Careers | Rose Community Foundation

Do you want to join a team of passionate people, dedicated to making life better for those in the Greater Denver community?

Grants Manager

As Rose Community Foundation prepares to implement a new strategic plan, we are seeking a Grants Manager at a pivotal and exciting moment of organizational evolution.

Since its founding in 1995, Rose Community Foundation and its funds have granted more than $300 million to nonprofit organizations and initiatives, primarily through programmatic grants in the seven-county Greater Denver area. The Grants Manager manages grantmaking administration for the Foundation’s unrestricted, initiative and donor-directed grantmaking, which totals approximately $25 million annually.

Historically, the Foundation has focused its grantmaking in the areas of aging, child and family development, education, health and Jewish life. While we remain committed to funding across a broad and holistic range of issues facing the Greater Denver region and will continue a specific commitment to funding in our local Jewish community, the Grants Manager will work closely with the programs and philanthropic services teams, the Director of Data and Operations, and other staff to implement and operationalize new processes and systems in service of grantmaking strategies advancing equity and justice, inclusion and community engagement, and the growth of resources for regional good.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ATTRIBUTES

The ideal candidate will be systems-minded and process-oriented, while also understanding the impact and importance of this work for the communities we serve. A successful candidate will take pride in developing and maintaining grant processes, procedures, policies, and practices that are efficient, accurate, effective, equitable, inclusive, transparent, and responsive.

A team-player, the Grants Manager will be collaborative, open, and creative in solving problems. They will have strong interpersonal and project management skills, as well as experience contributing to and supporting team members through change. Sound judgement and comfort advocating for best practice solutions are key.

The Grants Manager will thrive in a learning environment, enjoying the exploration of new concepts and methods. With a strong technology skill set, they will take pride in quickly and wholly mastering systems. They will also be flexible and comfortable with the uncertainty that is inherent in organizational evolution. Self-awareness, empathy, humility, and humor are key. A successful candidate will find personal alignment with the Foundation’s values and culture and contribute to a positive work environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

In partnership with the programs team and the Director of Data and Operations:
- Develop and implement an evaluation framework that supports and advances the goals outlined in the Foundation’s five-year strategic plan.
- Recommend grant process improvements and changes to grantmaking policy to enhance efficiency, transparency, compliance, and the grant-seeker experience.
- Implement grantee feedback loops to continuously improve grantmaking processes.
Manage all ongoing grants administration for grants from the Foundation’s programs, initiatives and special projects, donor-advised funds, giving circles and other collaborative philanthropic vehicles, and matching gift program, including proposal intake through the Foundation’s online grants portal, supporting the grant review process, grant contract preparation, tracking grant amendments, and grantee reporting.
Develop and oversee terms and conditions for grant contracts.
Maintain grant payment schedules and monitor grant balances, generating payments in accordance with grant contract stipulations and contingencies.
Seek out and ensure grantmaking best practices are incorporated.
Ensure compliance with IRS regulations, audit requirements, and internal policies and procedures, including creating and maintaining electronic grant filesEnsure accuracy and integrity of the Foundation’s grants system, maintaining and updating online grant forms, implementing necessary updates, training staff, and maintaining security and permissions.
Partner with the Director of Data and Operations to support Foundation-wide grantmaking data-integrity.
Partner with the Director of Data and Operations to support the development of grants-related processes for fiscally sponsored projects and initiatives.
Prepare docket materials for board and committee meetings.
Communicate essential information during the grants process across departments and to external audiences.
Provide customer service and technical support to grant seekers and assist them regarding Foundation grant priorities and process.
Design and prepare grant reports for various internal and external audiences.

SUPERVISOR RELATIONSHIP

The Grants Manager reports to the Director of Data and Operations and is a member of the Finance and Administration department. The Grants Manager does not have administrative support or direct reports.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Required:

5-7 years of professional experience with demonstrated experience in grants management at a grantmaking organization.
Knowledge of best practices within a diverse range of grantmaking processes, approaches, tools, and tactics.
Ability to effectively synthesize, analyze, and visualize data.
Experience contributing to and supporting groups through multifaceted projects and change efforts.
Ability to work well both collaboratively and independently.
Highly skilled with technology, particularly Microsoft Office Suite, CRM and grants management systems.
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills and commitment to exceptional customer service. Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly in meetings, in correspondence, and through formal work products. Ability to effectively train colleagues on grants management systems and processes.
Demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, follow through, and track multiple work streams under deadlines.
Grasps new concepts and masters new skills, systems, and processes quickly.
Proven track record of working effectively across different settings, communities and issues – with people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and cultures.
An understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles and practices and a commitment to incorporating them into internal and external work.
Commitment to the Foundation’s core values and culture.

