Director of Advancement

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and support Senior Advancement Officers, including supervision, coaching, prioritization, and performance accountability.
• Translate advancement strategy into clear workplans, pipeline goals, and execution priorities.
• Ensure the team is prepared for funder engagement, proposal development, and follow-through.
• Provide day-to-day guidance to maintain focus, clarity, and momentum across advancement activities.
• Identify, qualify, and advance new foundation and philanthropic prospects aligned with organizational priorities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with major national foundations and philanthropic leaders.
• Lead early-stage cultivation and discovery conversations to assess alignment, funding priorities, and pathways to support.
• Navigate complex, multi-stakeholder foundation environments with strong coordination and clear positioning.
• Maintain a disciplined and active pipeline in Salesforce, with clear next steps and forward movement.
• Lead the development and drafting of high-quality concepts, LOIs, proposals, and funder-facing materials.
• Translate complex programmatic, policy, and advocacy work into clear, persuasive narratives.
• Shape the overall investment case, including outcomes, impact, learning, and theory of change.
• Coverage of program, finance, and communications teams to ensure proposals are strategic, accurate, and funder-aligned.
• Coordinate with program, finance, and communications teams to ensure proposals are strategic, accurate, and funder-aligned.
• Support fundraising strategies for alliance-based and network-driven initiatives, including multi-partner efforts such as the Health Justice Alliance.
• Help develop and articulate value propositions for shared or tiered partnership models.
• Coordinate messaging and positioning across partners to ensure alignment and funder clarity.
• Translate alliance work into compelling, fundable opportunities for foundations and aligned partners.
• Maintain strong CRM discipline, ensuring accurate tracking of relationships, pipeline stages, and next steps.
• Provide concise updates to the Senior Director on pipeline progress, risks, and opportunities.
• Support coordination across teams to ensure timely proposal development and clear internal alignment.
• Facilitate smooth transitions from new business development to long-term stewardship when appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• 8–10 years of experience in advancement, foundation fundraising, or philanthropic partnerships.
• Demonstrated success building and advancing relationships with major national foundations.
• Strong grant writing experience, including development of proposals, LOIs, and concept papers.
• Experience managing staff and driving team performance and accountability.
• Ability to synthesize complex policy, advocacy, and systems-change work into clear, compelling narratives.
• Experience operating in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strong project management, organization, and follow-through.
• CRM experience (Salesforce preferred).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting or leading alliance-based, network-based, or multi-partner fundraising efforts.
• Experience working in health justice, public health, advocacy, or systems-change environments.
• Familiarity with national philanthropic networks and funding landscapes.