Director, Collaboratives & Initiatives, ViaNova

ViaNova partners with philanthropists to unlock their potential and turn their visions for a better world into lasting impact. We are a philanthropic advisory firm that specializes in designing, building, and supporting collaboratives and complex philanthropic initiatives that translate ambition into sustained impact.

Directors play an essential role on the ViaNova team leading or project managing client projects, developing client relationships, supporting business development, managing aspects of team or firmwide strategy, and developing team talent and culture. We anticipate that this Director will manage a portfolio of approximately 5 to 7 client projects supporting donor collaboratives and complex grantmaking initiatives.  They will serve funder networks, pooled funds, and individual corporate and institutional funders across critical moments in their lifecycle—whether launching and structuring new efforts, providing ongoing stewardship, or navigating strategic inflection points such as leadership transitions or strategy resets.

We seek a candidate with a background in social sector consulting or professional services, and/or direct work with or within multi-funder collaboratives, philanthropic infrastructure, or complex grant-making initiatives. In this specific role, you will need to thrive in being a trusted advisor to colleagues and clients. You are someone who understands that long-term, systemic change requires the ability to align diverse funders around shared purpose, navigate complex governance and interdependencies, and sustain momentum over time. Critically, you are comfortable moving seamlessly between advising and implementing—flexing from strategy into execution as the work demands.

Essential Responsibilities
Client Service (65-70%)

• Project Management & Oversight: Serve as the strategic lead or project manager on a portfolio of 5 to 7 client projects, managing the workplan, conducting research and analysis, leading meeting preparation, and ultimately ensuring the team delivers work products, client meetings, and presentations that meet or exceed client expectations
• Client Communication & Delivery: Ensure that deliverables and presentations are high-quality, clear, and actionable for the client and maintain consistent communication throughout each engagement, managing expectations, surfacing tensions early, and continuously orienting the team toward advancing the client’s impact goals
• Relationship Management: Develop, manage, and grow relationships with clients, funder networks, grantees, and field leaders. The Director must have the emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills necessary to build long-lasting and trusted relationships across a diverse ecosystem of stakeholders—including individual funders, philanthropic intermediaries, and organizational partners
• Project Team Development: In the context of project work, lead by example in creating an inclusive team dynamic where everyone’s voice is valued, delegate effectively to project team members, and provide support and training to help team members develop their skills and talent
• Application of an equity and belonging lens: Ensure the team is applying equity principles to the scope of work, asking at all phases: “What can we be doing to build more equitable processes and achieve more equitable outcomes?”

Business Development and Marketing (~10-15%)

• Partner with senior leaders to qualify leads and pitch new opportunities with prospective collaborative and initiative clients
• Serve as lead on proposals, including advising or leading on scope design and pricing and closing the opportunity with the prospect
• Stay abreast of developments in the field and use this information to hone services and business strategy; represent the firm at select conferences, field-building convenings, and philanthropic infrastructure events

Management and Internal Strategy (~10-20%)

• Community of Practice: Partner with the Collaboratives & Initiatives Practice Leads to help shape the direction and strategy of the C&I practice, lead training and learning activities throughout the year, and actively learn from and support colleagues on relevant engagements across the practice.
• Internal Strategy & Team Objectives: Contribute to the development, implementation, and management of key components of the team and firm’s strategic plan, annual objectives, and key business performance metrics
• General Management & Mentorship: Contribute to professional growth and satisfaction of junior staff — including potentially serving as a direct people manager — by providing direction, support, guidance and mentorship on project work and by promoting firm culture that centers equity and belonging; develop and share relevant skills and issue-area expertise

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent level of experience (9 years of experience without a Bachelor's degree)
• Minimum 8-12 years of relevant professional experience
• Experience in philanthropy, professional services, management consulting, or nonprofit management with experience working with or within philanthropic collaboratives, pooled funds, funder networks, or complex grant-making initiatives highly preferred
• Proven ability to creatively and confidently facilitate multi-stakeholder groups—including funders, grantees, and field leaders—toward aligned decisions, constructive dialogue, and forward momentum
• A flexible mindset and ability to support initiatives at multiple lifecycle stages—from launch and structure-building through ongoing stewardship to strategic inflection points—and to flex between advisory and implementation roles as the engagement demands
• Experience with governance design, and multi-funder alignment—including coaching diverse stakeholders to navigate new structures, shared decision-making processes, and evolving roles and responsibilities.
• Strong analytical capabilities and experience with strategy development and implementation
• Strong project management skills to drive projects to completion, including the ability to lead complex projects, oversee and delegate to team members, build positive relationships with a range of philanthropic clients, and meet deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills, to adapt style, tone, and content to meet various needs; and to coach teammates on crafting content, and demonstrated ability to synthesize large amounts of information on the page
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team
• The ability to use available resources and feedback to continually develop skills in your role and facilitate team and project-level learning, including coaching others
• The ability to take initiative for creating an inclusive environment and model and implement equitable policies, practices, systems, or strategies
• The ability to travel periodically for in-person meetings or events 

COMPENSATION 
 
This is a full-time exempt position. We offer a competitive and holistic total rewards package that includes salary, bonus, and benefits.  

The annual base salary range for this position is $118,700 - $129,000 plus an annual discretionary bonus potential of 15%.  

All full-time staff are eligible for our generous benefits package on their first day of employment:  

• Health insurance - Vital Impact subsidizes medical, dental, and vision premiums for all levels of participation 

• Paid time off – 16 vacation days, 10 personal days, 11 company holidays (7 federal and 4 more from a list of inclusive cultural and religious holidays and your birthday), 20 hours volunteer leave, 8 weeks parental leave 

• 401(k) retirement plan- We offer a 4% employer match on a dollar-per-dollar basis, with no waiting or vesting period 

• Reimbursements for your personal cell phone plan, internet, and fitness  

• Pre-tax withholding for transportation and parking 

• Bonus incentive opportunities  

ViaNova's compensation practices are grounded in transparency and equity. Salaries are fixed, not negotiated, and reflect a principled placement process based on years of relevant experience, demonstrated skill and expertise, and scope of work. The salary for this role ranges from $118,700 - $129,000. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIRMENTS 
 
We will prioritize candidates who are based where we have other team members, including Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, we are open to candidates in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Virginia. 

The employee will may work remotely or primarily from a Vital Impact office; to be determined individually during the offer process. While performing regular duties, the employee will be required to sit, stand, reach, walk, or kneel, and to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals with disabilities. 
 

TO APPLY

We are accepting applications directly through our website until 11:59 pm Mountain Time on Tuesday, July 31st. Your candidacy will be evaluated holistically based on evidence gathered throughout all steps in the application process.   

Vital Impact is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we encourage individuals of all backgrounds and identities to apply. Our work gives us the opportunity to serve those across the full spectrum of races, ethnicities, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and levels of physical ability, and we believe our team should mirror this diversity. ViaNova does not discriminate against any employee or applicant due to age, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.