Preferred:

Bachelor’s degree.
Knowledge of program and mission-related investments (PRIs, MRIs) and loans.
Experience with varied evaluation methods and metrics.
Experience structuring and managing grants to organizations for policy and advocacy efforts, including direct lobbying.
Experience applying a specific equity and inclusion lens to the development and management of grants processes and procedures.
Knowledge of the Greater Denver community and nonprofit landscape.
Direct experience working for a (non-grantmaking) nonprofit organization.
Experience with Foundant Grant Lifecycle Manager and/or Community Suite.

Rose Community Foundation believes in the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The Foundation is committed to equal employment opportunities and prohibits the unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

SALARY & BENEFITS

This full-time, exempt position’s starting salary range is $60,000 to $70,000, commensurate with background, experience, and sector benchmarks. Rose Community Foundation offers a competitive benefits package including employer-supported health, dental, vision, and life insurance; short- and long-term disability coverage, a 403(b) retirement plan (including an annual employee contribution after one year of employment), generous paid time off including holidays, professional development opportunities and a matching gift program.

HOW TO APPLY

Submission deadline is 11 p.m. on Sunday, January 5, 2020. Interested candidates should email their cover letter and resume to search@rcfdenver.org with the subject line “Grants Manager.” No phone calls or additional email messages please.

Vice President of Programs

The application deadline for this position has passed.

As Rose Community Foundation prepares to implement a new strategic plan and celebrate its 25^th anniversary in 2020, we are seeking a dynamic, innovative and collaborative individual to lead our grantmaking team at a pivotal and exciting moment of organizational evolution.

Since its founding in 1995, Rose Community Foundation and its funds have granted more than $300 million to nonprofit organizations and initiatives, primarily through programmatic grants in the seven-county Greater Denver area. The Vice President of Programs directs the staff of the programs department in granting approximately $10 million annually.

Historically, the Foundation has focused its grantmaking in the areas of aging, child and family development, education, health and Jewish life. While we remain committed to funding across a broad and holistic range of issues facing the Greater Denver region, and will continue a specific commitment to funding in our local Jewish community, the Vice President of Programs will work closely with the programs staff, President and CEO, and other members of the leadership team, to develop and implement new, integrated grantmaking strategies that advance equity and justice, inclusion and community engagement, and the growth of resources for regional good.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ATTRIBUTES

The ideal candidate will have a passion for mission-oriented community work, a growth mindset and a love of learning. Open-minded, innovative, collaborative, entrepreneurial and willing to take risks, the Vice President of Programs must be an advocate, strategist and an executor – able to translate vision into implementation, solve problems, delegate, balance competing priorities, and be flexible and comfortable with the uncertainty that is inherent in organizational evolution. Self-awareness, empathy, humility, humor and strong interpersonal skills are key. A relationship builder at heart, the Vice President of Programs will value consensus while still being a decisive leader – capable of giving, receiving and utilizing feedback from internal and external sources. Both a leader and active hands-on team member, a successful candidate will find personal alignment with the Foundation’s values and culture, ensuring that they and the Programs team contribute to a positive work environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Vice President of Programs reports to the President and CEO, serves on the Foundation’s leadership team, and leads a team that currently consists of five direct reports. In addition to staff, the position will interact with committee members, board members, donors and external partners.

The ideal candidate will be a thinker, planner and a doer. The primary responsibilities of this role focus in the following three areas: Team Management and Leadership, Community Relationships and Learning and Evaluation.

Team Management and Leadership

Lead inclusive, collaborative and efficient internal processes around operationalization and implementation of our new strategic plan, including new approaches to grantmaking, process/systems improvement, and usage of data, metrics and evaluation.
Manage, coach, mentor and inspire a high-performing team with range of experience levels through a period of change as we develop and transition to new grantmaking frameworks, approaches and organizational constructs, ensuring access to appropriate professional development, learning and growth opportunities.
Ensure smooth transition from long-standing grantmaking committee structures to new ones that align with the forthcoming strategic plan, maintaining continued focus on optimizing committee composition, roles, engagement and experience.
Oversee diverse array of grantmaking, including capacity-building, program support and policy/advocacy, ensuring there is cohesion and alignment within the portfolio as well as with organizational values and impact goals.
Provide leadership in cross-department communication, coordination and cohesiveness, identifying synergies and collaborative opportunities between departments and organizational functions, including the engagement of donor-advised funds in aligned giving opportunities. (To date, the Foundation’s donor-advised funds have granted $50 million to nonprofit organizations of their choosing around the state, country and world).
Deliver consistently high-quality staff performance management, budgeting, financial and administrative management, grantmaking operations and other systems to achieve program goals.

