Director (Families and Individual Clients Focus), Advisory Services (San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Washington, DC; or Chicago, IL)

A mission-driven professional who will provide strategic consulting services to a diverse portfolio of clients to help them achieve their social impact and philanthropic goals

Directors play an essential role on the Advisory team leading client projects, developing client relationships, supporting business development, managing aspects of team or firm-wide strategy, and developing team talent and culture. We anticipate that this Director will have a diverse client portfolio of corporate, institutional foundation, and non-profit clients, with a significant portion of work with family and individual clients. This will likely include family foundations, individual donors and couples that are early or at a pivot point in their social impact and philanthropic journey and are seeking guidance on the best approaches to advance their philanthropic commitments in a way that aligns with their values and preferences.

We seek a candidate with core competence in strategic analytics and experience in professional services and consulting, and exposure to working with ultra-high net-worth families and individuals–through direct experience working in a family office, private wealth management or family foundation and/or through organizational or strategic consulting. In this specific role, you will need to thrive in being a trusted advisor to colleagues and clients. You are someone who understands that long-term, systemic change requires respect for what an individual or family philanthropist is up against, and a deep understanding of the complex logistics of impact, e.g., when and how to move the human, financial, and even intellectual resources needed to accomplish a goal.

Essential Responsibilities

Client Service (~50-65%)

• Project Management & Oversight: Serve as the strategic lead or project manager on a portfolio of 3-5 client projects ensuring client deliverables, client meetings, and presentations meet or exceed client expectation
• Technical Advisory and Content Expertise: Act as a thought partner to other project teams working with family & individual clients or in other areas of specific expertise

• Relationship Management: Develop, manage, and grow relationships with clients. The Director must have the emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills necessary to build long-lasting and close relationships with their clients and advisors to their clients
• Project Team Development: In the context of project work, lead by example in creating an inclusive team dynamic where everyone’s voice is valued, delegate effectively to project team members, and provide support and training to help team members develop their skills and talent
• Application of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lens: Ensure the team is applying DEI principles to the scope of work, asking at all phases: “What can we be doing to build more equitable processes and achieve more equitable outcomes?”

Business Development and Marketing (~15-20%)

• Partner with business development team to qualify leads and pitch new opportunities with prospective family and individual clients or to advisors of families and individuals
• Serve as senior lead on proposals, including advising or leading on scope design and pricing and closing the opportunity with the prospect
• Stay abreast of developments of the field and use this information to hone services and business strategy; represent the firm at select conferences and events

Management and Internal Strategy (~15-20%)

• Community of Practice: Partner with the Senior Practice Lead of Family and Individual Services to lead training and learning activities throughout the year
• Internal Strategy & Team Objectives: Contribute to the development, implementation, and management of key components of the team and firm’s strategic plan, annual objectives, and key business performance metrics
• General Management & Mentorship: Contribute to professional growth and satisfaction of junior staff in concert with Senior Practice Lead of the firm’s family and individual work by providing direction, support, guidance and mentorship on project work and by promoting firm culture that centers DEI; Develop and share relevant skills and issue-area expertise

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

• At least 10 years of professional experience with steadily increasing job responsibility and management experience
• Experience in philanthropy, professional services, management consulting, family office, or nonprofit management with regular and sustained interaction with ultra-high net worth families, couples, or individuals highly preferred
• Proven ability to creatively and confidently facilitate groups (families in particular) to collaborate and feel empowered to make decisions
• A flexible mindset and interest in providing highly customized service to advance family and individual donors whether they are just beginning their philanthropy journey or are deep into strategic grant making
• Experience with change management and coaching individuals or groups to navigate learning new skills, working together in new ways, and testing and implementing new structures and processes.
• Experience with strategy development and implementation including business and strategic planning and organizational design
• Strong project management skills to drive projects to completion, including the ability to lead complex projects, oversee and delegate to team members, build positive relationships with a range of philanthropic clients, and meet deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills, to adapt style, tone, and content to meet various needs; and to coach teammates on crafting content, and demonstrated ability to synthesize large amounts of information on the page
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team
• The ability to use available resources and feedback to continually develop skills in your role and facilitate team and project-level learning, including coaching others
• The ability to take initiative for creating an inclusive environment and model and implement equitable policies, practices, systems, or strategies

