Macarthur Foundation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Director of Strategic Partnerships is PIE Org’s chief external leader, the face of the organization in Chicago’s social sector and the engine behind our growth. This is not a program delivery role. It’s a business development, relationship, and visibility role, focused on ensuring PIE has the funding, partnerships, and profile it needs to sustain and expand its impact. You will own PIE’s revenue pipeline, build relationships with funders and sector leaders, and shift how the broader field understands what PIE does - from “evaluation consultants” to “thought partners for organizational learning.” You'll report to the Director of Operations & Administration, fostering a collaborative partnership to advance PIE's mission. While you champion the organization externally, you will provide high-level leadership to an exceptional, self-sufficient internal team, directly collaborating with the Director of Evaluation and the Director of Operations and Administration to ensure forward progress is being made toward the organizational goals being met so that the team can continue doing incredible work.

What You’ll Do

Drive Revenue & Funder Relationships

•       Identify and cultivate new funding streams - foundations, grants, and institutional partnerships - moving PIE beyond word-of-mouth growth

•       End-to-End Proposal Architecture: Proactively author, edit, and submit highly persuasive, technically accurate grant applications, letters of intent (LOIs), and formal RFP responses to private foundations, corporate givers, and public agencies.

•       Translate Data to Narrative: Partner with the Director of Evaluation to extract complex evaluation metrics and turn them into compelling, human-centered stories that resonate with new potential institutional funders.

•       Pipeline Management: Utilize established SOP for tracking, vetting, and responding to incoming public and private Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that align with PIE’s capacity and strategic goals.

•       Lead PIE’s foundation engagement strategy, including building relationships with major funders like MacArthur Foundation and identifying joint proposal opportunities with nonprofit partners

•       Represent PIE at key social sector tables - collaboratives, convenings, and coalitions - where funding and partnership decisions are made

Build Visibility & Sector Presence

•       Maintain an active presence in Forefront, Association of Consultants to Nonprofits, Council on Foundations, and other professional networks

•       Champion PIE’s narrative: shift the pitch from evaluation methodology to community impact - the kids served, the staff hired, the organizations strengthened

•       Collaborate with PIE’s marketing and PR partners to extend our “Sector Expert” reputation to the right media outlets and policymakers

•       Lead PIE Day - curating the audience, managing invitations, and conducting post-event outreach to deepen relationships

     Team Leadership

●      Contribute to Senior Leadership: Facilitate communication with the Director of Evaluation and the Director of Operations and Administration by providing regular pipeline status updates so they can prepare for and manage capacity.

●      Organizational Culture: Contribute to a values-aligned, high-trust internal environment that celebrates data-driven impact, professional sustainability, and shared organizational success by      reporting at regularly scheduled, all-staff meetings and retreats

Manage the Pipeline & Infrastructure

•       Own the Monday.com CRM: pipeline value, networking activity, and follow-up tracking must be logged for reporting purposes

•       Maintain PIE’s public-facing digital presence (e.g., Google Ads, GuideStar, Candid profile) for foundation discoverability

•       Oversee the Newsletter and Marketing Calendar; follow up with contacts who engage with campaigns

Who You Are

Required

•       Hands-on Writing Champion: A proven track record of personally authoring successful grant proposals and corporate pitches that have secured 6-figure institutional funding within the social sector.

•       Autonomous Grant Lifecycle Management: Ability to manage the entire grant lifecycle independently, from prospective funder research and compliance tracking to final assembly and submission.

•       High-Volume Execution: Exceptional professional writing skills under tight deadlines, with the ability to pivot tone seamlessly between technical evaluation terminology and philanthropic storytelling.

•       Experience in evaluation, learning, strategic planning, or research-adjacent organizations

•       Proven track record securing funding and cultivating foundation or institutional funder relationships

•       Deep knowledge of Chicago’s social sector - you know the players, the tables that matter, and how to get in the room

•       A compelling communicator who can translate complex program work into a story funders and partners want to be part of

•       Organized and self-directed - you manage your own pipeline, follow up without being asked, and log everything in CRM

•       Currently residing in Illinois in order to attend in-person lunches, meetings, collaboratives, etc.

•       Proven Leadership Profile: 5+ years of experience     in leadership role within a structured organizational hierarchy.      

•       Relationship Management: Experience leveraging networks to advance an organization's mission and grow

A Plus

•       Existing relationships with Chicago-area foundations (e.g., MacArthur, Crown, Polk Bros., Steans, McCormick, and others)

•       Familiarity with Forefront, Council on Foundations, and Association of Consultants to Nonprofits.

•       Experience with nonprofit marketing, digital communications, and thought leadership

•       Affinity toward EOS and Traction growth systems.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary:$90,000 – $100,000 depending on experience. PIE Org is committed to equitable, transparent compensation in compliance with the Illinois Equal Pay Act.

●      Health & Wellbeing: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, plus fully employer-paid life insurance, and disability coverage.

●      Retirement: A 401(k) with a generous employer match, so you can invest in your future from day one.

●      Time Off: Flexible PTO and generous holidays off. No day-counting, no guilt. Take what you need and come back energized.

●      Technology Stipend: A monthly stipend for your home internet and phone. Because good work shouldn't cost you.

●      Employee Assistance Program: Confidential counseling, mental health resources, and life services support available to you and your family, whenever you need it.

Equal Opportunity & Compliance

PIE Org is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, order of protection status, or any other protected status under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Nothing in this job description shall be interpreted in a manner that interferes with rights under the FMLA, ADA, or Illinois Human Rights Act. If a medical condition impacts your ability to perform essential functions, PIE will engage in a good-faith interactive process to explore reasonable accommodation. The duties listed in Section I constitute the essential functions of this role under the ADA and Illinois Human Rights Act.

The above duties describe the general nature and level of work expected of this position and are not exhaustive. Duties may change at any time with or without notice.

How to Apply

Sendyour resume and cover letter Tell us why this role, why PIE, and why now. We review applications on a rolling basis and will reach out to candidates whose experience aligns with what we’re looking for.

PIE Org is only hiring candidates currently residing in Illinois.

PIE Org is a Chicago-based nonprofit consulting firm that partners with social sector organizations to strengthen the programs that serve our communities. We work alongside nonprofits at every stage; from strategic planning and implementation to evaluation, helping nonprofit stakeholders understand what is working, tell their story with data, and ultimately do more good via a participatory, responsive, utilization-focused approach. We’re a small, mission-driven team with far reach. Our clients include some of Chicago’s most impactful organizations, and our work touches on issues from youth development to workforce readiness to community health. We believe evaluation should be accessible, practical, and empowering, not intimidating.
We’re looking for a relationship-builder and revenue driver who wants to grow a values-aligned organization from the outside in.