supporting activities that result in the cultivation of new relationships and projects for the organization, including funding from both government and philanthropic sources. 

The PPD Team collaborates extensively with project-facing Managing Directors and Directors; the Executive Team; and the Central Office (Finance/Operations/HR) to identify, pursue, and secure new projects. To accomplish this, the PPD Team is responsible for developing and implementing processes, tools, and systems that activate the organization’s multi-year funding strategy. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Prospect/Capture Management: Lead and/or support identification and cultivation activities for a portfolio of prospects (philanthropy and government), including:

• Managing prospect pipelines, including developing cultivation plans, up-to-date tracking, and regular reporting on the status and next steps of prospects under cultivation
• Proactively identifying new prospects and supporting other team members in prospect vetting and qualification using internal go/no-go tools
• Conducting background research and gathering internal/external data to support funder/client cultivation calls and meetings
• Drafting concept notes, presentations, and other materials in support of general and specific prospect cultivation 
• Attending prospect cultivation calls and meetings, taking notes, and proactively advancing next steps as part of well-defined prospect cultivation plans

Proposal Management: Lead management of proposals across two practice areas (philanthropy and government), including:

• Capturing and tracking relevant funder/client information, proposal and reporting timelines, grant/contract requirements, activities, and workplans using internal systems (NetSuite, Salesforce)
• Creating and managing implementation of grant/contract overview documents (work plan, budget, narrative) to ensure clear understanding of commitments across Partnership and Project Development, Project Delivery, Communications, and Central Office (Finance/Operations/HR) teams
• Managing proposal team communications, including corresponding with funders/clients or proposal partners
• Drafting, editing, and finalizing proposal content, including narrative content, visuals, and budget
• Coordinating with the Finance and Legal teams on grant/contract administrative details
• Ensuring quality control and necessary internal approvals throughout the process

PPD Team Support: Support the PPD Team on strategy development and operational activities, including:

• Shaping the annual and multi-year funding strategy for the full organization and for specific Practice Areas
• Developing and maintaining key systems and processes that support prospect cultivation, proposal response, and reporting
• Developing standardized materials, templates, and other tools to support the organization’s business development activities
• Partnering with Communications, Learning and Impact, and Project Delivery teams to capture and share key lessons learned or other outcomes data that advances organizational improvement

Note: This listing represents the majority of day-to-day responsibilities in this role but other duties may be assigned as needed.

EXPERIENCE  

We are seeking someone with 5+ years of professional experience in a Manager-level nonprofit fundraising or business development role that includes many of the following:

• Demonstrated ability to lead prospect/lead cultivation for philanthropy and/or government contracts
• Demonstrated ability to lead proposal development for philanthropy and/or government grants and contracts, including solution-design, work plan management, technical writing, and budgeting
• Demonstrated stakeholder engagement experience with skills in bringing diverse actors together around common goals and outcomes 
• Demonstrated ability to develop clear and persuasive verbal and written communications in various formats (e.g. PowerPoint, Word, memos, concept notes, proposals, emails, and presentations)
• Demonstrated ability to manage and guide teams of varying levels of seniority with a particular focus on managing those more senior in tenure and position
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, proactively problem solve, and build trusting and collaborative relationships
• Demonstrated ability to identify and prioritize among possible prospects and to guide others in understanding trade-offs and making decisions for moving forward 
• Understanding and experience of government-funded social service programs 
• Working as part of a collaborative team with a record of increasing responsibility over time
• Experience using and managing customer relationship management (CRM) systems (NetSuite)
• Lived experience with social service systems as a participant or an administrator

VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

Our team of 50 employees is united by our mission and commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization. We have been working to acknowledge, understand, and dismantle the white dominant structures we uphold internally and with our partners. We are identifying and implementing strategies to change our organizational culture and external relationships, including creating space for both multi-racial and affinity-based conversations about our journey and the work ahead. 

A successful Manager is an entrepreneurial leader who co-designs and implements solutions for various project and organizational opportunities and challenges while upholding Third Sector's values, and pursues new project and partnership opportunities that support Third Sector's mission. You will apply your passion for social change and your unique lived experiences to the advancement of our mission. 

All team members utilize a competency model that reflects our values of Results, Racial Equity, Relationships, Respect, and Reflection to guide our development and assess our performance. A snapshot of the core competencies that drive the success of our team is included in the job description PDF. Candidates who are invited to the interview stage of the recruitment process will be given a detailed version of our competency model to review.