Assistant Director, Principal Gifts

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION 

The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, in partnership with Stanford Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, unlocks philanthropy to transform health for children and families in Northern California - and around the world. Through fundraising and grantmaking, the Foundation drives scientific research, innovation, and policy change that will improve care, advance cures, and reform healthcare systems for this and future generations.  

MAIN FOCUS: Serve as a key strategic and operational partner to the Principal Gifts (PG) team, supporting portfolio strategy, complex solicitations, projects, and team-wide priorities.

LOCATION: Palo Alto, CA (hybrid); the successful candidate for this role will live in the Bay Area.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

The Assistant Director, Principal Gifts reports to the Director of Operations (DoO) of Transformational and Principal Gifts. This role provides strategic project management support for complex solicitations, donor strategy and meetings, team metrics and other PG priorities as needed for both the team and the Associate Vice President (AVP). The Assistant Director will anticipate leadership needs, advance a high volume of work with accuracy and resourcefulness, and ensure timely follow-through across priorities.

The compensation range for this role is $110,000-$125,000 annually.

YOU'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

Portfolio and Revenue Advancement

• Assist with tracking and advancing portfolio strategies and solicitations for AVP.
• Lead project management for briefings and complex meetings for AVP.
• Lead portfolio reviews and track next steps for AVP and Director of PG.
• Draft donor-facing communications.
• Manage other donor-facing projects as needed.

Strategy and Operation

• Lead project management and logistics for all board related PG work.
• Assist with board/volunteer task force management as needed.
• Manage team wide PG strategy meeting agendas, materials, and action items.
• Draft PG team notes, agenda items and related materials for alignment meetings with our CEO and hospital/university leadership.
• In partnerships with the DoO, manage PG systems, including SharePoint site and Monday.com boards, while identifying and implementing new approaches, procedures, and processes to drive continuous improvement across the team.
• Anticipate the needs of the AVP by proactively identifying priorities, preparing materials, tracking commitments, and ensuring timely follow-through.

Pipeline and Data Management

• Drive the accuracy and maintenance of team-wide revenue projections, goals, pipeline, and metrics, as well as the PG portion of organization-wide roadmaps and metrics, using data to support planning, decision-making, and leadership reporting.
• Analyze and synthesize portfolio and pipeline data to surface trends, opportunities, and areas requiring attention.
• Support project management for PG pipeline building events including briefings, invitation lists, and tracking/reporting post-event outcomes.
• Serve as back-up for PG/TG team colleagues when needed.
• Other project management and administrative duties as assigned by the DoO or AVP.

YOU MUST HAVE

• Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of relevant experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.
• Outstanding organizational and project management skills with impeccable attention to detail.
• Experience in development fundraising, philanthropy, or a related nonprofit environment, with an understanding of fundraising principles and donor engagement.
• Proven ability to meet shifting and tight deadlines while maintaining focus, accuracy, and the ability to juggle multiple priorities.
• Ability to thrive on a high-performing team with a significant volume of work in a fast-paced, complex environment.
• Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment when working with confidential donor, financial, and organizational information.
• Exemplary writing skills.

 IT'S AN ADDED PLUS IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH

• Working in higher education and/or medicine.
• Experience working with fundraising CRM and data systems, project management platforms, reporting and analytics tools, and AI-enabled technologies.

YOU'LL BE SUCCESSFUL IF

• You are an exceptional project manager: You bring structure, organization, and follow-through to complex, high-priority projects, coordinating multiple workstreams, stakeholders, and deadlines while maintaining accuracy and momentum.
• You are highly organized and systems-oriented: You create clarity from complexity, manage multiple priorities with strong attention to detail, and build practical systems, processes, and tools that help the team operate effectively.
• You are a strategic and analytical thinker: You can synthesize multiple data points, identify what matters most, and translate information into clear insights, recommendations, and actionable deliverables that advance portfolio and team goals.
• You are an effective collaborator: You build strong working relationships across teams and with senior leaders, communicate clearly and promptly, respond thoughtfully to partner needs, and adapt your approach to different personalities and working styles.
• You are a confident communicator with sound judgment: You exercise discretion when working with sensitive information, make thoughtful independent decisions, and communicate with professionalism, diplomacy, and executive presence.
• You are AI adaptable: You use AI and emerging technologies thoughtfully to improve research, analysis, writing, project management, and workflow efficiency, while applying sound judgment, protecting confidential information, and maintaining appropriate oversight.

Working at the Foundation

WE OFFER EXCELLENT BENEFITS & PERKS, INCLUDING…

• Generous leave, including PTO, holidays, Summer Fridays, and a sabbatical (after 7 years of employment) 
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Retirement plan + employer match
• Premium Medical and Dental coverage
• FSA + dependent care FSA
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Legal services plan 
• Commuter Benefits, including CalTrain “Go Pass” Program
• 4-week paid maternity and paternity leave for new parents
• Stipend for home office and mobile phone

WE’RE DYNAMIC

The Foundation is a dynamic organization in a rapidly changing industry. Therefore, the responsibilities associated with this position will evolve and grow in accordance with LPFCH's business needs and growth plans. More specifically, the incumbent may be required to perform additional and/or different responsibilities based on the future growth plans for the Foundation.

WE STRIVE TO EMBODY OUR CULTURAL TOUCHSTONES

• Mission-first - We can never lose sight of why we exist and exercise profound commitment to advancing child and maternal health. 
• Good of the whole - We share responsibility for overall results, think of what’s best for the team and organization, and act as responsible stewards of resources. 
• Bold and bendy - We’re unapologetically ambitious for our mission, creative, and take risks by trying new things.   
• Sweat the big stuff - We’re clear on our priorities, calibrating effort and resources to audience and impact; the higher the return, the greater the investment. 
• Make it happen - We’re focused on outcomes and prepared with ideas and solutions for every challenge. 
• Community matters - We prioritize listening to and supporting each other, not just as colleagues, but as people with varied experiences and perspectives. 

EVERYONE BELONGS HERE 

Our Foundation values the unique qualities each of us brings to our team and community.  We take pride in cultivating a workplace where every voice is heard and each of us has the opportunity to achieve our fullest potential—so that together, we can make meaningful impact on the health outcomes for children and their families.  

We are guided by the following principles: 

• Uphold integrity and professionalism in all our actions.
• Foster a welcoming and supportive culture.
• Embrace unique perspectives and contributions.
• Interact with compassion, openness, and an eagerness to learn.