Company Name
The Sobrato Organization
Company City
Mountain View
Company State
CA
Job Location
Bayshore Nonprofit Center (Palo Alto, CA)
Company Information
Founded by John A. Sobrato in 1979 and led by CEO Matthew Sonsini and President Rob Hollister, The Sobrato Organization remains a family-owned firm known for integrity and dedication, with no outside investors or joint venture partners. Since 1953, the Sobrato Family has played a pivotal role in shaping Silicon Valley through its real estate development. Its office, and R&D projects comprise 7.5 million square feet, most of which are Class A, mid-rise office buildings. The firm also owns 30 apartment communities totaling 6,700 units along the West Coast. Through Sobrato Philanthropies, the firm has donated more than $379 million in cash and real estate to the Silicon Valley community.
Job Description
Job Responsibility 1: Grantmaking Support and Portfolio Management
% of Time: 30
– Identifies potential grantees and projects, investigates, and evaluates grant proposals, and presents recommended proposals for funding in written Board facing dockets.
– Conducts site visits, provides technical assistance, and thought partnership, and maintains an open, ongoing relationship with grantees.
– Advances proposal applications and grant renewal processes.
– Partners with the grants management team to ensure solid grantmaking processes are in place from start to finish.
– Supports capital investment processes when there are aligned opportunities.
Job Responsibility 2: Program Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning, and Admin Support
% of Time: 25
– Monitors community/program landscape, staying abreast of current research, policy, activities, and trends related to communities within San Mateo County.
– Implements and adapts Sobrato Philanthropies’ approach to community engagement, centering community, and capacity building.
– Gathers information needed to inform program recommendations, including researching and summarizing background on community issues, prospective organizations, and active partners.
– Supports the implementation of the monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan.
– Scopes and partners on assessment and learning activities to inform strategy and continuous improvement.
– Monitors grantees’ performance through ongoing report reviews, site visits, and meetings.
– Develops annual goals, corresponding activities, indicators of success, and a budget as part of the foundation’s annual planning and budgeting cycle.
– Participates in team meetings to coordinate work, report on progress, flag challenges and offer insights.
– Builds collaborative and positive working relationships and effective communication channels with all staff.
Job Responsibility 3: Community Engagement, Relationship, and Network Cultivation
% of Time: 30
– Implements and supports program community engagement strategy, including site activation.
– Builds rapport with grantees to understand organizations and communities’ holistic needs, assets, and opportunities, and partner with colleagues to leverage full range of levers toward impact (policy, capacity building, SPRE, PRIs etc.)
– Engages and creates relationships in an ongoing fashion with decision-makers, philanthropic partners, and stakeholders connected with the education and policy field.
– Builds networks with key government, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders to coordinate efforts and funding.
– Represents the Foundation to various constituencies, including participation in outside conferences and meetings.
Other Responsibilities as Assigned % of Time:
% of Time: 15
– Other duties as assigned.
Job Qualifications
Education / Training
– Minimum bachelor’s degree required or equivalent combination of education and work experience in the philanthropic, nonprofit, education, and/or public sector.
Experience/Technical Skills
– 5 years+ experience in grantmaking, strategically investing grant funds and other resources with due diligence and high accountability.
– Experience in program implementation in the philanthropic or nonprofit sector, with excellent project planning and management skills, ensuring deliverables are well-executed, on time, and on budget.
– Strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively interact with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
Desired
– Experience demonstrating program impact by aligning implementation with monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
– Track record in community development, community engagement, community building or community organizing, understanding how to embed community voice, lived experience, diversity, equity, and inclusion in recommendations.
– Experience using Fluxx Grants Management Software
– Familiarity with communities in Santa Clara and Southern Alameda Counties
Competencies
– Ability to drive key deliverables effectively and efficiently.
– Ability to be proactive and constantly prioritize responsibilities in a fast-moving and rapidly changing environment.
– Works well independently and within a team, demonstrating great initiative, flexibility, and collaboration.
– Exercises good judgment.