Director, Philanthropy

Position Description

The Director, Philanthropy will lead efforts to identify significant sources of new philanthropic funding and associated partnerships, cultivating relationships with external private funders and making connections to County stakeholders and community partners. The Director, Philanthropy will identify funding needs within the County and develop relationships with potential funders to align County needs with funding and partnership opportunities. The Director, Philanthropy will advance collaboration and engagement among County departments, stakeholders, and partners to secure external funding that furthers Harris County priorities.

Within the Grants & Partnerships division of the Office of County Administration (OCA), the Director, Philanthropy will work closely with the Director, Grants Management and the Director, American Rescue Plan Portfolio Management Office (ARPA PMO). The Director, Philanthropy will be externally focused, developing relationships with private foundations, corporate funders, and other outside partners. The Director, Grants Management will focus on identifying and securing public funding opportunities and internal grant management.

The Director, ARPA PMO is responsible for the $1B American Rescue Plan portfolio, funding for which is only available through 2026. The Director, Philanthropy will play a key role in seeking sustainable funding, where necessary, for programs initially funded under ARPA, whether through direct grants to Harris County or through new partnerships between funders and County grantees.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develops, implements, and manages the philanthropic program of Harris County, consistent with the Countywide vision and strategic plan and in support of County priority outcomes.

• Collaborates with Commissioners Court members and staff, OCA staff, and department leaders to identify opportunities for philanthropic investment and private partnership.

• Establishes relationships with local and national grant makers, community partners, nonprofit agencies, and research institutions to elevate Harris County programs, priorities, and needs, developing linkages that result in new investments and partnerships.

• Supports departments in grant solicitation efforts and in the cultivation of relationships with external funders, working closely with Commissioners Court and County department staffs to bolster County initiatives.

• Secures funding opportunities for Harris County by identifying, qualifying, cultivating, and soliciting grants from private funders.

• Provides subject matter expert guidance and support in developing strategies to meet fundraising goals and initiatives, creating sustainable revenue, building long-term relationships with the regional and national philanthropic community, developing donor life-cycle strategies for all revenue streams, and all other areas related to philanthropy.

• Generates grant proposals and donor impact reports for Harris County; develops key communication materials that can be used Countywide in grant applications.

• Tracks contacts and applications; maintains an effective system of data management to support relationship building and grant applications.

• Develops annual project plans and target metrics, including fundraising goals; monitors and reports results to OCA monthly and to Commissioners Court on a quarterly basis.

• Engages with other fundraising professionals; remains up-to-date with best practices in philanthropy.

• Ensures that all fundraising materials and communications with the public maintain the highest standards of transparency and honesty.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx

If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net.

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Supporting Documents:

• Cover Letter

• Updated Resume

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

• Experience in business development, cultivating philanthropic partnerships, identifying, and qualifying grant opportunities, or donor cultivation and stewardship.

• Experience in strategic planning, goal-setting, KPI tracking, and performance management.

• Background in philanthropy, business development, advancement, fundraising, grant writing, grants management, or related fields.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated commitment to and track record of advancing equity, justice, diversity, and opportunity in operations and public policy design.

• Familiarity with best practices in philanthropy and donor cultivation and stewardship.

• Ability to develop relationships with funders and partners.

• Interest in public policy; understanding of local government and ability to discern strategic priorities.

• Ability to prioritize assignments to meet Commissioners Court and managerial directives in a timely manner.

• Ability to establish positive relationships, maintain the highest standard of professional and personal ethics and behavior, and accept and provide supervision.

• Ability to drive organizational culture and contribute to a high-performing team.

• Ability to provide counsel to, interface with, and obtain feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders, including at the leadership level.

• Ability to continuously learn about all County operations and Commissioners Court's goals and objectives to ensure the department is providing the appropriate service support to other County departments and offices.

• Ability to work amidst ambiguity with a high level of emotional intelligence, curiosity, integrity, ethics, and transparency.

• Highly skilled in oral and written communication, with excellent ability to prepare memos, policy documents, reports, presentations, and other documents.

• Skill in the use of Microsoft Office and project management applications.

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences

• Experience with fundraising software or CRM systems strongly preferred.

General Information

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• Regular Full-time

• Monday - Friday | Hours will be discussed during departmental interview

• Must be available at all times.

• Works nights and weekends as required.

Salary:

• Depends on Qualifications

• Based on 26 Pay Periods

• Plus, benefits

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

• This position is based in an office environment, where the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, scanners, and filing cabinets is routine.

• This is largely a sedentary role.

• However, requirements include the ability to lift up to 10 pounds, open filing cabinets and bend or stand as necessary.

• Some local travel may be required.

Reporting Relationships:

• Reports To Position: Director, Grants & Partnerships

• Supervises Positions: N/A

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

BENEFITS

Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.

The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:

• Medical Coverage

• Dental Coverage

• Vision Coverage

• Wellness Plan

• Life Insurance

• Long-term disability

• Employee Assistance Program

• Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service

• Accrual rates increase based on years of service

• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday

• Professional development opportunities

• Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan

• Healthcare Reimbursement Account

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:

• Retirement Pension (TCDRS)
• Flexible schedule (varies by department)
• Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:

https://benefitsathctx.com/

01

Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?

• High School or GED diploma

• Associate Degree

• Bachelor's Degree

• Master's Degree or higher

• None of the above

02

Please describe your educational background including level of education completed, area of study and completed major and minor programs.

03

Do you have experience in business development, cultivating philanthropic partnerships, identifying and qualifying grant opportunities, or donor cultivation and stewardship?

• Yes

• No

04

Do you have experience in strategic planning, goal-setting, KPI tracking, and performance management?

• Yes

• No

05

Do you have a background in philanthropy, business development, advancement, fundraising, grant writing, grants management, or related fields?

• Yes

• No

06

Do you have experience with fundraising software or CRM systems?

• Yes

• No

07

Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions: Advanced: A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Intermediate: A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Basic: A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it. Entry Level: A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced

• Intermediate

• Basic

• Entry Level

• Not proficient

Required Question

Agency Harris County

Address 1111 Fannin St

Ste. 600

Houston, Texas, 77002

Phone 713-274-5445

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/harriscountytx