The Rust Foundation was formed in 2021 as an independent, non-profit organization to serve as a steward of the Rust programming language and its users, maintainers, and enterprise advocates. Since our work began, we have collaborated with Rust ecosystem leaders and corporate member organizations invested in Rust’s success. Through this close collaboration, the Rust Foundation has developed many programs that support the Rust language and its community. 

The Director of Outreach has overall responsibility for the working relationship between the Rust Project and Rust Foundation. A member of the Foundation’s Senior Management Team, they will manage a substantial budget for Rust Project development in collaboration with the Rust Project Leadership Council. The Director of Outreach will be an active communicator within the Project, liaising with its teams and working groups to propose, implement and champion current and new initiatives to sustain, secure and grow the Rust language. The Director of Outreach will advocate for the work of the Rust Project globally and work closely with the Technical and Communications teams to champion the Rust language.

Objectives

• Establish and maintain positive relationships with Rust Project leadership and key maintainers

• Identify key needs of the Rust Project that could be supported by the Foundation, and contribute to the development and support of new initiatives and collaborative efforts to address these needs

• Manage the Foundation’s Community Grants Program and ensure that it achieves positive impact

• Contribute to the development and implementation of the organisational strategy of the Rust Foundation

• Champion the Rust Project, Rust programming language and Rust Foundation to stakeholders around the world

Responsibilities

• Contribute to building and delivering the Foundation’s strategy

• Design and agree goals and objectives, in partnership with the Rust Foundation Senior Management Team, to measure the impact of Outreach activities

• Report regularly to the board on performance and effectiveness

• Represent the Rust Foundation and its interests effectively in a wide range of circumstances, including at external online and in-person events 

• Act as an effective ‘bridge’ between the Rust Project and the Foundation, ensuring information flows in both directions, and promoting positive relationships

• Communicate actively with the Rust Project Leadership Council, forging positive individual relationships with Council members, and helping to develop its ability to manage a budget

• Ensure that the priorities of teams, working groups and other interest groups are well understood and taken into account

• Identify opportunities for the Foundation to provide support to the Rust Project

• Allocate funding to grants, short-term contracts, and other initiatives as required to support the Rust Project to function effectively and sustainably

• Work with the community to improve understanding of the Foundation’s role, its scope and its limitations

• Oversee the entire grant-making process

• Review and develop our grant management policies and procedures

• Define each year’s grant funding streams, priorities and selection criteria, in alignment with organizational goals and priorities

• Work with the Director of Communications & Marketing to publicise the program and attract applicants

• Work with the Director of Technology and Rust Project representatives to assess applications and make selections

• Document and track grant awards, disbursements, and compliance

• Provide support to grantees to ensure they have the support and connections they need to maximize their impact

• Prepare regular reports and updates on grant activities for internal and external stakeholders

Skills/experience

• Experience in the technology industry is a must-have

• Active experience of working/contributing within an open source project community, ideally the Rust Project or related Rust frameworks, will be a significant advantage

• Experienced in communicating with a range of stakeholders with different interests and priorities

• Excellent listening skills, with the ability to empathize with different points of view, the ability to facilitate compromise, and adapt to fast changing or challenging situations

• Ability to develop a rapport with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds

• Experience of managing projects/processes

• Experience of managing a budget

• Ability to understand and explain complex concepts and information clearly and concisely

• Prior experience of grantmaking will be an advantage, particularly in the US regulatory environment

• Experience of representing an organization at senior level as a speaker, presenter and facilitator

• Ability to travel and operate internationally