Director of Development

About the role

The Director of Development reports directly to the Vice President of Advancement (VP-A) and is a high-growth, results-oriented role responsible for expanding KGI’s philanthropic footprint. This position is designed for a sophisticated relationship manager with a background in strategic business development, professional services, or high-value client management.

Responsibilities

• Proactively manage a “portfolio” of 100–120 prospects using a disciplined, CRM-driven approach to move prospects from initial discovery to successful solicitation.
• Conduct 10–12 high-quality strategic meetings per month to qualify new leads and deepen existing relationships.
• Work in close, daily partnership with Faculty and Staff to understand KGI’s research, mission and clinical breakthroughs. The Director must be adept at building internal trust, ensuring that faculty feel supported and that their academic priorities are accurately represented to potential investors/donors.
• Translate KGI’s complex research and educational initiatives into a compelling “impact proposition” for individual donors and private partners.
• Provide high-level oversight for KGI’s primary annual fund activities, specifically the Fall Campaign (November–December) and the Spring Giving Day (April).
• Serve as the primary liaison to the Marketing Office, defining the strategic “why” and target audience insights while delegating creative execution and digital deployment to the marketing team.
• Partner with the Operations Coordinator for Advancement Services to ensure high-quality data segmentation and list preparation. Oversee the process to ensure communications are sent accurately and on time, without being responsible for data entry or execution.
• Actively participate in the life of the campus to build the internal “social capital” necessary to be an effective fundraiser. The ability to navigate the nuances of a university setting and build consensus with academic colleagues is critical.
• Work in direct, frequent collaboration with the Vice President for Advancement to identify funding priorities and refine KGI’s case for support.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree is required, with experience in business development, marketing, banking/finance, or account management.
• Candidates should have five or more years in relationship-based sales, business development, or major gift fundraising, with a proven track record of meeting revenue targets and closing high-value contracts, multi-year agreements, or major gifts ($25,000+).
• Strong skills in managing complex client or donor pipelines, lead qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and long-term stewardship are essential.

Qualifications

• Exceptional initiative and the persistence required for “cold” outreach and consistent, long-term follow-up.
• A high degree of emotional intelligence; the ability to listen to and learn from faculty experts and translate their passion into donor-centric language.
• Strong ability to “ask for the investment” (the gift) and navigate complex objections with tact, patience, and professional maturity.
• Ability to manage complex, time-sensitive campaigns through effective delegation and cross-departmental collaboration (Marketing/Ops).
• Ability to apply high-level professional standards within a warm, relational, and mission-focused higher education environment.
• Expert use of data tracking (e.g., Raiser’s Edge) to manage activity and report on progress against benchmarks.

Skills

• Proactive Relationship Builder
• Academic Diplomacy
• Consultative Closing Skills
• Project Oversight
• Mission-Driven Orientation
• CRM Discipline

Benefits

KGI offers a comprehensive compensation and benefit package, including:

• Staff, full-time, benefits-eligible, exempt position.
• Regular hours of Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm.
• Salary range: $95,000 - $105,000 annualized.
• E-Verify participation.
• Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.

Pay

$95,000 - $105,000 annualized.

Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm.