Job Description

Position Summary & Purpose:

The Foundation & Government Relations, Senior Manager will help build and manage relationships with foundations and government officials/agencies and be our chief grant writer. This position is an ideal fit for fundraisers who are both compelling storytellers and clear technical writers, and able to build strong relationships. This position requires a moderate to high degree of sophistication and subject matter knowledge related to literacy and/or education, as the position will be expected to liaise between program/library/development staff and foundations and government agencies. In addition to managing a portfolio of current relationships, the position will work to identify, cultivate, and steward new foundation and government prospects. Written grant proposals could be emotionally persuasive or technical depending on the funder with a heavy focus on outcomes.

This position reports to the Chief Development Officer and collaborates with fundraising staff to achieve and exceed annual revenue goals. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in growing the Library Foundation’s programmatic and operating support by creating and writing successful foundation and government grant proposals, reports, and expanding and stewarding our foundation and government relationships with the primary goal to increase revenue and outreach results. In addition, this position will collaborate with our Corporate Partnerships Senior Manager in writing and editing corporate foundation grant proposals and reports. 

This position is responsible for building and managing the day-to-day advocacy efforts for the Library Foundation. This involves growing the number of supporters who are actively advocating for greater public resources for the Library and maintaining regular communications with elected officials (city councilmembers to federal representatives). 

Under the supervision of the Chief Development Officer, this position is responsible for supporting all aspects of a grant cycle as well as cultivating and stewarding relationships with all foundation and government donors in support of SJPLF’s strategic goals and organizational vision. The ideal candidate should be comfortable collaborating across the organization and working with everyone from senior leadership and the Board of Directors to frontline librarians running the programs. Candidates must have a proven track record of securing significant grants ($100,000+), crafting engaging narratives, leading creative initiatives, driving results, and writing compelling reports.

Essential Duties 

Grant Management and Writing (60%) 

• Prospect for private and public funding opportunities.
• Identify funders with the highest potential and develop strategies for gaining foundation and government support.
• Lead grant writing and reporting processes for all formal philanthropic and government grants, coordinating efforts with finance and program staff.
• Coordinate data collection, processing, and reporting with program and finance team members.
• Prepare narratives, budgets, standard required documents, and additional materials, such as logic models and timelines, for institutional grant applications and use by other fundraising staff.
• Maintain 65% retention through excellent stewardship and progress reports leading to renewal proposals. 
• Work with the CEO and fundraising staff to monitor contractual agreements and grant award conditions to ensure compliance with budgets, recognition, and other items as needed.
• Maintain, monitor, and update CRM and grants management system that includes a schedule of government and foundation grant inquiries, proposals, and reports.
• Oversee the process of application and registration for government grants and contracts.

Foundation and Government Relationship Management (30%) 

• Responsible for raising $750,000 in restricted and unrestricted grants annually 
• Manage an active portfolio of major foundation and government donors and prospects by creating and implementing personalized cultivation and stewardship plans and gift requests for each donor within portfolio.
• Show donors the impact of their contributions by connecting them to engagement opportunities and maintaining ongoing connection.
• Facilitate key donor relationships by leveraging the involvement of the CEO and City Librarian.
• Maintain relationships with local electeds including city council, mayor’s office, county supervisors, and state representatives. This includes cultivation and stewardship of financial support from discretionary funds.
• Create and implement an annual advocacy plan centered on city budget process. Write a monthly advocacy newsletter and staff the Board advocacy committee. 
• Schedule and manage logistics for site visits and other stewardship/ engagement events for foundation and government prospects and grantors. 

Mentorship (10%) 

• Support other team members in developing grant writing and impact reporting.
• Mentor less experienced fundraising staff in writing and submission of proposals.

Behavioral Competencies Expected:

Strategic Thinking

• Considers and analyzes various points of view and pieces of data to form strategies appropriate to a particular context.
• Develops creative tactics and approaches to achieve goals.

Interpersonal Skills and Strong Relationship Manager

• Uses a variety of techniques, as appropriate, to connect with others to build and nurture positive relationships.
• Has natural ability to form connections and cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships. 

