Managing Director

Sunflower Services PBC; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 166,000 - 196,000; Full time

Job summary

Sunflower Services is seeking a bold, relationship-driven Managing Director of Business Development to shape the growth of a newly formed ecosystem providing fiscal sponsorship to changemakers tackling today’s thorniest problems. This senior role combines social sector fluency with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Based in northern California with remote work options, you will report to the Chief Relationship Officer and collaborate with Sunflower’s partners, including Hopewell Fund, Windward Fund,

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in business development or partnerships.
• Experience with fiscal sponsorship and philanthropic intermediaries.
• Proven track record building and closing high-value partnerships.
• Exceptional communications and negotiation skills.
• Ability to lead in a matrixed organization.
• Strong network in the social sector and philanthropy.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Shape and advance Sunflower’s multi-year growth strategy with partners and owners.
• Build and manage a pipeline of business aligned with ecosystem focus areas.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to prospective funders and project leaders.
• Represent Sunflower as a thought leader at conferences, publications, and sector forums.
• Monitor market trends to inform business development strategy and opportunities.
• Cultivate channel partner and referral relationships to expand Sunflower’s reach.

Skills

Business development

Strategic partnerships

Relationship management

Leadership

Communications

Entrepreneurial mindset

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree

Job description

Location: Remote in the San Franciso Bay Area

Who We Are

Today’s societal challenges are more complex, interconnected, and urgent than ever. Sunflower Services is comprised of over 240 professionals with deep expertise in the philanthropic sector. We provide support services to fiscal sponsors and intermediaries—and their hundreds of mission-driven projects—that are creating meaningful change. We welcome jobseekers who are motivated by results and driven by impact. For a list of current job openings at Sunflower, please visit ourLinkedIn page .

Sunflower Services is an independent, nonprofit-owned Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to providing operational excellence to nonprofit and social impact organizations. Sunflower delivers integrated solutions in finance, HR, grants management, compliance, and other administrative areas, helping mission-driven organizations and changemakers focus on what matters most: their impact.

Position Overview

Sunflower Services isseekinga bold, relationship-driven Managing Director of Business Development to help shape the nextchapter ofthegrowthof anewly formed ecosystem providingfiscalsponsorship to changemakers tackling today's thorniest problems.

We are aprivatebenefit corporation,wholly owned bythree501c3publiccharities: NewVentureFund,WindwardFund, andHopewell Fund. This is a senior leadership role for someone who combines deep fluency in the social sector with an entrepreneurial mindset anda track recordof building high-value, trust-based partnerships.

The ideal candidate brings firsthand knowledge of the fiscal sponsorship landscape and understands how philanthropic capital flows, howchangemakersand their funders make structural decisions, and how to positionthis ecosystem, powered bySunflower’sunparalleledservices,as the partner of choice for organizations operating at the frontier of social change. Based innorthern California, this leader willinfluencestrategy, develop people, and serve as a credible and inspiring voice in the field.

This rolereports toSunflower’s Chief Relationship Officer and works closely with senior leaders across Sunflower and its affiliated funds, including Hopewell Fund, Windward Fund, New Venture Fund, and Sixteen Thirty Fund.

What You’ll Do

Business Development(60%)

• Shape and advanceSunflower’s multi-year growth strategy,in conjunctionwith ourpartners/owners,identifyingandclosingopportunities aligned with emerging trends in philanthropy and fiscal sponsorship
• Build and manageapipeline ofbusiness aligned withtheecosystempartners’areas of focusandasetofstrongvalues,resulting inmeeting individual andteamwiderevenueand impacttargets through the full sales cycle—providing leadership from lead generation through close
• Serve as a strategic advisor to prospectivefundersand projectleaders, helping them understand how fiscal sponsorship can unlock new possibilities for their work
• Represent Sunflowerandits partners/ownersas a thought leader at conferences, in publications, and in high-value sector forums;authorcontent that positionsthe ecosystemat the forefront of the field
• Monitor market trends and philanthropic shifts to inform business development strategy andidentifynew service opportunities
• Cultivate channel partner and referral relationships that expand Sunflower’s reach and reputation

Relationship Stewardship and Client Stewardship(30%)

• Develop and sustain strong, long-term relationships across the 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 ecosystem, and with a defined portfolio of funders and strategic partners
• Partner closely with the Presidents and senior leadership ofmultipleandseparate nonprofit entitiesandpartnersto align priorities, share market intelligence, andidentifycollaborative opportunities
• Bring a sophisticated understanding ofthe ecosystem’sfull-service offerings to every client interaction—diagnosing needs, designing solutions, leading fee negotiations, anddefiningscope
• Collaborate with service teams to ensure excellent client experience that drives retention and referrals
• Proactively deepen existing relationships byanticipatingevolving needs and introducingcreative andrelevant capabilities

Leadership(10%)

• Serve as a senior contributor to strategy, bringing market perspective, sector intelligence, andpartnerinsight to leadership discussions abouttheecosystem’s– and specifically,Sunflower’s direction and priorities
• Represent Sunflowerand itspartners asa credible and inspiring spokesperson forfiscal sponsorship – enhancing the ecosystem’sreputation and relationships across the socialsector.
• Provideleadership tointernal teamsto contributetoorganizationallearning andsustainability

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years of progressive experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or client advisory roles within oradjacent tothe socialsector,
• Experience with fiscal sponsorship -how it works, who the key players are, and how organizations andcampaignsuse it as a strategic tool
• A track recordof building and closing complex, multi-stakeholder relationships, ideally in a professional services or consulting context
• Subject matterexpertiseinone or moreof theareas of focusfor ournonprofit partner/owners preferred:Climate/environment,reproductivefreedom,democracy/advocacy,genderequality, etc.
• Experiencemanaging,influencing, anddeveloping teams in a highly matrixed environment.
• Experience working with or alongside 501(c)(3) and/or 501(c)(4) organizations, foundations, or philanthropic intermediaries at a senior level
• Bachelor’s degreerequired; advanced degree a plus
• Demonstrated successingenerating new business activity
• Exceptional communicationskills—presenting, writing, and negotiating with clarity and influence
• Established presence and credibility in themost innovativeparts of thesocial sector ecosystem, with a broad and active professional network
• A collaborative leadership style, high emotional intelligence, and comfort navigating complex organizational relationships
• Entrepreneurial energy, a bias toward action, and the ability to thrive in ambiguity
• Asenseof humorand healthydose ofhumility

Compensation and Benefits

The annual salary range for this position is $166,000 - $196,000 plus Incentive Plan.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus a flexible spending account and health savings account, in addition to a 401k with a company match, and commuter benefits.

We give generous paid time off, with 21 days of vacation time, 10 days of personal time, 20 hours of volunteer time, 11 company holidays, and 4 optional holidays.

We support work-life balance with parental leave, UrbanSitter membership, Employee Resource Groups, and fitness and telecommunications reimbursements.

We value growth and development with options for education reimbursement and professional development.

We also offer disability, life insurance, additional voluntary insurances, and access to Teladoc and Health Advocate.

Work at Sunflower Services

The application deadline for this position is September 23, 2026. The deadline to apply may be shortened or extended depending on business needs.

Location Requirements

This is a full-time position operating remotely in California with a strong preference for the San Francisco Bay Area.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer

We will make reasonable accommodations under the guidelines of theAmericansWithDisabilities Act.

SunflowerServicesis an Equal Opportunity Employer without regard to race, gender, disability status, veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.