Foundation Partnerships Director

Sacbar; Berkeley (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is seeking a Director or Manager of Foundation Relations for the Berkeley Lab Foundation. You will partner with lab leadership to cultivate foundation, corporate, and institutional funders and translate cutting-edge research into fundable cases for support.

You will draft proposals, manage a portfolio of prospects, and ensure compliance with DOE/UC regulations while growing a strategic philanthropy program. This role offers hybrid work in Berkeley, CA.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience for science, research, or technical programs.
• Proven success securing foundation and/or corporate grants.
• Experience growing a foundation or institutional giving program.
• Track record of securing five- to six-figure grants, including $1M+ opportunities.
• Support full donor development cycle: identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship.
• Excellent written and verbal communication translating science to funders.
• Autonomy on a small team with hands-on admin and relationship work.
• Experience with Salesforce NPSP, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to travel occasionally and work flexible hours.

Responsibilities

• Translate research priorities into fundable cases for foundation audiences.
• Identify cross-disciplinary funding opportunities and surface collaborations.
• Draft proposals, LOIs, and stewardship reports to engage funders.
• Coordinate with contracts, finance, and operations on funds received.
• Grow the Berkeley Lab Foundation's foundation and institutional giving pipeline.
• Manage a portfolio of foundation prospects through full development cycle.
• Build relationships with foundation and corporate giving officers.
• Support donor engagement activities with leadership and scientists.
• Ensure philanthropy aligns with DOE, UC, and IRS regulations.
• Collaborate with UC and partners on gift and grant agreements.
• Director-level: set strategy for short/long-term foundation giving pipeline.
• Director-level: cultivate senior-level foundation relationships to unlock opportunities.
• Director-level: design donor engagement activities showcasing lab impact.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Prospect research

Proposal writing

Stakeholder collaboration

Salesforce NPSP

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Travel flexibility

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce NPSP

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is seeking a Director or Manager of Foundation Relations for the Berkeley Lab Foundation. You will partner with lab leadership to cultivate foundation, corporate, and institutional funders and translate cutting-edge research into fundable cases for support.

You will draft proposals, manage a portfolio of prospects, and ensure compliance with DOE/UC regulations while growing a strategic philanthropy program. This role offers hybrid work in Berkeley, CA.