Senior Director of Development

Room to Grow

Senior Director of Development leading fundraising efforts and team management at Room to Grow. Overseeing brand, communications, and partnership strategies for organizational growth.

Posted 6/24/2026full-timeBronx • New York • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $115,000 - $125,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and development for a cross-functional team of six direct reports, with overall responsibility for the performance, alignment, and success of a ten-person External Engagement department (9 FTE + 1 PT).
Cultivate a collaborative and accountable team culture, ensuring team members consistently demonstrate Room to Grow’s values in their work and across all fundraising and communications efforts.
Set clear performance expectations, provide consistent and actionable feedback, and conduct regular check-ins and performance reviews to support staff growth and goal attainment.
Partner with the People & Culture team to support hiring, onboarding, professional development, and performance management practices across the department.
Represent Room to Grow internally and externally with professionalism, passion, and a strong grounding in our mission, values, and impact.
Serve as a strategic thought partner to the CEO in shaping overarching fundraising, brand & communications priorities, helping translate organizational goals into clear, actionable plans for the External Engagement team across all revenue streams.
Act as a key bridge between the CEO and External Engagement functional leads (Brand & Communications, Events, Individual Giving, Institutional Giving, Partnerships).
Ensure frontline insights and function-specific expertise inform broader strategy discussions while maintaining alignment with organizational priorities.
Provide day-to-day leadership and cross-functional oversight across all External Engagement functions, ensuring team efforts are integrated, well-coordinated, and aligned with organizational goals and department priorities.
Support functional leads as a thought partner and resource, reinforcing best practices and promoting consistent, effective execution through planning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
Partner with the CEO and other senior leaders on multi-year revenue projections and fundraising goal-setting across all streams.
Support the Brand & Communications function in advancing communication efforts that strengthen Room to Grow's visibility, brand, and fundraising goals.
May maintain a limited portfolio of high-priority individual, institutional, or corporate relationships, with a focus on stewarding select partnerships that are strategic to the organization’s growth and leadership fundraising efforts.
In support of a small, collaborative team, provide flexible leadership and occasional hands-on support across functions as needed to ensure continuity during staff absences, transitions, or other key organizational moments.
Partner closely with the Managing Director, Boston & Organizational Success to align cross-regional fundraising strategy, coordinate on multi-year revenue planning, and support Leadership Council management and Board engagement.
Ensure fundraising activities in all regions are well-integrated with the broader External Engagement strategy.
Collaborate with the Manager, External Engagement on cross-functional special projects, affinity group strategy, peer-to-peer fundraising, donor pipeline development, and team operations.

Requirements

What you’ll need

7+ years of progressive experience in fundraising, external relations, nonprofit advancement, or a related field, with demonstrated success in a senior management or leadership role.
Proven track record leading and developing high-performing teams, including managing multiple direct reports across distinct functional areas.
Strong people management skills, including setting clear expectations, providing coaching and feedback, fostering accountability, and building a collaborative, values-driven team culture.
Demonstrated breadth of fundraising and external engagement experience across multiple functions such as individual giving, institutional fundraising, development operations, corporate partnerships, communications, and related functions, with the ability to coach and support team members across multiple workstreams.
Strong operational and project management skills; able to manage multiple priorities across teams and maintain clear alignment, follow-through, and accountability.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage effectively with staff, senior leaders, Board members, donors, and external partners.
Experience using fundraising data and performance metrics to monitor progress, inform decision-making, and drive accountability.
Experience managing fundraising operations systems, including Salesforce or similar CRM platforms.
Experience in a small or growing nonprofit environment, with comfort operating in a highly collaborative and hands-on setting.
Experience working closely with a CEO and/or Board of Directors on fundraising and communications planning, reporting, and relationship management.
Familiarity with the New York City and/or Boston philanthropic landscape preferred.

Benefits

Comp & perks

8+ weeks of paid time off per year (holidays, vacation, sick time, personal/self-care time)
Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA
403(b) retirement savings with matching program
Wellness reimbursement up to $250 per year
So much more!

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Hard Skills & Tools

fundraisingexternal relationsnonprofit advancementproject managementteam managementperformance metricsindividual givinginstitutional fundraisingcorporate partnershipscommunications

Soft Skills

leadershipcoachingfeedbackaccountabilitycollaborationinterpersonal skillscommunicationrelationship-buildingstrategic thinkingproblem-solving