Project Management

• Identifies the steps of a project and sets appropriate deadlines.
• Holds self and others accountable to outcomes and deadlines.
• Comfortable taking the lead on projects and figuring out ways to push things forward.

Initiative

• Proactively creates and/or follows through on new ideas and strategies.
• Anticipates and notices needs (long and short term) and acts to creatively address them.
• Enjoys designing a new strategy or implementing a new idea.

Teamwork & cooperation

• Willing to follow or lead based on the organization’s needs.
• Is approachable.
• Committed to building the spirit of the team.

Integrity & trust

• Maintains confidentiality when needed.
• Demonstrates credibility through consistency and reliability.
• Pursues growth professionally and personally.
• Committed to managing all relationships professionally and with a personal touch.

Required Qualifications

• 5- 8 years of experience in a Development and/or Grants Management role or related field.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills.
• Demonstrated growth mindset.
• Proven track record of prospecting, writing, and securing philanthropic and government grants.
• Knowledge of grant management processes and best practices.
• Experience successfully coordinating funding and reporting systems with program staff.
• Project management and organizational skills with high attention to detail.
• Experience with working in Word, Excel, CRM donor databases, and project management software.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Ability to occasionally travel within Silicon Valley to attend in-person events and programs, sometimes on evenings and weekends.
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, public relations, or related field. Equivalent experience will be considered instead of a degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience securing significant (i.e. six-figure) grants and/or contracts.
• Experience with successfully applying to state and federal government funding opportunities and managing compliance.
• Comfort and experience working across diverse communities, with the empathy and knowledge to communicate across all constituencies, including partners, staff, donors, and the broader community.
• Experience in advocacy and government relations, specifically engaging stakeholders and developing advocacy strategies. Even better is having raised awareness about the importance of libraries and their impact on the community. 
• Multi-lingual and/or multi-cultural, previous experience working with public libraries or supporting another government agency, and/or CFRE are all a plus.
• Ability to build rapport with individuals from diverse backgrounds and communicate effectively with various stakeholders. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 and familiarity with grant management software. 

About the Organization: 

Do you love libraries and want to work at one of the most well-known buildings in San José? The San José Public Library is proud to be one of the nation’s best public library systems with 25 branches across the city. Part of its success is owed to the dynamic and committed Library Foundation, which is a separate 501(c)3 established in 1987 by a group of community volunteers who understood that a great library system needed more than public funding. The San José Public Library Foundation (SJPLF) has raised more than $58 million to enhance the Library above and beyond what tax-based funding provides for buildings, programs, collections, and services. The Foundation takes its fundraising direction from the Library’s identification of persistent and emerging community needs. Our mutually respectful and collaborative work will result in more students being prepared for success from kindergarten to college and career; more adults being fully informed and able to participate in civic life; greater access to information in print and digital forms; and for everyone to find the spark that ignites their curiosity, imagination, and wonder. 

Working Conditions 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The position requires the ability to sit for sustained periods of time and to sometimes travel throughout the city of San José. The vision requirement includes close vision. The employee is occasionally required to lift 20 pounds. A hybrid working situation will be considered with in-office attendance required at least 60%. 

Compensation and Benefits 

The compensation and benefits offered reflect the value we place on attracting and retaining a talented team. This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position with a high degree of autonomy. SJPLF provides health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k with matching contribution, and generous paid time off that increases with longevity in addition to 17 paid holidays, among other benefits. Professional growth opportunities available. 

SJPLF currently operates in a hybrid working situation with in-office attendance required at least 60%.

How to Apply 

Please address a personal, specific, and thoughtful cover letter to the “SJPLF Hiring Committee” and submit along with a resume through our hiring portal. Your resume tells us what you can do; your cover letter should tell us who you are and why you want to work with SJPLF. 

The San José Public Library Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a workplace without discrimination and harassment of any kind. All candidates will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, or protected veteran or disabled status. For more information about SJPLF, visit  

Job Tags

Similar Jobs