The Sobrato Organization is dedicated to building a strong and vibrant Silicon Valley community through business and philanthropic leadership. Founded by John A. Sobrato in 1979 and led by CEO Matt Sonsini, The Sobrato Organization remains a family-owned firm known for integrity and dedication, with no outside investors or joint venture partners.
Since 1953, the Sobrato Family has played a pivotal role in shaping Silicon Valley through its real estate development and by giving back to the community through Sobrato Philanthropies. Sobrato Philanthropies creates social change by partnering with communities to build a world that is more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. Guided by the business philosophy and personal values of the Sobrato family, three generations engage in grantmaking, advocacy, impact investing, and collaborative efforts designed to create impact in the communities they serve. The board of Sobrato Philanthropies has recently approved an a budget to grant over $750 million over the next five years.
The Sobrato Organization is an equal opportunity employer committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are dedicated to building a team that represents a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills and to creating an environment and inclusion and belonging for all employees regardless of race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. The Sobrato Organization is expanding, and we are interested in growing our staff to include diverse voices with different lived experiences.
Position Overview:
As the Sobrato family’s areas of interest continue to grow, their philanthropic work has taken three paths: individual giving, collaborative giving, and collective giving. Working closely with and reporting to the Chief Investment Officer, as well as directly with Sobrato family members, this newly-created position will play a key role in facilitating the family’s impact investments. Specifically, we are seeking an experienced impact investment professional to work closely with the family, foundation staff, and their sector-specific impact consultants to source, screen, execute, and monitor both fund and direct private investments across a variety of focus areas. Current areas of focus include microfinance, ocean health, food system reform, and drug development for rare diseases, although target areas are likely to evolve and grow over time. The Director will provide project management, research, and analysis to support these important areas of work.
Key Responsibilities include:
- Family support and education:
- Collaborate with individual family members to define objectives and priorities
- Develop appropriate impact investment strategies that fulfill those objectives
- Provide educational opportunities for family members on impact topics
- Impact investing and management process:
- Work with impact consultants to build expert and peer networks in areas of interest
- Source and manage resulting pipeline of opportunities, triaging based on strategic fit
- Coordinate independent diligence to determine risk and return potential (financial and impact)
- Manage closing and funding process. Manage follow-on decisions, as required
- Develop trusted relationships and manage communication with investees (funds and direct investments) and consultants
- Build dashboards and management processes to track existing portfolio against milestones
- Assess and monitor financial and impact-related performance
- In coordination with the CIO, manage private impact investment pacing o
- Establish and communicate key learnings
- General:
- Track industry trends, resources and published research / data
- Develop a third-party network of industry experts and peer institutions
- Provide thought leadership on key areas of interest
- Represent the family and Sobrato Philanthropies externally at conferences and webinars
Experience and Requirements:
- Minimum of 3 – 5 years of demonstrated experience in private market impact investments across a variety of sectors and mechanisms. Prior private equity, venture capital or grantmaking experience is also a plus.
- Demonstrated expertise managing a portfolio of investments or grants from sourcing to exit
- High proficiency in impact investing frameworks, reporting, and industry best practices
- Strong analytical and written / verbal communication skills, synthesizing research into actionable insights
- Team-oriented and organized, with a proven ability to manage multiple projects and to deliver results in a dynamic environment
- Intellectually curious self-starter with a strong aptitude for qualitative and quantitative analysis
- Strong presentation skills for a range of audiences
- High degree of professionalism, integrity and maturity
- Ability to thrive in a collaborative and fast-moving culture. Highly adaptable to shifting priorities and different work styles
Additional Information:
- Bachelor’s degree from a top-tier institution.
- 5-7 years total work experience.
- Endowment & foundation, investment management, or investment consulting background.
- Capital markets and/or private equity transaction experience a plus.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The Sobrato Organization is an equal opportunity employer committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are dedicated to building a team that represents a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills and to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
If interested, please apply here.