Community Relationships

Internally and externally model our transition from a “knowing organization” to a “learning organization,” focused on asking the right questions and lifting up the expertise of our nonprofit partners.
Develop strategies for strengthening and growing our community relationships, including respectful entry into communities and issues that may be less familiar to us currently.
Maintain active and broad external engagement to ensure awareness of local community needs and opportunities, as well as a broad understanding of trends and needs in the regional and national philanthropic ecosystem.
Build and maintain relationships with relevant peers in local philanthropy, government, nonprofit sector and business community that may lead to collaborations and partnerships to leverage our resources and increase our impact.
Lead team in expanding and leveraging national funder relationships to bring more dollars to the Greater Denver region in alignment with our goals, strategies and areas of focus.
In close cooperation with the Philanthropic Services team, support revenue-generating activities and efforts to deliver content-rich donor education and engagement strategies.
Represent Rose Community Foundation in coalitions and collaborations in pursuit of the Foundation’s goals.

Learning and Evaluation

Drive the Foundation’s learning culture by leading efforts to maintain high levels of quantitative and qualitative awareness of the issues, challenges and opportunities facing Greater Denver – ensuring that grantee expertise and community experience is sought out and incorporated into our work.
Create flexible, right-sized systems by which we use data and metrics to both inform our strategies and evaluate the impact of our work, communicating results to the Foundation’s internal and external stakeholders.
Develop and utilize grantee feedback loops to continuously improve grantmaking processes.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Required:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional and life experience.
At least 10 years of professional experience, including at least five years in the social sector (nonprofit, government, corporate philanthropy, community organizing and/or foundations) at a senior leadership level with responsibility for building and sustaining organizational capacity.
Proven experience in strategic planning; operationalizing values, vision and strategies to achieve priorities and goals; change management; and budget management.
Proven track record in managing and developing a staff team: attracting, retaining and growing talent through performance reviews, professional development, team-building activities, goal setting, accountability and growth opportunities.
Experience successfully vetting, hiring and managing consultants, serving as an active and engaged client.
Strong public speaking and written communication skills, including writing and editing reports, summary memoranda, correspondence, etc.
Technologically adept – comfort, familiarity and/or ability to learn and utilize a variety of computer applications (i.e.: Microsoft Office, internet research) as well as project management and grants management/CRM systems.
Proven track record of building trusting relationships and working effectively across different settings, communities and issues – with people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and cultures.
An understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles and practices and a commitment to incorporating them into internal and external work.
Commitment to the Foundation’s core values and culture.

Preferred:

Experience with a diverse range of grantmaking processes, approaches, tools and tactics – including Program-Related Investments (PRIs) – on the funder and/or grantee side.
Fluency with data and evaluation, including the development and utilization of metrics to assess social impact and return on investment.
Demonstrated ability to break down organizational silos and revamp systems and processes to optimize alignment, integration, efficiency and effectiveness.
Experience managing annual budgets of $5+ million.
Community engagement experience.
Experience with, or understanding of, policy and advocacy work.
Experience with internal and external feedback loops for process, system and cultural improvement.
Knowledge of the philanthropic field and how foundations work, including relationships with (or knowledge of) national funders who may be aligned funding prospects.
Knowledge of the Greater Denver community, including strengths, challenges, trends and the regional philanthropic sector.
Advanced degree or certifications in a relevant area of study.

SALARY & BENEFITS

This full-time, exempt position’s salary will be commensurate with experience and sector benchmarks. Rose Community Foundation offers a competitive benefits package including employer-supported health, dental, vision and life insurance; short- and long-term disability coverage, a 403(b) retirement plan (including an annual employee contribution after one year of employment), generous paid time off including holidays, professional development opportunities and a matching gift program.

HOW TO APPLY

Submission deadline is 11 p.m. on December 8, 2019. Interested candidates should email their cover letter, resume and salary requirement to White River Strategy at search@whiteriverstrategy.com with the subject line “Rose – VP of Programs.”

No phone calls or email messages to Rose Community Foundation, please.

If you know of others who may be interested or qualified, please feel free to forward this job description and/or send their contact information to search@whiteriverstrategy.com.