Director, Grants and Foundation Development, Vox.com

Full Time
5 months ago

Vox is looking for someone to lead development of our grants line of business, and help us identify and pilot new opportunities in the fundraising space. Grants have grown as a focus for Vox over the past few years, and now we need someone who can push this business line to the next level. This is an extremely cross-functional role: you will work with many members of the newsroom and Vox’s leadership team to create a roadmap of what we need to attract and execute grants, and to build and oversee these workflows and functions. This is also a very people-focused role; networking is a big part of this job, and you will be in charge of developing relationships with foundations, high-net worth individuals and pitching potential funders. 

 

WHO WE ARE

Vox candidly shepherds audiences through politics and policy, business and pop culture, food, science, and everything else that matters.

Vox is part of Vox Media, the leading modern media company. We guide our audience from discovery to obsession. We inspire essential conversations about what’s now, what’s next, and what’s possible.

As a community of journalists and storytellers, business professionals, creators and technologists, we believe it is a moral and business imperative to amplify voices: to cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organization and media. This applies to our candidates, our teams, our storytelling, our creative work, and our platforms, products, and partnerships.

 

WHAT YOU’LL DO
  • Set goals for the next two years for our grants program, working closely with Vox’s Publisher and editorial leadership, that build off of the success of the current program

 

  • Collaborate with editorial leadership to identify potential grant opportunities and major partnerships, and decide which we’d like to move on
    • Identify new editorial initiatives, supported by a framework created by the Chief of Staff, that could be appropriate for grant funding, and work with editorial leadership to develop these projects.
    • Communicate potential funding opportunities to editorial leadership, and lead brainstorms and strategy sessions to decide if we want to pursue
  • Steward relationships with current funders, while developing a pipeline of potential funders and top donors
    • Proactively reach out to organizations and potential funders that could be a fit for our coverage area
    • Develop a strategy for networking that establishes new relationships 
    • Represent Vox at events where potential funders and foundations will be present
    • Maintain relationships with lapsed funders in an effort to secure renewal

 

  • Secure project-level and enterprise grants of $100K or more to support Vox’s ambitious editorial ideas 
    • Lead processes for writing grant pitches and proposals.
    • Create deks and pitch funders
    • Work closely with legal and finance teams on contracts.
  • Ensure our website communicates what is attractive to potential funders, working closely with the Chief of Staff
    • Make existing grant funding more visible on Vox
    • Advocate for coverage areas that might attract potential funders to be prominent on our website
  • Develop processes to ensure we satisfy funding requirements, supporting strong grant renewal rates
    • Establish workflows or regular check-ins with editorial teams that ensure we’re tracking to fulfill grant requirements
    • Work with editorial teams and leadership to track budget spending on grants
    • Provide feedback to the funder throughout the lifespan of the grant, including drafting narrative reports and expenditure reports for existing grants, working with editorial teams when appropriate.
WHO YOU ARE
  • Prior experience managing grants and writing grant proposals (a plus if that experience is in media/journalism)
  • Strong project management & organizational skills
  • Strong communication skills and ability to manage relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders 
  • An understanding of the philanthropic landscape in media 
  • A passion for Vox’s mission 

 

If you think you have what it takes, but don't meet every single point in our job posting, please apply with a cover letter to let us know how you believe you can bring your unique skills to the Vox Media team or get in touch! We’ve hired chefs who became editors, DJs who became UX designers, and sommeliers who became writers.

 

WHERE YOU’LL WORK

This job is remote. We’re dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all of our employees, and when we reopen, will require everyone who works from one of our offices to be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees with approved religious or medical exemptions may be subject to additional safety requirements, such as submitting to regular COVID-19 testing and/or wearing a face covering in our offices.

 

WHY VOX MEDIA? WHAT WE OFFER

This is a permanent, full-time position. This job is benefits-eligible. We pride ourselves in providing comprehensive benefits to support all of our employees wherever they are in life. You can find more information about our benefits here.

 

OUR DEI+ COMMITMENT

Vox Media is committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can show up as their authentic selves and create their best work. We recognize that great stories, platforms, products and services come from people with all manner of backgrounds and experiences. We recognize that our commitments require ongoing work and sustained attention, as well as adaptation to new insights and best practices. We keep our diversity data public for the sake of accountability, transparency and communication. Learn more about our values here, and our approach to corporate citizenship here. 

Vox Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer and qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national origin, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law. Vox Media will also consider all qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with applicable Fair Chance laws. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations as part of the application process to candidates with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation as part of the application process, please contact our People & Culture team (recruitment@voxmedia.com).

 

WHAT COMES NEXT

Our recruiting team will go through applications in a timely manner. Please note that our recruiting team will only contact you from @voxmedia.com email addresses, never via text message. Read more about how our recruiting team operates, and how to protect yourself from recruitment fraud, here.

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The salary range listed below represents the minimum and maximum base pay for this position at the time of this posting. Final salary offered to the candidate selected for the position will be based on factors including but not limited to the candidate's skills and experience.

Pay Range$130,000—$150,000 USD