Portfolio Director

fastforward.ai; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited paid time off

401k retirement plan with employer matching

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Free transit to/from downtown San Francisco

Job summary

Fastforward.ai in San Francisco is hiring a Portfolio Director to lead their efforts in supporting tech nonprofits. This role involves developing strategies, managing programs, and building community capacity. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in startups, venture capital, or social entrepreneurship and a strong network in the tech ecosystem.

With an emphasis on social impact, the director will oversee portfolio initiatives and tailor support for nonprofit builders, ensuring their growth and success. A competitive salary and generous benefits are offered as part of this full-time, in-office position.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in relevant fields.
• Strong strategic thinker with a bias toward action.
• Demonstrated interest in social impact and technology.

Responsibilities

• Define focus areas and overall portfolio support model.
• Design and improve portfolio programs for impact.
• Manage budgets and KPIs for portfolio initiatives.

Skills

Startups experience

Venture capital experience

Social entrepreneurship experience

Program design & scaling

Project management skills

Networking in tech ecosystem

Job description

ABOUT FAST FORWARD

Fast Forward launched in 2014 with a simple belief: tech can help solve the world’s biggest challenges. Back then, the intersection of tech and social impact was still undefined. The term “tech nonprofit” didn’t even exist. So, we coined it and founded Fast Forward to support the builders using tech for social good.

Since then, Fast Forward’s annual flagship Accelerator has supported an impressive portfolio of 100+ tech nonprofit builders with funding, resources, and partnerships. The result? 414M lives impacted and $1B+ in follow‑on funding for tech nonprofits raised to date. Outside of the Accelerator, Fast Forward is growing the sector by offering the world’s 1,000+ tech and AI‑powered nonprofits resources and tools to scale. Learn more.

THE ROLE

Fast Forward supports a global portfolio of 100+ tech nonprofits. Through the Accelerator program, organizations complete a three‑month intensive cohort curriculum before continuing as long‑term portfolio members, receiving tailored resources and services.

We are seeking a Portfolio Director to lead and scale this work. The role drives the strategy, systems, and programs that help portfolio members navigate fundraising, revenue growth, product development, marketing, talent, and organizational leadership as they scale their impact.

The role is a unique opportunity for an entrepreneurial, community‑centered leader to build the next chapter of Fast Forward’s portfolio services. We’re looking for a thoughtful builder who blends strategic thinking with hands‑on execution, enjoys cultivating founder communities, and believes deeply in the potential of tech and AI‑powered nonprofits.

This is a full‑time, in‑office role based in San Francisco, CA.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy & Leadership

• Define focus areas, service offerings, and the overall portfolio support model.
• Evolve portfolio offerings as the member community matures and sector needs shift.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to portfolio members.
• Build capacity and lead the team as demand increases to deliver portfolio member support services.

Program Design & Delivery

• Surface and address portfolio needs through targeted support across fundraising, revenue growth, product development, marketing, talent, and organizational leadership.
• Design, launch, and continuously improve portfolio programs for relevance, quality, and impact.
• Oversee portfolio programming delivery, whether externally or internally driven.
• Build and manage a world‑class mentor network, facilitators, volunteers, and subject‑matter experts for the tech‑for‑good community.
• Pilot other new program models and partnerships as needed, gather feedback and iterate based on outcomes.

Operations & Systems

• Build and improve systems that enable effective portfolio member support.
• Manage budgets, timelines, reporting, and execution for portfolio initiatives.
• Synthesize portfolio and program data to inform strategy and reporting.
• Define and track KPIs that reflect program effectiveness and portfolio member success.
• Ensure consistent, high‑quality execution across portfolio programs and services.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• 6+ years of experience in startups, venture capital and/or social entrepreneurship, preferably with firsthand experience as a founder, operator or investor.
• Demonstrated interest in social impact and the potential of technology to drive systemic change.
• The presence and credibility to engage, inspire, and build lasting relationships with senior innovation‑related leaders.
• A strong network across the startup and tech ecosystem, ideally spanning both traditional and impact‑focused communities, with the ability to activate that network on behalf of portfolio members.
• Proven track record of designing and scaling programs, communities, events, or services with measurable outcomes.
• Strong strategic thinker with a bias toward action and hands‑on execution.
• Demonstrated people management and team leadership experience.
• Experience helping build and scale organizations, with familiarity in applying product, engineering, data, and/or AI concepts, ideally with exposure to the nonprofit context.
• Excellent project and process management skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to thrive in fast‑paced, evolving environments and work cross‑functionally.
• Exceptional written, verbal and relationship‑building skills.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

• Unlimited paid time off (PTO)
• 401k retirement plan & employer matching
• Office is located in a beautiful national park - The Presidio - with free transit to/from downtown San Francisco!
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Most importantly, input on the office snack order

COMPENSATION

Salary: $140,000 - $155,000 - negotiable depending on experience.

Note: In accordance with federal, state, and local safety guidelines, this role is expected to be performed in‑person, in San Francisco.

Fast Forward is a social justice organization founded on the idea that those with proximity to the problem should have proximity to the power to fix them. Our true north is empowering tech nonprofit leaders with the tools, community, and capital they need to scale solutions for underserved groups, and we know that a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion is inextricable from that pursuit. Read our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Guidelines to learn how we approach DEI across our investments, community, and workplace.

Fast Forward is an equal opportunity employer.