[Hiring] Senior Director, Government Development @JFF

Role Description

The Senior Director, Government Development is a senior leader on JFF’s Development team, advancing mission-aligned public sector revenue in support of JFF’s North Star Goal: By 2033, 75 million Americans facing barriers to economic advancement will have quality jobs.

• Lead strategy, capture, proposal development, and team operations across federal, state, and local government grants and contracts.
• Strengthen and grow JFF’s government funding portfolio by identifying high-potential opportunities.
• Build relationships with public agency clients and external partners.
• Lead competitive capture strategies and ensure proposal teams have clarity and support.
• Position JFF for successful project launches and transitions following new awards.
• Reports to the Vice President of Development and works closely with the Development Leadership Team, program leaders, Finance, Operations, and other colleagues across JFF.
• Leads a Government Development team of two and manages cross-functional teams for specific opportunities.

Qualifications

• At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in public sector business development, nonprofit leadership, capture, grants, contracts, fundraising, consulting, or a related field.
• Demonstrated record of leading successful federal and state grant and contract pursuits.
• Understanding of federal and state procurement and grant processes.
• Proven experience building strong relationships in federal agencies and key stakeholders.
• Skilled at building relationships with government clients, partners, subcontractors, and other external stakeholders.
• Experience developing or overseeing competitive pricing, budgets, and cost proposals for government opportunities.
• Excellent writer and editor who can synthesize complex information.
• Experience managing and developing staff, including setting expectations and providing feedback.
• Effective project and people leader who brings structure to complex work.
• Comfortable influencing without formal authority and collaborating with various teams.
• Strong process and systems improvement orientation.
• High energy and genuine commitment to JFF’s mission and North Star goal.
• Curious and adaptive learner who welcomes new information and perspectives.

Requirements

• Lead government revenue strategy and capture.
• Develop and manage JFF’s strategy for outreach, engagement, and relationship development.
• Cultivate and steward external strategic partnerships.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive government grants and contracts strategy.
• Lead market research and opportunity identification.
• Establish and manage disciplined opportunity assessment practices.
• Build and manage capture plans for high-priority contract and grant opportunities.
• Maintain a government funding calendar and pipeline forecast.
• Track federal, state, and local public sector funding trends.
• Lead Development’s response to complex government procurements.
• Assemble and manage cross-functional proposal teams.
• Establish proposal workplans, roles, and timelines.
• Coordinate with program leaders to shape technical responses.
• Serve as a lead writer, editor, and quality assurance partner for proposals.
• Oversee the development of compliant, persuasive narratives and proposals.
• Guide competitive pricing and level-of-effort strategies.
• Ensure submissions meet all requirements and are completed on time.
• Advise program and business unit leaders on client management and launch readiness.
• Analyze proposal outcomes and capture lessons learned.
• Build and lead the Government Development team.
• Set clear expectations for team roles and communication.
• Coach and mentor staff, supporting career development.
• Manage internal and external consultants.
• Design and deliver training on government capture and proposal development.
• Strengthen systems and infrastructure that support government development.
• Promote consistent use of project management practices.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Retirement benefits through a 403(b) plan, including employer contributions.
• Paid time off and paid leave benefits.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Annual home office stipend for remote employees.
• Office equipment provided as needed for new employees.

Company Description

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve economic advancement for all. We design solutions, scale best practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovation.