Executive Director, MISUMI Imprint Foundation

The posting, as Fictiv wrote it

About MISUMI Americas

MISUMI Americas, a division of MISUMI Group, is a leading provider of standard, configurable, and custom manufacturing solutions. By integrating a vast catalog of components with a world-class digital manufacturing platform, MISUMI Americas empowers engineers and procurement teams to accelerate innovation across the entire product lifecycle. With operations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago, the company serves as a vital partner for the most innovative companies in the Americas.

About the Foundation

MISUMI Imprint Foundation is the first corporate giving organization in MISUMI Group 's history. It launched in October 2026 with a $2 million seed investment from MISUMI Americas and a mandate to fund the people who will build the physical world.

The reasoning is straightforward. MISUMI supplies the components that engineers design into machines, and as AI moves out of software and into factories, vehicles, operating rooms, and orbit, demand is rising for engineers, machinists, and technicians who can build hardware that works safely and reliably in the real world. The United States is not producing enough of them. The Foundation exists to widen that pipeline.

We make grants in three areas

• Scholarships & Access — need-based support for first-generation and underrepresented students in engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain, at four-year universities and community colleges alike
• Maker Programs — equipment grants for manufacturing labs, engineering team sponsorships, maker spaces, and student hackathons
• Industry–Academia Bridges — curricula built around real manufacturing problems, internship and apprenticeship pathways, mentorship and career support

The Foundation launched under the fiscal sponsorship of the SME Education Foundation and has filed for independent 501(c)(3) public charity status. Its defining structural feature is partner co-investment: MISUMI's global supplier partners are invited to contribute annually and join the Foundation Advisory Board, with seats at three tiers — Founding, Growth, and Community Partner.

About the role

This is a founding role. The mission is set, the seed capital is committed, and the board is in place. Almost everything else is yours to build: the first grant cycle, the review criteria, the partner program, the measurement framework, and the independent organization itself.

You will be the Foundation's first full-time employee and its public face — to universities and community colleges, to K–12 and robotics programs, to MISUMI's supplier partners, and to the press. You will report to the Board Chair and work closely with MISUMI Americas leadership, but the Foundation's day-to-day direction will be set by you.

We are looking for someone who wants the version of this job where the answers do not exist yet.

What you'll do

Build and run the grantmaking. Design the application, review, and award process across all three program areas. Source and evaluate
[…]
hip between a foundation and its corporate parent

• Japanese language ability or experience working across U.S. and Japanese organizations

What we offer

• The chance to build a foundation from its first grant, with committed capital and a board that wants it to be independent
• Competitive salary, health coverage, retirement contribution, and paid time off
• Remote-first, with travel to campuses, partner sites, MISUMI Americas offices, and the Advisory Board convenings
• A mandate that is deliberately broad, because the talent pipeline will change and we intend to change with it

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to travel 25–30% annually within the United States for campus and grantee site visits, partner site visits, Advisory Board convenings (twice yearly), MISUMI Americas offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago, and industry conferences.
• Occasional international travel as the Foundation's work extends beyond the U.S.

Salary Range: $215,000 to $250,000 per year, based on experience and location

Interested in learning more? We look forward to hearing from you soon.
We’re actively seeking teammates who:

• Bring diverse perspectives and experience to our culture and company.
• Excel at being part of a strong, empathetic team.
• Thrive in an environment emphasizing respect, honesty, collaboration, and growth.
• Have an ‘always learning’ mindset that celebrates learning, not just wins.
• Help us continue to build a world-class organization that values the contributions of all of our teammates

We encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups, including but not limited to women, members of the LGBTQ community, people of color, people with disabilities, and veterans.