Director of Development, Alpha - $400,000/year USD

Crossover; Lowell (MA); On-site; USD 340,000 - 460,000; Full time

Job summary

Alpha is seeking a Director of Development to lead regional growth by building a trusted network of families, schools and community partners across the US. This is a full-time, on-site role requiring regular travel and evening/weekend hosting in multiple cities.

You will design gatherings, recruit ambassadors, secure venues, and maintain CRM records to drive enrollment through referrals. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in community growth with proven event design and relationship results.

Qualifications

• Five years+ of experience growing a community or client base through relationships, with at least one numeric result and timeframe.

Responsibilities

• Deliver a steady calendar of gatherings each month, including open events, dinners by city and grade, and family retreats, within budget.
• Secure venues, hosts and vendors, and personally host events.
• Recruit current parents as ambassadors, connect them with prospective families, including those attending tours.
• Build relationships with public officials and business executives to secure venues and support for new campus openings.
• Connect enrolled families with parent circles and students with mentors, masterclasses and internships, welcoming graduating families into the alumni community within 30 days of graduation.
• Record every gathering and introduction in the CRM with where families first heard about Alpha.

Job description

"the Great Educational Equalizer"

— Philosopher Johnathan Bi, on Alpha School

Alpha is hiring.

Families often come to Alpha through recommendations from people they trust. You will lead the regional relationships that support this growth, connect families and create opportunities for students.

You will design and host gatherings, from eight-person dinners to 150-person open houses; develop a network of parent ambassadors; and build relationships with public officials and business leaders. Through Alpha Networks, you will arrange introductions, expert masterclasses and internships, and welcome graduating families into the alumni community.

You will develop, document and improve the region's working methods while delivering its programs, sharing effective practices with colleagues in other cities. Success will be measured by the share of enrollment growth generated through personal referrals over several years. The number of introductions and opportunities created per family must also increase as enrollment grows.

A degree is not required for every candidate, but your background must include at least one of the academic, professional or civic qualifications listed below. You also need a record of bringing people together and producing tangible results through those relationships.

The role is on site in Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas or New York City. It requires regular local travel and hosting commitments on weekday evenings and weekends.

What You Will Be Doing

• Deliver a steady calendar of gatherings each month, including open events, dinners organized by city and grade, and family retreats, within budget.
• Secure venues, hosts and vendors, and personally host events.
• Recruit current parents as ambassadors, help them share their experiences, and match them with prospective families, including those attending school tours.
• Build relationships with public officials and business executives to secure venues, support for new campus openings and opportunities for students.
• Connect enrolled families with parent circles and students with mentors, masterclasses and practical internships. Welcome graduating families into the alumni community within 30 days of graduation.
• Record every gathering and introduction, and how each family first heard about Alpha, in the customer relationship management (CRM) system. Maintain accurate records of the introductions and opportunities created for each family.
  
  

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Manage paid advertising or work to targets for impressions or lead volume.
• Lead brand communications or central marketing campaigns; these are Marketing's responsibility.
• Process admissions, conduct tours or manage enrollment paperwork; these are the responsibilities of Admissions and Family Success.
• Run daily campus operations or manage the opening of physical premises.
• Treat attendance figures alone as evidence of success.
• Rely on a completed operating manual, templates or support staff to begin work.
  
  

Director Of Development Key Responsibilities

Make personal referrals the source of the majority of enrollment growth in your region.

Basic Requirements

• At least five years of experience growing a community or client base through relationships, with at least one result you personally drove that you can explain with a number and a timeframe.
• Experience personally designing and running at least 20 gatherings in total, including at least three events with 100 or more attendees and ten gatherings with 12 or fewer people, with responsibility for budgets.
• Established working relationships with at least three elected or appointed public officials, C-level executives or centaur-company founders, with specific results from those relationships. You can host senior audiences, explain a new education model under questioning, and build partnerships that benefit both sides while respecting voluntary participation and compliance rules.
• At least one of these qualifications: an Ivy League degree; work at a top consulting, investment banking or public relations firm; a board seat at a local anchor institution; Chief of Staff experience with political or major industry leaders; or directed tours in the foreign service.
• Consistent use of a CRM or relationship-tracking system to record contacts, how families first heard about the organization, follow-ups and actions, with accurate first-contact records that remain unchanged.
• A deep local network you can use from day one in Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas or New York City, and residence in or willingness to return or relocate to that region. You must be available for regular weekday-evening and weekend hosting and local travel, and authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.
  
  

Nice-to-have Requirements

• Experience leading regional growth, community programs or partnerships for a school group, membership club, franchise, faith or civic institution, or similar organization.
• Experience building a trusted client network and generating revenue as a client-facing principal in wealth management, consulting or business development.
• A background in admissions, advancement, community organizing or hospitality, with experience hosting events and representing an institution.
• Established relationships with local government or business leaders in your region.
• An understanding of how families make important decisions about their children's education.
  
  

About Alpha

Join the team building school around student growth

Alpha reimagines the school day around faster learning, stronger mentorship, and more time for students to build real-world skills.

Roles with real student impact: Alpha hires teachers (guides), operators, admissions experts, school & curriculum leaders, and remote team members.

Education work that pays like it matters: Alpha offers six-figure roles for people ready to help build a radically better school experience.

A culture built for builders: Alpha is fast-moving, ambitious, and student focused. It’s for people who want to improve the system, not maintain it.

Alpha is where you can do the most meaningful work of your career.

There is so much to cover for this exciting role, and space here is limited. Hit the Apply button if you found this interesting and want to learn more. We look forward to meeting you!

Working with us

This is a full-time, W2 employee position with immediate access to benefits (https://support.crossover.com/article/7581-w2-benefits-u-s-paychex-paid-only). All roles are year-long positions. The compensation level for this role is $400,000 USD/year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.

Crossover Job Code: LJ-5841-US-Lowell-DirectorofDeve