Senior Development Strategist (RLI)

Rockwood Leadership Institute; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

32-hour workweek

Benefits package

Job summary

Rockwood Leadership Institute in Oakland, CA invites an experienced Senior Manager to lead fundraising, business development, and grant administration. You will supervise the Grants Manager, manage partner relationships, and collaborate across Programs, Resource, and Leadership teams to grow earned and contributed revenue.

The role emphasizes prospecting, proposal development, and reporting, with a 32-hour full-time workweek and a strong benefits package.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of fundraising, sales, consulting, program design, or organizing.
• Proven ability to prospect, qualify, present proposals, and close deals.
• Experience tracking details and maintaining records; Salesforce is a plus.
• Excellent writing skills to translate partner interests into concise proposals.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage the sales/grants cycle from prospecting to closing.
• Receive and follow up on external inquiries for collaboration.
• Create and present client concept papers, proposals, and reports.
• Analyze leads, track engagement data in Salesforce, and prepare reports.
• Stay current on fundraising and philanthropy trends related to leadership development.
• Participate in cross-functional Business Model team to analyze approach and cost structure.
• Maintain client relationships as liaison between Rockwood and clients.
• Oversee handoff to Program implementation team after signing.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to manage communications, renewals.
• Partner across organization to drive fundraising and business opportunities.
• Manage weekly and monthly Resource team meetings.
• Supervise Grants Manager and oversee grant writing and administration.
• Participate in other Resource team functions as needed.

Skills

People skills

Communication

Sales

Public speaking

Fundraising

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Rockwood supports leaders to transform themselves, their communities, and the world towards equity, liberation, and sustainability for all. We do this by providing powerful and effective training to individual leaders and cohorts, thereby strengthening the organizations and movements that they represent.

Rockwood does not do business as usual. Our commitment to values influences every aspect of our organization—what we do and how we do it. Rockwood’s core values include:

• Trust and integrity
• Love, laughter, and holding each other in community
• Transformation
• Healing, sustainability, and self-care
• Equity

With a vision of Open Access to bring transformative leadership development to new and broader audiences, Rockwood is looking for an ambitious staff member to support the Director of Strategic Initiatives to drive revenue generation. You’ll implement partnership cultivation and business development, manage relationships with partners and funders, and supervise grant writing and administration to advance our vision.

This is an opportunity to join a non-traditional development team. Given our revenue is approximately 50% earned (fee-for-service trainings and contracts) and 50% contributed (grants and donations), the Resource team conducts business development contracting alongside the philanthropy work of grant writing and administration. Our team focuses on relationships and high standards of excellence. We take the time to build relationships internally and externally. We also move at a fast pace and place a high value on timely responsiveness and thorough tracking of details and deadlines.

Our ideal candidate has 5-7 years of fundraising, sales, consulting, program design, or organizing experience, and is a natural people-person. As a senior manager, you’ll supervise the Grants Manager, and report to the Director of Strategic Initiatives.

What You’ll Do

Business Development & Income Prospecting

• Manage the sales/grants cycle including identifying new prospects, qualifying prospects, making presentations, closing sales/grants, and conducting ongoing assessment and communications.
• Receive and follow-up on external inquiries for collaborating with Rockwood.
• Create and present client concept papers, proposals, and reports.
• Analyze leads and contact data, track all engagement information in Salesforce, and prepare reports.
• Stay current on trends in fundraising and philanthropy related to leadership development and other potential opportunities for Rockwood.
• Participate in a cross-functional Business Model team to analyze Rockwood’s approach and cost structure.

Relationship & Project Management

• Maintain client relationships as the primary liaison between Rockwood and clients, responding to the needs of current and new partners and funders.
• Oversee handoff to Program implementation team, once a new grant or contract has been signed.
• Collaborate with Resource, Program, and Leadership teams to manage ongoing communications, partner satisfaction, reporting, and generate opportunities for renewals.
• Partner across entire organization (Programs, Operations/Finance, Resource, Communications, Leadership Team) to drive current and new fundraising and business development opportunities.
• Manage weekly and monthly Resource team meetings.
• Supervise and oversee the work of the Grants Manager, which includes grant writing and administration. Write concept papers, proposals, and reports as necessary.
• Participate in other Resource team functions as needed, in a changing and flexible team environment.

Who You Are

• A people person—you’re at ease with people and in conversation, and listen intently to other’s needs and interests.
• An excellent communicator—confident and humble, and open to giving and receiving feedback.
• A self-aware and self-reflective fundraiser or salesperson—you have a passion for revenue generation and are comfortable with your own relationship to money.
• A successful implementer who produces excellent results and can move ideas into action.
• A self-motivated professional—a thorough, responsive, and reliable member of the team.
• An optimistic and positive team player, with a good sense of humor.

What You’ll Need

• 5-7 years of experience in fundraising, sales, consulting, program design, or organizing.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate prospecting activities, sales calls, face-to-face meetings, and follow up on leads.
• Demonstrated excellence in tracking details and maintaining records. Experience with Salesforce a plus.
• Public-speaking and 1:1 conversation skills—ability to represent Rockwood in a variety of spaces.
• Exceptional writing skills—ability to translate the interests of potential partners into compelling and concise proposals that align with Rockwood offerings and pricing.
• Desire to work and relate to a very diverse broad spectrum of people inside and outside of Rockwood.

The salary for this position is $80,000. Rockwood offers a 32-hour full-time Monday - Thursday workweek and a competitive benefits package. This position is located at Rockwood’s main office in downtown Oakland, CA.

Rockwood Leadership Institute is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. In accordance with applicable law, Rockwood prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, sex, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local laws.

People of color, people of all gender identities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read this job description. We’re looking forward to getting to know you.