Director of Development

About the role

The Director of Development will join Meritus College's founding team to build a robust fundraising function. This role combines elements of traditional higher-ed philanthropy with a startup-style approach, focusing on innovative models and rapid prototyping.

Responsibilities

• Identify, research, and cultivate new funding relationships across foundations, corporate partners, and individual donors.
• Lead proposal development with support from Merit America’s Development team, adapting fundraising narratives as Meritus College's model evolves.
• Track and analyze pipeline health, funder trends, and outcomes to continuously sharpen strategy.
• Manage donor and prospect relationships, advancing $10M in deals to proposal stage in the first year.
• Build the advancement function, gathering proof points and impact data for funders.
• Partner with Meritus College's academic, data, and operations teams to build a modern fundraising function.

Requirements

• Experience building new programs in higher education.
• Experience as the fundraising lead or close partner on a first-time initiative.
• Working knowledge of accreditation, credit portability, and transfer.
• Track record of raising money or building partnerships.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and bias for action.
• Genuine comfort with ambiguity and flexibility.
• Experience leveraging AI tools for efficiency.
• Excellent communication skills and storytelling abilities.
• Mission alignment with expanding access to higher education and economic mobility.

Qualifications

• Must have experience in higher education fundraising.
• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM systems.
• Comfort with AI tools for research and prospecting.

Skills

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to adapt fundraising narratives to evolving models.
• Effective communication and storytelling abilities.
• Ability to manage a small portfolio of relationships.
• Experience with fundraising for startups or nonprofits.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance.
• Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account.
• Dependent care Flexible Spending Account.
• Health Reimbursement Account.
• Education & personal development reimbursement.
• Short and long-term disability coverage.
• Unlimited vacation policy.
• Paid parental leave and adoption benefits.
• 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit contribution.
• Wellness benefits and resources.
• Discount perks at work program.
• Phone/technology stipend.
• Home office setup stipend.
• Affinity groups and community building.

Pay

$148,000 annual salary with potential for a $20,000 incentive bonus.

Schedule

This is a full-time role with a 4-day workweek, occasional travel, and remote work options.

Location

Remote location.