Senior Director of Prospect Strategy and Development

Summary/Objective

Job Description

The Senior Director of Prospect Strategy and Development, a newly created position, will be responsible for building a best-in-class prospect development system to support all fundraising and governance. In partnership with the Chief Development Officer, the Vice President for Development, and the Senior Director for Individual Giving, the Director of Prospect Strategy and Development will provide key leadership on planning, prospect strategy and engagement, operations, and financial goal setting, for a growing annual fund and transformative, future campaign that will be the largest in the institution’s history.

THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Boston Symphony Orchestra engages millions of people each year in the remarkable diversity and wonder of orchestral music and maintains homes at its iconic venues, Boston’s Symphony Hall and Tanglewood in Western Massachusetts. From the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on the Charles River Esplanade to free community concerts throughout Greater Boston, an annual BSO Youth and Family series at Symphony Hall, humanities programs at the Tanglewood Learning Institute, and tour performances in concert halls around the world, the BSO remains committed to innovation, creativity, artistry, cultural relevance, education, civic engagement, and making orchestral music accessible to audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of familiarity.

Celebrated for its diverse programs, passionate performances, and tradition of innovation, the Boston Symphony Orchestra—under the artistic direction of Andris Nelsons since 2014—has been at the forefront of artistry for more than 140 years. At home, abroad, and through recordings, television, and radio broadcasts, a deep and inclusive commissioning legacy, and a history of cultivating emerging artists, the BSO reinforces its status as one of the world’s most accomplished and versatile ensembles, attracting world-renowned guest artists, composers, and conductors.

“America’s Orchestra,” the Boston Pops—under the direction of Keith Lockhart since 1994—has led the way in creating concert experiences designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of musical tastes. The orchestra’s storied approach to programming combines light symphonic favorites with film music, Broadway, jazz, pop, indie rock, country, big band, gospel, and the Great American Songbook, frequently in collaboration with household-name artists.

Along the way, the Boston Pops has grown into the most recorded and most beloved orchestra in the country. Pops performances are punctuated annually on July 4th by its Fireworks Spectacular, a free outdoor event that since 1974 has drawn tens of millions of in person attendees and television viewers.

Hailed as America’s premier summer music festival, since 1937 Tanglewood has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and provides a unique experience of musical performances of the highest artistry amid the pastoral beauty of the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. At the heart of the Tanglewood season are BSO performances led by the world’s great conductors. Tanglewood also presents performances by the Boston Pops, the highly successful Popular Artist Series featuring stars from a wide array of genres, and chamber music concerts by eminent soloists and ensembles in the acclaimed Ozawa Hall. The Tanglewood Music Center, initiated in 1940, offers spectacular performances by its talented Fellows, who spend the summer honing their skills as young professionals by working closely with BSO musicians and guest faculty throughout the summer. Tanglewood is also the year-round home of the Tanglewood Learning Institute, which offers programs designed to deepen understanding of music, the arts, and the human spirit in the beautiful Linde Center, Tanglewood’s newest venue, which opened in 2019.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

The Senior Director of Prospect Strategy and Development will report to VP of Development and oversee 2 positions – the Associate Director of Development Analytics and Strategic Planning, and the Prospect Research Analyst.  

FROM THE CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Since its founding in 1881, the BSO has centered innovation in its practices. One of the great orchestras of the world, devoted to advancing the classical music artform, it was also the first to integrate popular entertainments into its program offerings, with the creation of the Pops. Long a home for many of the most progressive musicians of our times, it has helped launch countless artists' careers and commissioned an unparalleled body of music. With the establishment of Tanglewood, its iconic summer home, it has embedded musical training, mentorship, and humanistic explorations into its programming with artists representing the full breadth of genres. It is,