Senior Director of Development

BlueSteps Connect; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

BlueSteps Connect is seeking a Senior Director of Development to lead philanthropy, shaping an organization-wide revenue strategy and donor engagement.

You will cultivate major donor relationships, build a three-person team, and partner with the Executive Director on development priorities, ensuring ethical storytelling and mission alignment.

This pivotal role requires fundraising leadership, data-driven performance management, and a philanthropy-first mindset across the organization.

Qualifications

• Experience building donor relations with major donors, boards, and foundations.
• Proven ability to develop and execute multi-year fundraising growth plans.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to build high-performing teams across departments.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior leadership to set development goals aligned with the organization's vision.
• Develop and execute a multi-year philanthropic growth strategy across corporate, foundation, and individual giving.
• Use fundraising data and pipeline analysis to manage performance, set targets, allocate resources, and adjust course as needed.
• Support donor and funder engagement and acquisition strategies and ensure ethical storytelling.
• Cultivate and steward major donor relationships and serve on the Development Committee; recruit and develop a three-person team.

Skills

Donor relations

Fundraising strategy

Executive leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

The client seeks a Senior Director of Development to lead philanthropy and support an organization-wide strategy focused on preventing homelessness and breaking the cycle of family poverty. Working as a key member of the executive team, the Senior Director of Development will help shape long-term priorities, build and execute a revenue strategy, expand the funding base, elevate the brand, and deepen donor relationships during a pivotal period of organizational growth.

Key responsibilities include partnering with senior leadership to set development goals that align with the organization’s vision and priorities, developing and executing a multi-year philanthropic growth strategy across corporate, foundation, and individual giving, and using fundraising data and pipeline analysis to manage performance, set targets, allocate resources, and adjust course when needed. The role will also support donor and funder engagement and acquisition strategies and will emphasize ethical storytelling grounded in the lived experiences of the families served.

The Senior Director of Development will cultivate and steward major donor relationships, including board members, foundations, and corporate funders, and will serve as a strategic partner to the Executive Director through participation on the Development Committee. The role includes recruiting, developing, and retaining a three-person development team, fostering a high-performance culture with clear expectations and accountability, and championing a philanthropy-first mindset across the organization while ensuring development efforts align with the mission and values; applicants are expected to be strongly motivated by the mission and able to translate it into compelling fundraising and donor engagement.