Director of Development Operations

DRG-Consulting; New York (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Israel Policy Forum in New York, NY seeks a strategic Director of Development Operations to lead fundraising performance management, moves management, and forecasting. You will build systems, analyze donor behavior, and steer the team to maximize fundraising outcomes while collaborating with leadership.

The role emphasizes operational leadership, data-driven decision making, and cross-functional coordination to drive sustainable growth in a major gifts program.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years nonprofit fundraising operations, advancement services, development management, or related experience
• Demonstrated experience supporting major gift fundraising programs
• Strong understanding of moves management, fundraising analytics, and donor pipeline management
• Experience with revenue forecasting and performance reporting
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong project management and organizational abilities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Responsibilities

• Lead fundraising performance management, establishing processes, tools, and accountability to reach revenue goals
• Develop, monitor, and refine fundraising KPIs, metrics, and benchmarks
• Own moves management, donor engagement, and pipeline review processes
• Facilitate portfolio and pipeline review meetings with fundraising staff
• Monitor activity, progress, and donor movement to ensure execution of strategies
• Propose and oversee development operations projects and strategic initiatives

Skills

Fundraising ops

Major gifts

Moves management

Analytics

Forecasting

Staff management

CRM (Salesforce)

Communication

Project management

Job description

Director of Development Operations

Israel Policy Forum

New York, NY

The Organization Israel Policy Forum (IPF) is a nonpartisan U.S. organization that advances policy ideas and educates community leaders to support effective U.S. engagement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We work to strengthen U.S. policy and cultivate an informed community of leaders committed to a viable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that ensures Israel's security as a Jewish and democratic state, provides for Palestinian national aspirations, bolsters U.S.-Israel relations, and enhances regional security, stability, and cooperation. Israel Policy Forum is uniquely positioned in both the policy and Jewish communities, producing rigorous policy analysis trusted by U.S. decision-makers across the political spectrum, and convening programs that equip rising community and policy leaders to elevate the quality of discourse on U.S. policy toward Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• Year Founded: 1993
• Team Size: 11
• Annual Budget: $6.7M

The Position Israel Policy Forum seeks a strategic, data-driven, and highly collaborative Director of Development Operations (DDO) to join the Development & Community Engagement team. The DDO will lead the operational infrastructure supporting a sophisticated major gifts and donor engagement-focused fundraising program. The ideal candidate will be a strong manager, analyst, and operator with deep knowledge of fundraising best practices who understands major gifts fundraising and enjoys building systems and processes that drive an energetic, robust fundraising effort.

Reporting to the Chief Growth and Organizational Strategy Officer (CGOSO), the DDO will serve as the department’s operational leader and be responsible for fundraising performance management, moves management discipline, forecasting, reporting strategy, operational planning, business process improvement, and staff accountability.

