Position: Sr. Development Manager
Reports to: Director of Innovation and Development
Compensation*: Competitive starting salary: $104,800 - $135,100 commensurate with skills and experience, Full Pay Range: $104,800 - $165,400
Employment Classification: Exempt, Full-Time
Anticipated Start Date: Q1 2026
Application Deadline: 2/9/2026
Office Location: Portland Metro Area, Oregon, USA
BACKGROUND
About Energy Trust of Oregon
Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy development. We serve Oregon customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista, and SW Washington customers of NW Natural. Year over year Energy Trust is recognized as one of the 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon.
Our Vision
Clean, affordable energy for everyone.
Our Commitment to Diversity
We recognize the lack of diversity in our industry, and we actively seek to address it with our hiring and retention practices as well as our values. We believe every person and their lived experience is integral to building a vibrant culture and delivering effective services to all customers we serve. We are committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, and we encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds and experience to apply.
Our Location
Energy Trust provides for a range of work location options, including remote, hybrid and in-office work. We are open to candidates who live throughout Oregon and Washington. This position is expected to report to the Portland office quarterly, at a minimum, for all-staff and other in-person meetings.
What We’re Looking For:
The Sr. Development Manager will focus on the development side of Energy Trust’s Innovation and Development team’s work — building strong relationships with major state and national foundations and other funders, forming coalitions with other mission-aligned nonprofits and partners to collectively pursue investment, and securing grants and contracts to increase and diversify Energy Trust’s complementary (non-utility) funding sources. This role is focused on developing and executing grant and foundation funding strategies and does not involve individual donor fundraising.
This position plays a critical role in broadening Energy Trust’s portfolio of complementary funding to help achieve the strategic priorities and goals identified in our strategic and multiyear plans, such as creating greater impact for priority customers, reducing the cost of decarbonization, and supporting community resilience.
This position is expected to report to the Portland office semi-monthly for team meetings and quarterly for all staff meetings, at a minimum. Regular in-state travel is required to meet with funders and partners (approximately monthly, though frequency will vary), with meetings more commonly in Portland. Occasional regional and national travel is also expected for conferences, funder engagement, and partnership development.
What You’ll Do:
- Develop and lead large-dollar grant strategies across multiple programs (e.g., securing six- and seven-figure, multi-year grants), with an emphasis on foundation and coalition funding.
- Create multi-year development plans aligned with organizational priorities.
- Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with state and national funders and partners.
- Build and participate in coalitions of mission-aligned nonprofits and other partners to collectively pursue funding for shared areas of interest.
- Lead the development and writing of grant proposals, overseeing all stages of grant development, including partner and funder engagement, proposal writing, managing involvement of numerous subject-matter experts, budget development, and presenting to funders.
- Support post-award activities, including assisting with negotiating contracts, collaborating with program and operational teams to onboard and implement awarded projects, and working with operational teams to ensure compliance with grant and contract requirements.
- Engage with state, regional and national stakeholders, including policymakers and senior staff at government agencies, and represent Energy Trust by serving on working groups and advisory boards, and presenting at conferences.
- Collaborate with government relations staff to inform and support state and regional energy policy agendas.
- Hire and direct the work of professional consultants, such as grant writers.
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
- Perform all functions of the job in a safe manner.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
· This position has no supervisory duties but will hire and direct the work of professional consultants, such as grant writers.
What You’ll Need:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent professional experience.
- 8+ years of experience in non-profit development, policy development or advocacy fundraising.
- Demonstrated success securing major, multi-year funding from foundations and/or public sources.
- Experience organizing or leading multi-stakeholder collaboratives or coalitions.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and execute multi-year funding strategies aligned with organizational goals.
- Experience developing complex proposals and budgets involving multiple partners.
- Excellent relationship-building and interpersonal skills across diverse audiences, including foundation staff, nonprofit partners, policymakers and public agency staff, and community stakeholders.
- Knowledge of and experience with the funder landscape in Oregon and nationally.
- Knowledge of energy, sustainability, climate justice or climate policy preferred but not required.
- Strong communication, writing and presentation skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively across internal teams.
The above information is designed to outline the major functions and position requirements of this job. It does not identify all tasks that may be expected, nor address the performance standards that must be maintained.
What You’ll Get:
· Health/dental/vision insurance
· Employer sponsored and paid life/disability
· 401(k) with a company contribution of 6% of your salary after 90 days of employment
· TriMet pass
· Access to health and dependent FSA/HSA accounts
· Generous paid vacation, holidays and sick days
· Paid volunteer hours
· Employee assistance program
· Career advancement opportunities
· Great colleagues and culture
· Flexibility to work from home and/or an office space at the Portland, OR location
· Work from home laptop provided
· Read more about our benefits here
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Please submit a resume & brief cover letter that shares your interest in this role.
Check out our openings at: www.energytrust.org/About/careers.
All offers of employment are conditional pending the successful completion of a background check (which may include employment verification, education verification, criminal history, motor vehicle record) and reference checks.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that candidates from certain demographics are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification—for example, women and People of Color. At Energy Trust we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace—if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this or other roles.
Energy Trust of Oregon is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, medical condition, genetic information, mental and physical disability, political affiliation, union membership, status as a parent, military or veteran status or other non-merit based factors. We will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the application, interviewing and employment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, contact us. Energy Trust of Oregon is an E-Verify employer. This policy is applicable to all phases of the employment relationship, including hiring, transfers, promotions, training, terminations, working conditions, compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment.
Energy Trust is committed to pay equity. Energy Trust is committed to fair employment practices and non-discrimination, including pay equity for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected class (race, sex, veteran status, disability, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation) in the payment of wages or screen applicants on the basis of their current or past compensation. We determine salary by completing a review of your application materials to evaluate your related education, experience and training.
*Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, and certifications in the pay equity assessment to determine equitable salary placement. Candidates should expect compensation offers within the starting compensation range. The full pay range is included to show the earnings potential for this position with sustained high performance.