About Arabella Advisors

Arabella Advisors helps foundations, philanthropists, corporations, and investors who are serious about impact achieve the greatest good with their resources. We work across geographies on issues ranging from the social and economic advancement of women and girls, and conservation of our climate and planet, to reducing poverty and inequity in the United States and around the world. Our staff members are mission-driven and action-oriented, and have a unique combination of experience in philanthropy, business, nonprofits, government, finance, law, and other fields. We combine creative, strategic thinking with knowledge and networks developed through decades of hands-on experience. The fastest-growing philanthropic advisory firm in the nation, Arabella is also a certified B Corporation.

About Arabella’s Advisory Team

The Advisory team is a collegial, client-focused, and impact-driven community that provides a range of strategic consulting services to institutional foundations, family foundations, corporate foundations, impact investors, and philanthropic individuals. Our team helps clients develop grant-making and impact investment strategies, implement programs and grant initiatives, conduct diligence, evaluate impact, and collaborate effectively with other donors and investors. Together, we work with many of the nation’s leading philanthropists, helping them achieve impact in education, health, international development, conservation, and more. 

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Advancing DEI within our firm and in our work with partners is critical to our mission. To be effective partners to philanthropists, nonprofits, and communities impacted by philanthropic dollars, we need to have a highly diverse staff, a workplace where individuals are encouraged to retain their uniqueness and can feel a sense of belonging, and a nuanced understanding of the racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and other disparities that undergird the issues we engage in and the interactions we have with one another. For us, equity means that our staff members, our clients, and the people they serve can experience the same level of success, no matter their starting place. We expect all our employees to share this commitment, and always seek ways to improve how well we live these values. Click here to learn more about DEI at Arabella and read our official DEI statement.

Total Rewards (compensation and benefits)

This is a full-time position. We offer a competitive and holistic total rewards package that includes salary, bonus, and benefits. Our base salaries are based on a blend of similar sized organizations from different sectors, including nonprofits, foundations, and professional service firms. They are also based on local market rates and differentiated by geography.

All staff are eligible for our generous benefits package on their first day of employment:

• Health insurance- On average Arabella pays 86% of the medical premium, 80% of the dental premium, and 100% of the vision premium
• Paid time off- 16 days’ vacation, 10 personal days, 11 company holidays (7 federal and 4 more from a list of inclusive cultural and religious holidays and your birthday), 20 hours’ volunteer leave, 8 weeks’ parental leave
• 401(k) retirement plan- Arabella will match up to 4% of your contributions. There is no waiting or vesting period; all funds are yours to keep on day 1
• Reimbursements for your personal cell phone plan and fitness
• Pre-tax withholding for transportation and parking
• Bonus incentive opportunities
• Access to professional development opportunities

Working with Us

• While this position must be based in San Francisco, CA: New York, NY; Chicago, IL; or Washington, DC, please note that due to COVID-19, all Arabella Advisors' offices are closed, and we continue to temporarily work in a remote environment.
• When we reopen -- currently anticipated in late 2021 -- we will be returning to work with a hybrid workplace strategy to ensure continued flexibility for our staff, while deepening our strong culture rooted in collaboration and in-person interactions between colleagues. It is our expectation that once we reopen, Arabellans will generally work 2-4 days per week from the office and 2-4 days at home/remotely. We will make reasonable accommodations under the guidelines of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
• We are committed to having a passion-driven, inclusive, transparent, collaborative, healthy, and fun culture. We invite you to visit our careers page to learn more.