Director, Grants Management

ROLE DESCRIPTION: 

The Director, Grants Management reports to the Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and leads a team responsible for a $1B+ Philanthropic Portfolio. The role will play an essential role in helping Pivotal in its current phase of growth and change. The Director will be responsible for growing and sustaining the compliance and operational aspects of Pivotal’s philanthropic gifts and grants toolkit. This role will lead the assessment of current approaches, and the development and adoption of new models and modes of working. The role provides guidance and support to the Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer on grantmaking and other matters. The Director is a key member and contributor to the Office of the General Counsel’s leadership team, helping champion a team culture that aspires to be efficient, effective, creative, forward-thinking, and responsive. 

Success in the role requires a comprehensive and deep understanding of the practices, policies, processes, and systems that serve as the foundation of successful grants management in the philanthropic space. It also calls for dedication to collaborative and inclusive problem solving. The expertise to lead through periods of significant growth and change, with values of equity and belonging. The Director must demonstrate the ability to build and maintain trust, act with integrity, and foster an inclusive environment while driving impact and delivering results that align with organizational goals. 

This is a full-time position and can be based out of Pivotal’s Seattle or DC office. Remote may be considered for exceptionally qualified US-based candidates in certain geographic locations who are willing to travel. 

This is a Limited Term Employee (LTE) position and is expected to have a duration of two years. This means that, absent some change, the position will end within that timeframe as defined in the offer letter. The limited duration of the position does not alter the at-will nature of the position or work at Pivotal Ventures. Relocation assistance is not provided at this time given the short term duration of this position.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Strategy and Leadership 

• Advocate for grantmaking policies and practices that align with and support the organization’s values while prioritizing equity, belonging, and trust-building. 
• Serve as a leader and guide in grantmaking and other related functions, facilitating creation and leading effective change of standard processes across the organization. 
• Provide strategic leadership and thought partnership to the Foundation’s staff and grantees, regarding grantmaking practice, knowledge, and operations. 
• Builds trusting relationships with respect and humility to drive impact and strengthen internal and external partnerships. 
• Continually stay abreast of new developments in philanthropic approaches and tools, considering how they may enhance Pivotal's impact. 
• Orchestrate team and organizational strategic planning and culture-building efforts that promote equity and belonging. 
• Promote an inclusive environment where individuals can pursue learning and growth, support well-being, and help others thrive. 

Grants Management 

• Partner closely with grants, legal, finance, program, strategy, and IT teams to develop and implement innovative grantmaking strategies; maintaining tested approaches where possible, designing and implementing new ways when needed. 
• Conduct long-term planning to ensure the success, sustainability, and “fit for purpose” of the organization’s grantmaking operations. 
• Support the Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, to create annual forecasts; monitoring grantmaking activities and ensuring steady workflows. 
• Work closely with IT to supervise, assess, and improve grants management systems, encouraging universal adoption and efficient use. 
• Build and maintain feedback mechanisms to ensure early detection of end-user problems, including partners; proactively adjust service, training, and communications to support unit objectives balancing effectiveness, efficiency, and equity. 
• Oversee and lead communication and change management efforts. 
• Solve problems and propel work forward by identifying challenges and developing strategic solutions that support program goals. 
• Ensure Pivotal’s grantmaking processes and practices are in alignment with external laws and regulations, and internal controls as well as grants department best practices. 

Grants Life-Cycle Work 

• Be responsible for day-to-day grants management/compliance work by the team: sustaining high-quality service, anticipating work flows, distributing work to enhance effectiveness and efficiency. 
• Maintain core values of the Grants team in day-to-day work, innovating to use Pivotal’s diverse toolbox to advance strategies and impact. 
• Continually supervise operations and process performance by collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative metrics; ensuring mechanisms are in place to detect end-user issues. 
• Collaborate with program and finance teams to maintain sufficient liquidity for grant disbursements. 
• Manage data for all philanthropic vehicles in Salesforce; ensure data integrity to support the Program Strategy, Communications, and Executive Leadership teams. 
• Work with the Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and external legal counsel on more complicated philanthropic matters as warranted. 

Team Leadership, Development, and Collaboration 

• Lead the grants and contracts management team, including overseeing team structure, hiring, onboarding, training, professional development, and performance management of senior level staff 
• Partner collaboratively across departments to drive a culture of continuous improvement. 
• Develop each member of the Grants team to improve individual and team efficiency and effectiveness. 
• Promote a team culture of continuous improvement and impact-orientation that values learning, a commitment to quality, and focus on the outcomes Pivotal aspires to in the world. 

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES: 

• Builds and maintains trust, acts with integrity, and fosters an inclusive environment. 
• Drives impact through grantmaking initiatives and delivers high-quality work that leads to sustainable outcomes. 
• Solves problems and propels work forward through strategic thinking and effective decision-making. 
• Pursues learning and growth, demonstrating a desire to understand and learn, while supporting the development of colleagues and promoting well-being. 
• Exceptional organization and time management skills, able to prioritize multiple tasks to meet changing deadlines and requests, while strategically thinking ahead. 
• Functional knowledge of multi-entity philanthropic organizations, their structures, and deregulation. 
• Consistent track record of inspiring confidence, trust, respect, and transparency in a diverse team, including ability to inspire others to adopt change. 
• Effective project management and cross-functional leadership including the ability to meet deadlines while working with multiple stakeholders. 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills including the ability to synthesize diverse information and make clear recommendations. 
• High integrity, sound judgment in decision-making, and discretion with confidential matters and sensitive information. 
• A well-developed sense of humor and ability to work with a team with varied strengths. 

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• 12+ years experience in grants administration, with 4+ in a strategic leadership role. 
• Minimum of 4+ years of people leadership experience, demonstrating commitment to equity, belonging, and staff development. 
• Proficiency using Salesforce and/or other platforms for grants management. 
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. 

Base annual compensation range for this role is from $217,500 - $225,100. 

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, long-term disability and long-term care insurance, fertility benefit, backup caregiving solution, 144 hours of vacation, 96 hours of sick leave, 401k, HSA, FSA, discretionary annual target performance bonus and more.