Development Manager

About the role

The Open Home Foundation is looking for a Development Manager based in the United States to join our Marketing team. This team connects the foundation's projects—such as Home Assistant, Music Assistant, and ESPHome—with users, contributors, and partners. By making it easier for people to discover, use, and engage with our projects, the Open Home ecosystem can grow in alignment with our values.

In this role, you will own the development and growth of the foundation's fundraising efforts, from identifying prospects to closing commitments. This includes grant funding from open-source and public-interest technology funders, as well as corporate sponsorships supporting flagship events like the annual State of the Open Home. Your work will ensure the foundation has the resources to keep projects like Home Assistant independent, privacy-respecting, and sustainable long-term.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the foundation's fundraising strategy across grants, corporate sponsorships, and individual giving.
• Identify, cultivate, and steward relationships with qualified prospects, adapting solicitation strategies as needed.
• Translate the foundation's mission, values, and roadmaps into compelling philanthropic narratives for potential donors.
• Build and manage corporate sponsorship programs and partnership packages, including for flagship conferences and events like the annual State of the Open Home and global community meetups.
• Research, write, and manage grant applications and funder reporting, ensuring donors are informed about how their support advances our mission.
• Set up and maintain fundraising systems, including donor/CRM tracking, pipelines, reporting, and donation platforms.
• Collaborate with leadership and project communities to align fundraising with the foundation's roadmap and values.
• Engage external partners and advisors, including international funding sources, when needed.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of fundraising or development experience, with a track record of securing significant gifts, grants, or corporate sponsorships.
• Experience owning a fundraising function or leading major fundraising initiatives end-to-end.
• Experience within the tech sector.
• Experience cultivating and closing corporate sponsorships and/or major donors.
• Strong grant-writing and funder-reporting skills.
• Excellent relationship-building and communication skills.
• Ability to travel to meet potential donors in person.
• Professional fluency in English: excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• US residency: must be based and eligible to work within the United States.

Nice to have

• A passion for smart homes and automation.
• Experience as a Home Assistant user.
• Experience fundraising for open-source, technology, or privacy-focused organizations.
• An existing network of relevant funders, sponsors, or technology-philanthropy contacts.
• Familiarity with grant programs relevant to open source and public-interest technology.

Benefits

• Five weeks (twenty-five days) of paid time off.
• Fourteen days of paid sick leave if your country/laws treat them as unpaid.
• Six weeks of paid and six weeks of unpaid parental leave to be used in the first year after birth (with compensation for missing days if local laws do not provide such benefits).
• A budget for work hardware upon starting, with the option to keep the equipment for personal use after three years.
• A 50% contribution to your home internet connection fee.
• One day every two weeks to work on personal projects, including Home Assistant-related side projects.

Pay

For a Fundraising Manager in the United States, the approximate yearly compensation will be $120,000 to $150,000 USD. These figures may be adjusted based on experience, qualifications, and work hours.

Schedule

This is a full-time position for 40 hours per week. As a fully remote company, there is no fixed schedule, but we aim for at least 3 hours of overlap in the workday for team communication.

About Us

The Open Home Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Switzerland, dedicated to fighting for privacy, choice, and sustainability in smart homes. We support open-source projects, open connectivity, and communication standards. Our flagship project, Home Assistant, is the largest open-source project by contributor count, used by over two million households. The foundation also owns or collaborates with other key projects, including:

• Open hardware tools (e.g., ESPHome, ESP Web Tools).
• Open standards (e.g., Python Matter Server, Z-Wave JS, ZigPy, BTHome, Improv Wi-Fi).
• Open voice (e.g., Rhasspy, Wyoming Protocol, Piper).
• Music Assistant.