Senior Manager, Government and Foundation Relations

Opportunity Guide

www.eriefamilyhealth.org

Mission

To provide accessible, affordable and high quality health care for those in need.

Since its founding 60 years ago, Erie Family Health Center has grown from its original one-room location in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood to a regional health resource serving close to 70,000 patients through 285,000 patient visits. Erie’s 13 sites reach from the West Side of Chicago to Waukegan and include seven primary care centers (four that include dental clinics), five school-based health centers, and a unique stand-alone health center serving teens. Motivated by the belief that health care is a right not a privilege, Erie delivers holistic primary medical, dental and behavioral health care that responds to the needs of each community. Erie’s highly skilled providers, innovative partnerships and forward-thinking approach make it a national leader for the provision of community-based health care.

Erie Family Health Center began as a free, volunteer clinic within Erie Neighborhood House on Erie Street in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. A patient, Carmella Genova Jacob, and her doctor, Dr. Robert J. Snyder, founded the clinic and engaged medical students and faculty from Northwestern University Medical School to help provide needed care. Over the years, the clinic expanded to offer a comprehensive array of preventative care. In 1970, the Erie clinic incorporated as a separate non-profit organization, and in 1983 Erie earned designation as a federally qualified health center (FQHC) by achieving the required standards for patient care, accountability and community responsiveness.

Throughout its history, Erie has maintained a steadfast commitment to serving underserved residents. Seventy-two percent (72%) of Erie’s patients are Latino, 63% have Medicaid coverage, 26% are uninsured, and 98% are low-income. Many patients faced unmanaged chronic conditions, compounded by socioeconomic barriers to health, before arriving at Erie’s doors. Despite these challenges, Erie’s quality measures have placed it in the top tier of all health centers nationally, with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognizing Erie as a “Health Center Quality Leader” three years in a row: in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Erie ranks among the highest 6% of health centers nationwide for cancer screening and the top 10% in cardiovascular care, and HRSA has recognized Erie’s integrated oral health care model as a “Health Center Best Practice.” Further, Erie is committed to being an employer of choice in Chicago and is proud to have been named a multi-year awardee as a top workplace by the Chicago Tribune.

The Opportunity: Senior Manager, Government and Foundation Relations

More than 30% of Erie Family Health Center’s operating budget is comprised of government grants and contracts and private contributions. In fiscal year 2016, contributions and grants totaled more than $20 million toward Erie’s overall revenue and other support of $58 million. The Senior Manager, Government and Foundation Relations is an integral member of the development team and key to the planned growth for government and foundation funding at Erie Family Health Center. This role is part of a five-member team focused on government and foundation giving within the larger eight-person development department. This role reports to the Director of Government and Institutional Development and will focus on six-figure government and institutional gifts, as well as cultivation of donors with growth capacity. The role will plan large scale, multi-year grant funded efforts, as well as ensure meticulous grant compliance and reporting. The successful candidate will lead all aspects of donor identification, cultivation, proposal and grant writing, stewardship, financial tracking, reporting/compliance and record-keeping for funders within the assigned portfolio.

In addition, the Senior Manager will focus on strategic vision to identify opportunities for more multi-year, big picture project funding, including government opportunities as well as those presented by private and corporate foundations. The ability to establish and build solid, long-lasting relationships with high capacity funders is essential. Success in this role will require integration beyond the development team, especially with clinical and program staff. As government support provisions change, the successful candidate for this role will identify, rate, and follow through with new and innovative options to fund both current and emerging programs.

 

Performance Objectives

Leadership and Management

• Visualize, promote, and package Erie programs creatively into funding opportunities that match grant guidelines and grantor interests.
• Translate operational complexities into clear, concise and visionary proposals and other communications.
• Lead proposal design and development for grant-funded programming and work with program directors to develop goals, outcomes, and measurement methods.
• Communicate with program leadership and staff regarding program progress and administrative needs.
• Research and monitor new funding opportunities and vet through appropriate organizational stakeholders.
• Develop and implement strategies to cultivate new relationships and secure support from new funders.
• Maintain and seek knowledge of all organizational activity, as well as rapidly changing healthcare issues within the sector and government in order to most effectively communicate with funders, potential funders or other stakeholders.
• Develop and grow strong relationships with current and potential funders based on a keen awareness of funders’ goals and capacity to give.

Grants Management

• Manage all application efforts for all government funding opportunities as well as proposals to major private foundation donors, with a focus on opportunities of six-figures and higher.
• Specifically manage the existing grants for all programs funded through the Department of Health and Human Services and capital improvement grant funding.
• Proactively collaborate with appropriate administrative, program, and clinical departments to gather all necessary information for written grant proposals.
• Submit all reports, donor cultivation, and renewal materials by deadlines to ensure continued support from funders.
• Successfully manage a detailed grants calendar and plan including information on current funder and prospect guidelines, deadlines, and deliverables.

Compliance and Oversight

• Manage grant compliance efforts for all funders in portfolio including grant contract and regulatory reviews and management of site visits.
• Develop systems to assess progress towards program and grant goals for all assigned grants.
• Collaborate with Business Intelligence/Data department for implementation and tracking of grant required goals.
• Provide all required program reports to federal government or other partner entities.

Financial Management

• Monitor all budgets for grant allocation and expenditures.
• Work with the Finance Department to ensure financial tracking aligns with grant budgets, is timely and accurate, and reflects efficient spending and responsible stewardship of contributed dollars.

 

The Qualified Candidate

Erie Family Health Center seeks a high achieving and driven professional with a minimum of five (5) years of grant, proposal, or professional writing experience. Preference will be given to those with a background in government grant writing. The Senior Manager, Government and Foundation Relations will be creative, dynamic and driven to succeed in a highly productive and fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will have the following talents (based on StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath): achiever, activator, input, communication, responsibility, and focus.
 

Specific Requirements Include:

• Demonstrated passion for Erie Family Health Center’s mission.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in grant writing, proposal production, or other professional/technical writing. Previous experience with government grant writing is highly preferred.
• Exceptional written communication skills, with the ability to write clear, structured, articulate and persuasive correspondence, proposals, and reports. Superb conversational and presentational skills.
• Proven success in building and sustaining solid relationships with funders, partners and other stakeholders of all kinds.
• Proven ability to work with internal and external stakeholders to identify or establish programmatic plans that meet grant opportunity requirements.
• Strong analytic and strategic-thinking skills, with demonstrated ability to create, implement and monitor complex plans, and translate those plans into goals and concrete strategies.
• Ability to work in an extremely fast-paced, changing environment that values personal responsibility and strong sense of work ownership.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Prior experience or knowledge of FQHCs, public health, or other health care related field desired.

This position offers a competitive salary with robust benefits. All inquiries will be held in strict confidence.

Erie Family Health Center believes that all applicants and employees are entitled to equal employment opportunities and maintains a policy of nondiscrimination with respect to religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran or marital status, or physical or mental disability or any other legally protected class in accordance with applicable law, except where a bona fide occupational qualification exists.

 

To Apply

Candidates may apply by clicking the APPLY NOW button below. To assure confidential tracking, no resumes will be accepted via email.

 

ALL INQUIRIES WILL BE HELD IN STRICT CONFIDENCE.

This search is being managed by Laura Weinman, Senior Consultant, and Sue Bultman, Consultant at Alford Executive Search. Questions may be addressed to sbultman@kees2success.com

Alford Executive Search, a division of Kistner Eddy Executive Services (KEES), is a retained search firm that builds transformative teams and leaders in the nonprofit and public sectors. For more information, please visit www.alfordexecutivesearch.com.