Senior Director, Development

National Council on Aging, Inc.; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

National Council on Aging, Inc. in Arlington, VA, seeks a Senior Director of Development to architect and lead a unified revenue engine for a multi-channel fundraising program.

You will oversee corporate partnerships, private foundations, individual and planned giving, and federal funding in a senior leadership capacity, reporting to the Chief Development Officer. The role emphasizes building strategy, donor stewardship, and revenue growth across channels, with a focus on bold leadership,

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive nonprofit development experience.
• Experience leading multi-channel fundraising operations and senior leadership.
• Proven ability to lead, inspire, and develop fundraising teams.
• Experience coordinating corporate partnerships, foundations, individual giving, and federal funding.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the unified development strategy across federal and non-federal revenue channels.
• Lead a team of directors and managers to meet multi-year revenue targets.
• Ensure robust fundraising pipeline and pipeline reporting across channels.
• Provide strategic oversight of federal funding, corporate partnerships, and foundation relations.

Skills

Nonprofit fundraising

Senior leadership

Fundraising channels

CRM Salesforce

Communication

Team development

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce CRM

Job description

Join Our Mission. Shape the Future. At NCOA, we are on a mission to create the conditions for all to age well in America—today and into the future. Every day, we work to improve the lives of millions of older adults through innovative programs, trusted advocacy, and meaningful partnerships that advance health, economic security, and equity.

Join Our Mission. Shape the Future. At NCOA, we are on a mission to create the conditions for all to age well in America—today and into the future. Every day, we work to improve the lives of millions of older adults through innovative programs, trusted advocacy, and meaningful partnerships that advance health, economic security, and equity. We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Senior Director, Development to bring their expertise, vision, and passion to help drive our mission forward. This leader will play a pivotal role in expanding philanthropic support, cultivating transformative partnerships, and advancing sustainable revenue growth that enables NCOA to make an even greater impact.

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Development is the chief architect of NCOA's unified revenue infrastructure, responsible for leading and integrating all non-federal development functions — corporate partnerships, private foundations, individual and planned giving, prospect research, and development operations — into a single, high-performing revenue engine.

The Senior Director provides strategic leadership, operational discipline, and donor-centric stewardship across the full development portfolio. Reporting directly to the CDO and serving as a senior member of the Advancement Leadership Team, this individual is accountable for building the culture, systems, and relationships that will fund NCOA's mission at the scale our social impact goal demands.

Positions at this level require deep expertise in nonprofit fundraising, demonstrated success leading complex, multi-function development teams, and the ability to operate with significant independence and strategic judgment. Incumbents typically have 15 or more years of progressive experience in development leadership and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, with substantive experience at the senior director level or above.

Key Responsibilities

Unified Development Strategy & Revenue Growth

Own and drive the strategic direction of the full development portfolio, encompassing both federal and non-federal revenue, with accountability for the development team collectively meeting or exceeding annual and multi-year revenue targets.

Oversee the development, health, and reporting of a robust, 18-to-24-month fundraising pipeline across all development channels, managed through the team’s directors and managers.

Set annual revenue goals and performance benchmarks for each team within the Development pillar, in close partnership with the CDO.

Lead the development team’s contribution to NCOA’s FY27 non-federal revenue target and the longer-term goal of tripling non-federal revenue by FY29, while ensuring strong strategic oversight of federal funding performance and continuity.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

Directly supervise the Director, Corporate Partnerships (2); Director, Philanthropic Partnerships; Manager, Federal Funding; Director, Salesforce Admin & Development Operations; and Director, Individual & Planned Giving.

Advance a team culture defined by bold ambition, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across all fundraising channels.

Lead the recruitment, onboarding, and development of development team members in partnership with People Operations, with a particular focus on building strong channel leaders rather than individual contributors reporting directly to this role.

Federal Funding

Provide strategic oversight of NCOA’s federal funding portfolio, working closely with the Manager, Federal Funding to safeguard and strengthen relationships with federal agencies, including ACL, CMS, and DOL.

Ensure federal grant performance, compliance, and reporting are tracked effectively and that risks to existing federal funding are flagged and addressed proactively.

Support the Manager, Federal Funding in identifying new federal funding opportunities and in coordinating federal funding strategy with the organization’s broader revenue diversification goals, ensuring federal and non-federal strategies are complementary rather than siloed.

Corporate Partnerships

Provide strategic oversight of NCOA’s corporate partnerships portfolio, working closely with the two Directors of Corporate Partnerships to shape strategy for expanding cause-marketing relationships, sponsorships, and corporate philanthropy.

Serve as an escalation point and strategic advisor for significant corporate partnership decisions, without holding primary day-to-day relationship ownership for individual corporate accounts.

Foundation Relations

Oversee private foundation fundraising strategy, ensuring the Director, Private Foundations builds a robust pipeline, strong proposal practices, and high-touch stewardship of existing foundation relationships.

Support strategic growth of NCOA’s foundation portfolio with a focus on health equity, economic security, and aging policy funders, through coaching and strategic guidance to the Director, Private Foundations.

Individual & Planned Giving

Provide strategic direction to the Director, Individual & Planned Giving, ensuring annual and major gift programs are growing and that planned giving is being actively cultivated as a long-term revenue channel.

Development Operations & Infrastructure

Partner with the Director, Salesforce Admin & Development Operations to ensure CRM integrity, pipeline reporting, and operational systems support the team’s revenue goals across all channels, federal and non-federal alike.

Champion a data-driven approach to prospect management, stewardship, and performance reporting across the development function.

Cross-Divisional Collaboration

Serve as a senior liaison between the Development pillar and the Brand, Marketing & Revenue pillar, ensuring that storytelling, messaging, and digital strategy are aligned with fundraising priorities.

Participate actively in Advancement Leadership Team meetings and contribute to division-wide planning.

Professional Experience/Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive nonprofit development experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing multiple fundraising channels and managing managers.
• Demonstrated success leading and scaling a multi-million-dollar development operation across multiple revenue channels, through strategy and team leadership rather than personal portfolio management.
• Proven ability to lead, inspire, and develop high-performing teams of fundraising directors and managers.
• Experience overseeing corporate partnerships, foundation relations, individual giving, and federal funding programs simultaneously through strong team leaders, rather than as an individual fundraiser.
• Strong Salesforce or equivalent CRM proficiency, with experience using data to manage team performance.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting fundraising strategy to executive leadership and the Board.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Familiarity with federal grant funding and federal agency relationships (e.g., ACL, CMS, DOL) a plus.
• Familiarity with the aging, health equity, or economic justice sectors a plus.
• CFRE certification a plus.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Frequently required to sit or use a standing desk.
• Occasionally required to walk.
• Occasionally required to reach with hands and arms.
• Frequently required to talk or listen.
• Occasionally required to bend, lift, or climb stairs.
• Occasionally required to lift light weights (less than 25 pounds).

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The noise level in the work environment usually is moderate.

Primarily office-based in Arlington, VA, with a hybrid schedule.

Occasional travel is required for donor meetings, conferences, and partner engagements.

NCOA is committed to providing competitive and equitable compensation. The salary range published in this job posting reflects the market range for positions based in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region. Because NCOA employs staff in multiple states, compensation may vary based on an employee's primary work location through our geographic pay structure. Geographic differentials are established using regional labor market data to ensure competitive and equitable pay across locations. Final starting salary will be determined based on the employee's work location, relevant experience, education, qualifications, and internal equity.

NCOA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to fostering an equitable, inclusive, and respectful workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.