Vice President of Funding Infrastructure

Partners for Rural Impact’s (PRI) ultimate goal is for an America where all kids are successful, regardless of zip code, income, background, or ability. At PRI, our focus is on ensuring that all children in rural places achieve success. Partners for Rural Impact was born out of our place-based partnership in Appalachia, where we’ve worked for 25 years to create student opportunity and success.

Position Summary

The Vice President for Funding Infrastructure is a newly created, term-limited position (maximum of five years) that reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This role has two primary objectives: (1) to assist rural organizations in identifying and implementing federal funding opportunities, and (2) to secure federal and state grant funding to advance PRI’s mission of improving outcomes for rural youth from birth through career. A key responsibility of this role is to lead PRI’s efforts in sharing public grant opportunities with rural organizations nationwide, ensuring they are equipped to apply for funding that supports their work in enhancing educational and career outcomes in their communities. The Vice President will also collaborate with the CEO to strategically design, develop, and write large-scale federal grant proposals. Additionally, the Vice President will develop and deliver webinars on specific federal grant programs (such as Promise Neighborhoods, Full-Service Community Schools, AmeriCorps, etc.) to help rural organizations stay informed and prepared to pursue these funding opportunities. The role also involves working closely with the Executive Vice President to implement and manage newly secured funding. This position plays a vital role in advancing Partners for Rural Impact’s goal of ensuring All Rural Students Succeed.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. The requirements of the position are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required, with regular and predictable attendance essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Collaborate with the CEO as a strategic thought partner to develop a comprehensive plan for securing public funding to support both Partners for Rural Impact (PRI) and rural organizations nationwide, aiming to improve outcomes for rural students from cradle to career
• Lead the development of a five-year federal funding strategy for PRI, ensuring that the organization has the capacity to secure necessary public funding and implement it with measurable impact
• Serve as a strategic advisor to rural leaders within PRI and partner organizations, helping them identify challenges that public funding can address
• Partner with the Executive Vice President and other Vice Presidents to ensure the effective launch and implementation of newly awarded funds
• Lead PRI’s efforts to enhance the capacity of rural organizations in securing and operationalizing public and private grants
• Develop and deliver virtual support resources—such as webinars and training sessions—for rural communities exploring public grant opportunities, acting as the lead trainer for these initiatives
• Provide coaching and guidance to rural partners as they seek, secure, and implement public funding for the first time
• Collaborate with partners to develop a federal grants dashboard that helps rural organizations identify and access funding opportunities
• Collaborate with PRI leadership to design and refine processes for PRI to distribute public and private funding to rural organizations
• Oversee the review and refinement of PRI’s grant distribution processes to ensure transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness
• Co-design opportunities with agencies and partner organizations for PRI to direct funding towards rural initiatives focused on improving outcomes for rural children and youth
• Conduct research on federal and state grant opportunities aligned with PRI’s mission and objectives and provide strategic recommendations to the CEO on which opportunities to pursue
• Co-develop grant proposals in partnership with the CEO to secure funding for PRI initiatives
• Lead and oversee large, cross-organizational teams in the development of grant proposals
• Serve as the senior writer for significant federal and state grant proposals
• Offer guidance and oversight to teams of contracted grant writers and developers
• Upon receiving public funding, convene and lead PRI’s first-quarter launch team to ensure the smooth and effective operationalization of the funded project
• Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist and support in the attainment of our mission, All Rural Students Succeed

Position Location & Schedule

The position is eligible for remote work.

Normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET with in-office, hybrid and/or remote work a possibility. Because of the nature of the responsibility to schools, partners, funders, and to the service region, individual offices or departments may have operating hours that extend beyond this period and may include evening and/or weekend hours.

Minimum Qualifications

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor’s degree

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• At least 10 years of public grant development writing experience with demonstrated success in securing multi-million-dollar federal grant opportunities
• At least 10 years of experience training and supporting others who seek to develop, write and submit federal grants

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Demonstrated knowledge of federal agencies, the discretionary grants of said agencies, and the protocols of grant submission
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; Ability to cater language and tone to diverse audiences and use a variety of platforms to share ideas
• Highly proficient writing and editing skills
• Superior interpersonal and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to cross boundaries of race, class, ethnic origin and personal philosophy; capacity to work effectively with a broad range of constituencies
• Skills to effectively represent the organization in meetings for sharing knowledge, collaborating and building partnerships
• Competencies to effectively manage consultant contracts
• Proven leadership skills with experience leading staff who monitor time-sensitive and confidential information
• Demonstrated project management experience with a focus on systems alignment and entrepreneurial thinking
• A strong personal commitment to the mission of Partners for Rural Impact, with the gravitas to influence the Partners for Rural Impact result that All Rural Students Succeed

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Valid driver’s license
• Ability to successfully complete pre-employment background check