The DDO will ensure that fundraising staff have the systems, processes, data, analytics, and operational support necessary to maximize donor engagement and fundraising results. Working closely with the Director of Leadership Giving, Fundraising Systems Coordinator, Senior CRM Manager, and senior leadership, this position will help to translate fundraising and engagement strategies into measurable outcomes. The DDO will manage three team members including the Development Associate, the Donor Engagement and Events Manager, and the Development Systems and Analytics Coordinator.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development department’s fundraising performance management function, establishing the processes, tools, and accountability mechanisms needed to achieve annual and long-term revenue goals.
• Develop, monitor, and continually refine fundraising KPIs, metrics, and benchmarks to assess organizational performance and support strategic decision-making.
• Own the department’s moves management, donor engagement, and pipeline review processes, ensuring prospects progress effectively through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Facilitate regular portfolio and pipeline review meetings with fundraising staff, providing data-driven insights and recommendations to strengthen performance.
• Monitor fundraiser activity, solicitation progress, portfolio health, and donor movement, ensuring consistent execution of fundraising strategies.
• Identify fundraising risks, trends, and growth opportunities, and recommend corrective actions or strategic adjustments to maximize results.
• Analyze donor behavior, giving trends, campaign performance, and revenue outcomes to inform fundraising strategy and resource allocation.
• Develop quarterly and annual fundraising forecasts, projections, and scenario analyses to support budgeting, planning, and organizational decision-making.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of major gifts, Leadership Circle giving, events, and other key fundraising initiatives.
• Present performance analyses, forecasts, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership, board members, and volunteer leaders.
• Lead the design, documentation, implementation, and continuous improvement of fundraising workflows, procedures, and operational standards.
• Establish and maintain scalable systems and processes that promote efficiency, consistency, accountability, and excellence across the development function.
• Ensure gift processing, donor stewardship, prospect management, record maintenance, and related development operations adhere to organizational policies and industry best practices.
• Monitor operational effectiveness, identify process gaps or inefficiencies, and implement solutions that improve productivity and fundraising outcomes.
• Propose, lead, and oversee development operations projects and strategic initiatives that strengthen fundraising infrastructure and support organizational growth.
• Ensure fundraising activity, donor engagement actions, and prospect strategies are documented consistently and accurately across development systems.
• Serve as the senior development liaison for fundraising technology strategy, ensuring systems and tools effectively support fundraising objectives and operational needs.
• Partner with the Fundraising Systems and Analytics Coordinator and Senior CRM Manager to establish technology priorities, evaluate solutions, and optimize system performance.
• Ensure CRM and related technology platforms support effective prospect management, reporting, donor engagement, and organizational decision-making.
• Champion adoption of fundraising technologies, processes, and best practices that improve staff efficiency and enhance donor relationship management.
• Develop and manage technology-related expense budgets and forecasts, ensuring appropriate investment in systems, tools, and future enhancements.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop development operations staff, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and professional growth.
• Promote rigorous standards for CRM usage, record-keeping, document retention, and data hygiene across the development team.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding, training, and ongoing development of development personnel.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to ensure accurate gift reconciliation, revenue reporting, and departmental financial reporting.
• Collaborate with Communications, Programs, Finance, and other departments to support integrated fundraising initiatives and organizational priorities.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership, providing guidance on fundraising effectiveness, operational strategy, departmental planning, and organizational growth.
• Support board and committee engagement through the preparation of reports, analyses, and materials that facilitate informed decision-making.
• Streamline gift processing and ensure donors are thanked promptly and appropriately.
• Implement a regular portfolio review and accountability structure.
• Improve visibility into pipeline health and fundraising performance.
• Strengthen fundraising workflows and operational documentation.
• Improve collaboration between Development, Finance, and CRM functions.
• Increase confidence in fundraising reporting and analytics.
• Develop and implement operational systems that support sustainable fundraising growth.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 7-10 years of nonprofit fundraising operations, advancement services, development management, or related experience.
• Demonstrated experience supporting major gift fundraising programs.
• Strong understanding of moves management, fundraising analytics, and donor pipeline management.
• Experience with revenue forecasting and performance reporting.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong project management and organizational abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience managing staff and cross-functional initiatives.
• Ability to translate complex information into actionable recommendations.
• Deep experience utilizing Salesforce or comparable CRM systems.
• Familiarity with the Jewish communal, public policy, or nonprofit sectors.
• Experience supporting organizations raising $5M or more annually preferred.
• Experience with board reporting and fundraising committees preferred.

Location & Schedule

Israel Policy Forum is based in New York, NY and has an office in Washington, DC. New York and Washington, DC staff work in person one to three days per week. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to support fundraising events or organizational priorities.

Salary

The salary range for this position is $110,000 - $125,000 commensurate with experience.

Benefits

Israel Policy Forum offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off (vacation, sick leave, Jewish and secular holidays), medical, dental, vision, matching 401K, HRA, FSA, commuter benefits, 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, and an annual professional development stipend.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Israel Policy Forum is an equal opportunity employer. We consider applications for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Israel Policy Forum encourages you to break that statistic and to apply.