Director of Development

SupportFinity™; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The Center for AI Safety, a leading research and field-building organization, seeks a Director of Development to lead strategic fundraising efforts and build meaningful donor and partner relationships in San Francisco. You will design innovative fundraising strategies, secure grants, craft compelling proposals, and organize high-impact events.

Collaborate with program teams to align fundraising with program goals, and serve as a key organizational representative to cultivate strategic alliances

Qualifications

• 5+ years of development or fundraising experience in the nonprofit sector with a proven gifts/grants track record.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and networking abilities for donor relations.
• Creative, strategic thinker with proactive problem-solving.
• Strong leadership and ability to collaborate with program and executive teams.
• Conscientious and detail-oriented with high quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead fundraising strategy, donor cultivation, partnerships, and grant proposal management.
• Collaborate with Marketing/Communications to support initiatives.
• Represent CAIS at conferences, events, and meetings to expand networks.
• Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders and community leaders.
• Partner with the executive team on strategic planning, program development, and leadership initiatives.

Skills

Fundraising & Grant Writing

Communication & Networking

Strategic Thinking

Leadership & Collaboration

Attention to Detail

Job description

The Center for AI Safety (CAIS) is a leading research and field-building organization on a mission to reduce societal-scale risks from AI. Alongside our sister organization, the CAIS Action Fund, we tackle the toughest AI issues with a mix of technical, societal and policy solutions. Our work includes publishing a global statement on AI Risk signed by Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio and CEOs from the major AI labs and running a large compute cluster for global academic researchers working on AI safety research.

The Director of Development plays a critical role in advancing CAIS's mission by leading strategic fundraising efforts and building meaningful relationships with donors, partners, and stakeholders. This role involves designing and executing innovative fundraising strategies, securing grants, crafting compelling proposals, and organizing high-impact events. In collaboration with program teams, the Director of Development aligns fundraising initiatives with program goals to maximize CAIS's impact. In addition, the Director of Development serves as a key representative, cultivating partnerships, exploring strategic alliances, and providing executive leadership with essential updates that support the organization’s growth and success.

In this role you will:

• Fundraising: Lead fundraising efforts, including fundraising strategy, donor cultivation, partnership development and grant proposal management
• Marketing and Communications: Work closely with communications to support marketing and communications initiatives
• Represent CAIS at conferences, events, and meetings to expand networks and promote the mission
• Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including community leaders, and donors
• Collaborate with the executive team with strategic planning, program development, and leadership initiatives

We're looking for someone who is great at:

• Fundraising and Grant Writing. You bring at least 5 years of experience in development or fundraising within the nonprofit sector and have a proven record of success in securing gifts, grants, and partnerships
• Communication and Networking: You have exceptional communication, interpersonal, and networking abilities, essential for building relationships with donors, partners, and stakeholders
• Strategic Thinking and Problem-Solving: You’re a creative, strategic thinker who can develop programmatic goals and apply a proactive approach to problem-solving
• Leadership and Collaboration: You demonstrate excellent leadership and teamwork skills, excelling in collaboration with program and executive teams to drive impactful initiatives
• Attention to Detail and High Standards: You’re conscientious, detail-oriented, and able to maintain a high standard of quality, even when juggling multiple priorities

You might thrive in this for this role if you:

• Are passionate about CAIS's mission and are motivated by work that focuses on AI safety and societal impact
• Have a strong track record and bring proven success in securing gifts, grants, and partnerships in a nonprofit setting
• Are able to work independently while contributing to a team-oriented environment
• Thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments and adjust strategies as new information arises
• Manage all project details with a strong sense of ownership, balancing short-term tasks with long-term goals, and you're comfortable working independently while welcoming feedback

The Center of AI Safety is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Center for AI Safety values candidates of all backgrounds. If you find yourself excited by the position but you don't check every box in the description, we encourage you to apply anyway!